Are You Being Moved Off Track?

KrsnaKnows teaches that thoughts, especially negative thoughts are the demons that move us away from our path.

First, here is my understanding of Guruji’s lesson: There are so many thoughts, relentlessly passing through the mind. It takes practice to keep them in check. How does one practice being the controller of thoughts? Well, first one needs to pay attention to the action. Thoughts are so much a part of our existence and personality that we do not even notice them.

The mind will create one thought and then lead us around until we have enough thoughts gathered to create a small story. And what is even worse is the story is not at all true, it only exists in the mind. Of course, we could actually use our thoughts in a constructive manner, but clearly those occasions are rare, particularly when one considers how many thoughts pass in the mind every minute, hour, day, week, year or lifetime.

Once a thought is noticed, then one can choose to let that demon grow to huge heights unimpeded or simply choose to stop it. The teaching of my Guruji is to take the name of the Lord (whatever or whoever that is for you). Speak the name. The thought will cease and surely it will try to rise again and when it does, again take the Lord’s name again.

Now, here is my abysmal application of Guruji’s lesson: Sitting down to pray, my mala in hand, I look at the beloved picture in front of me. Concentrating on a single point, my mental repetition of sound begins. Fine, moving along well. Then, there is second sound—my mind is traveling into the past and to an imagined future. Finally, realizing that there are now two sounds I take the name of my Ishta-devata, focus on Him, and come back to the first sound.

Resuming my prayers, all is going along smoothly but then the second sound returns! My mind starts to travel and a whole conversation by the mind ensues. WAIT! What am I doing? Stop it! I again take the name of my Ishta and focus on Him. I continue along. The mala has 108 beads and I haven’t even made it halfway. Jokes aside, there has been some progress. While I haven’t mastered my inner world, there have been great strides in my outward life. When it comes to interacting with others at work and such, stopping the thoughts induced by those interactions has become much easier. There is no need for me to be involved, there is no one who is right and no one who is wrong. This attitude toward those types of interactions is just one of the many blessings of my Guruji.

My Gurudev painstakingly teaches me over and over. I am grateful for His strength and patience. My humble obeisance to Him.

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