THE CONTROL OF MIND

The control of mind is very interesting game. It is full of thrill and ecstasy. A person having a sportsman’s attitude will really and thoroughly enjoy it even while tough struggle and reverse conditions. A person should be self-motivated and be ready to struggle and face hardships. It needs a great deal of skill, patience, alertness, sense of strategy and humour in addition to goodness of heart and heroic flair, which makes it impossible to sink heart even in the face of many failures. The person should cultivate the habit of boosting his self-confidence up and be prepared to try again and again in order to secure success. The mind-control has always been an extremely difficult task yet it is possible to do so since there are some well-defined methods for controlling the mind. The practitioner must follow a specific code of conduct and a systematic technique of mind-control. The entire secret of controlling the mind lies in practice and indifference. A regular practice makes it possible to control the mind. Development of a strong-will is must to control the mind in addition to understanding the nature of mind. The strong-will power and the understanding of the nature of mind make the progress of the control of mind smooth. Apart from it, certain techniques will have to be learnt and practised earnestly and intelligently. The faultless practice of techniques leads to the attainment of purpose efficiently.

Our inner struggle indicates that we have a will to control the mind. In fact, the will to control the mind is deep rooted in our mind itself. When we use the mind for seeking pleasure and enjoying it, it becomes impossible to control and have the strong-will unless and until we renounce seeking pleasure. The practice of seeking pleasure diverts our attention from the main motive. Even after giving it up as the main pursuit of our life, it will be difficult to control it because the mind will always have past incidents to exert influence. The past incidents dominate the faculty of mind. The struggle of our will to control our mind may be equal to the intensity of our rejection of the pursuit of pleasure. Both of these processes may be somehow correlated. Those who hesitate to give up the pleasure-motive lack sincerity in wanting to control their mind. The sacrifice of pleasure-motive is precondition for the control of mind. The persons who have become slaves of their lower nature do not have inner struggle, similarly those who have mastered their lower nature completely, also lack inner struggle whereas inadequate and unsuccessful attempts at controlling the mind results into inner struggle in all others. No positive result is possible when the inner struggle is not input but output of practice. It indicates a weak will and the lack of knowledge as to how to control the mind. The absence of strong-will and ignorance hinder the process of the control of mind. The will should be strengthened to such a degree that we are not disheartened even in the face of repeated failure. Let the practitioner be self-motivated in order to strengthen the will power. We should be roused to fresh endeavours enthusiastically with every new failure to control the mind. The efforts should be devoted and determined without any doubt and hesitation.

Integration of personality is effectively obstructed with no-control of mind. Personality becomes unimpressive in the absence of the control of mind. There will always be a tendency to abnormal developments or to mental disintegration through internal conflict. Internal conflict also mars the impression and integration of personality. A person of uncontrolled mind will not realize his potential of fulfil expectations even under the most favourable circumstances. The absence of the control of mind does not let a person explore the deep of his mind to unearth his potential. In order to develop strong-will, our own mind must be taught that we are directionless without it and the character of entire future depend on the fact that whether control over mind exists or not. It must be convinced that its control directs the entire course of our future. We may not get rid of the pleasure-urge as it being elemental and deep rooted in us even if it be possible, only with the greatest difficulty. The practice of seeking pleasure, being a natural phenomenon, is difficult to control. Let the physical pleasure be sought in such a way that the powers may be preserved for the joys of the mind and for attaining the bliss of the spirit. Let our efforts be directed towards replacing the physical pleasure with the pleasure of mind.

The seeker’s desire for pleasure will be sublimated and will be conducive to perfect control of mind when he has grown inwardly to the extent of seeking the supreme-spirit. If our passions are directed to lower things, we remain on a lower level; we rise higher by linking them to higher objectives. We rise to the supreme spirit by their driving force if we link them to him. Passions being wrongly oriented-desires cease after it is known experimentally that we are soul and not a body-mind complex. The desire becomes the instrument of liberation and joy when it is directed towards reality. On the other hand, its direction towards unreality makes it the instrument of bondage and misery.