Going Beyond Mind

“MIND”- the source of all sufferings…Why??

Because I don’t understand the nature of my mind….

My mind is ruled by restlessness, am pulled here and there by its continual cravings…am tormented by the recurring anxieties and fear which arise in my mind, but paradoxically I continue to cling to my mind with tenacity.

I do not want to loose my mind at any cost…that’s certainly not my intention but from the prospective of yoga, this is exactly what needs to be done. Yogis say to let go one’s desperate grip on the mind…and stop identifying the mind’s activities…to remain tranquil regardless of what the mind presents to upset us.

When I first read these words and gave a thought I concluded – Bull shit!!! These yogis are nothing but a bunch of crazy losers who shy away from their responsibilities and always find an excuse for the same.

But soon I realized the need to free myself from the clutches of my mind….from the vicious circle of endless thoughts and confusions….

Once I encountered a book on mind written by Dr.Harold Streitfield a psychology professor at Stanford University (USA) and an author. He wrote – “While the psychologist is concerned with trying to understand the mind’s activities, a yogi attempts to go beyond the mind…to the Self. By simply observing the mind’s vagaries and by refusing to become absorbed in them; a yogi is able to witness the inner workings of the psyche yet remains detached from the mind’s dramas.”

Aahh!!! But how’s this possible for me??

As an individual I knew my responsibilities….as a son…as a student…as a friend and most important of all as a normal social human being.

I cannot run away to the caves of Himalayas and sit there half naked with over grown hair and beard trying to free my mind!!! Oh Man!! No way!!

There has to be an alternative…there has to be a way to calm my mind from its fluctuations amidst my daily activities.

In the year 1999 I came across a spiritual path which taught – “God is within you as you” and their primary practice was - Meditation.

I wasn’t quite sure about the God realization thing but meditation is something that interested me and had fascinated me earlier.

So the process began. Everyday I would sit down to meditate and guess what?? It was such a fight…sometimes my mind would get even more restless than before coz of this Meditation. But still I was determined to stretch myself and so I continued…..

Very slowly I started noticing the difference in my character…also my friends told me that I was a lot more patient and composed…morever I felt calm and quite each time after my meditation….I discovered that it is the best relaxer…many times my practice of mediation would facilitate and help me find solutions to the complex confusing questions of my mind.

And during this process somewhere I had started to feel the presence of a greater force inside me…a greater energy within me…

Only that my focus was not on my mind that this force had started to reveal itself and manifest in my being.

Till today I meditate regularly and now the things are way different …its not that am floating in bliss and with out any tension…

Its just that now days am lot more patient…contemplative which has helped me in improving my relationship…my studies…also am discovering so many new qualities and virtues inside myself…its such a wonder!!!

Also I must admit that the best thing in meditation is to watch your thoughts come and go but never become a part of it... In yogic scriptures this is referred as the “Witness Consciousness”