Mind is a source of happiness.  Mind can give you happiness or mind can create unhappiness.  It is a creator of both.  Mind can do anything you like.  We are what we think; what we think we do, and what we do creates our surroundings.  We then become slaves to these surroundings.

What is the nature of the mind?  Water is always compared with the mind.  The ruling deity of both the mind and the water is the moon.  With the changing of the moon, the mind also changes as it is governed by the various positions of the moon.

The yogic theory explains that the sun means your soul and the moon means your mind.  As the moon receives the light of the sun and radiates it, similarly, the mind receives light from the soul and is energized.  If mind doesn’t receive energy from the soul, it will never be energized or be in its proper place.  So, we have to understand the relationship of the mind with the soul.

Now we come back to the theory of self-realization.  The aim of life is called self-realization or realizing the soul.  Mind is an assistant to the soul, or a serving instrument to it.  The light of the soul radiates through the mind; and if we do not turn our minds toward the soul, it will not have energy.

How can we calm the mind?  Do mantra regularly.  Mantra’s value cannot be diminished.  If you do your mantra lovingly and respectfully, it will help because mantra becomes your work – mantra disciplines the mind.  When you repeat mantra, you are contacting your soul.  Mantra represents the identity of the soul.  Mantra is known as the Guru’s personality.  Repeat it when you want your teacher to walk with you.  Mantra is a condensation of the form of the teacher.  You believe that mantra is the teacher, you receive the mantra from your teacher, and because you love and respect that teacher, this mantra has the power of the teacher’s personality in it.  One must practice mantra to perfect it.

When you do mantra every day, you are disciplining the mind and when you discipline the mind, you are calming it.  Whenever you have any problems, you should sit down and do mantra.  Mantra wards off danger and sorrow.  Mantra is the spiritual way to calm the mind.

Meditation helps to calm the mind.  If thoughts are coming to you, become a witness to the thoughts and when you are witnessing your thoughts, be impartial.  Make your mind strong enough to realize its own weaknesses.  Mind is sometimes not willing to accept its faults.  Meditation makes you see your mind, see yourself.  Keep yourself as a third person, as a witness to the problem.  If you are really sincere and want an answer, you will find it.

Strengthening will power helps to calm the mind.  When you initiate a project and complete it, it will strengthen the will power and calm the mind.

Imposing discipline upon yourself helps to calm the mind as well.  If discipline is imposed upon the mind, then the mind will know what to do and where to go.

Learning to memorize is very beneficial to calming the mind.  If the mind is given something to memorize, mind will grow.  Memory must be perfected.  Knowledge is that which is with us all the time.  Every moment should be a moment of learning.

November 1982