Beware of Mind Games

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven,” wrote the English poet, John Milton. This signifies the unique space that the mind occupies in our psychological construct. At times, we are rejoicing and are buoyant, but within a few moments, we could feel disappointed and dejected. Quite often, the tornado of thoughts with its whirlwind speed hits us so badly that it leaves us completely disenabled. As a result of the trauma within, a person may appear physically fit but may be paralysed internally. In the Mahabharata, even a distinguished warrior like Arjuna became depressed at the very thought of waging war. On the battlefield, he got emotionally and intellectually paralysed till such time as Krishna came to his rescue. How should a person extricate himself from a paralysed state of mind? First, we need to understand the basic nature of mind. ‘Mind is a beautiful servant but a dangerous master,’ said the Buddha. We need to hand over the reins of our mind to our ‘intellect’, so as to ensure that all our actions are governed by rationale, logic and realistic considerations than emotions. Second, the mind being fickle, it invariably falls prey to worldly things and beings. This, in turn, gives rise to innumerable desires that, if not satiated, result in an agitated mind. Let’s focus on higher ideals without egocentric and selfish desires. Lastly, the mind being restless like a monkey, regular practice of meditation can help in gaining serenity and tranquillity of mind.

Economic Times, 3/02/2020