Mind, body's software, should be used with care

The faculty of thinking called the mind is a continuous flow of various thoughts, desire, will, intention, imagination and ideas.

The body is the counter through which we transact with the world and the mind is the instrument of our experiences – good or bad, joyful or sorrowful.

It is the mind alone that performs all actions. The mind dormant as in deep sleep or in coma is incapable of any conscious action or interaction.

The mind employs the body as a tool to accomplish its tasks. The body can be likened to the hardware of the computer and the mind to its software. When the software is infected with viruses it causes problems and sometimes, even crashes.

The mind being the most sophisticated and delicate instrument should be used with care and caution. So, we need to learn how to think and what to think.

Should we fight the storms of the mind or escape from its vagaries? It is better to understand the mind than fight a losing battle with it.

In search of happiness, the mind follows the senses into the world of objects and enjoys its pleasures but is sorely disappointed. In fact, most things that we imagine are joy giving, cause disillusionment and at times, even disasters.

What actually happens when we enjoy the objects? Desiring happiness we contact them through our senses. Once the desire is fulfilled, the mind is temporarily calm.

This results in inner happiness. Not knowing that the joy experienced is from within, we superimpose it on the object and therefore become attached to it.

The more the joy superimposed, the greater the attachment, leading to dependence, possessiveness, jealousy, and fear. This in turn brings sorrow, tension and agitation.

Dependence on things, beings, feelings or circumstances, itself is sorrow. We begin to feel we cannot live without the objects. Having imagined happiness in the objects, man is bound to them by the rope of attachment like an animal (leashed to a post).

How then can we free our mind from its attachments? It is impossible to unhook the mind from objects without giving it another source of happiness, as it needs to hold on to something.

Turn the pleasure-seeking mind towards the true source of joy the Lord.

When dedicated to God, our actions are an offering to Him, without the bondage of likes and dislikes.

The only objective being to please Him, such a worshipful attitude invokes His grace, which in turn purifies the mind. Thus, freed from selfishness, attachments and false notions the mind is available for higher pursuits.

-Swami Tejomaynanda. The Author belongs to Chinmaya Mission.