Sri Chinmoy Inspiration | Self Improvement for daily Life

Managing Time Effectively

By tejvan on October 28, 2010 in productivity

time

In modern life, time seems to weigh down on us; sometimes time passes laboriously slowly. At other times we have too little, leading to a frenzy of hectic activity. How do we get the right balance and make time work for us, rather than being a slave to the clock?

Create Your Schedule.

“To choose time is to save time.”

Francis Bacon ¹

Often we slip into a mood of passive resistance. We don’t have much clear plan so we start to surf the internet, or channel hop. We go from one site to another because it is mildly interesting, mildly humorous. Before, we know it we have got sucked into an experience of reading much information, but, not really doing anything constructive or valuable. At each moment, we can inwardly decide what is the best thing to be doing – and then do it wholeheartedly. This doesn’t mean we become productivity zealots, always achieving something. No, we may just want to relax or appreciate some simple activity. The point is that if the best thing is relaxation, we should do it wholeheartedly and not be holding onto things we ought to be doing in the future.

Don’t Wish you Were Somewhere Else.

You can spend all your life wishing you were somewhere else or doing something better. But, once we start on this track it is hard to ever be satisfied. To really gain the secret of inner peace, we need to learn to be content where-ever fate puts us. The secret is to take whatever we do and give it our full attention and priority. If we do even mundane things with the right attitude we can be happy.

Every Second Counts.

“A moment’s love
Can and shall
Make the world perfect.”

- Sri Chinmoy ²

Every second, every moment can be sacred. We don’t need to be in a temple or on a mountain. The world needs our good will and positive vibrations, exactly where it is most difficult. We can offer goodwill to anyone, in any place. We don’t have to wait for a nice, inspiring person. It is easy to offer good will to these people. If we can offer good will to those who are unloved and unappreciated (and not particularly nice people) we will make a huge difference to both ourselves and other people. Each second is an opportunity to do something worthwhile. If we look upon time in this light, we will make better use of it.

Avoiding Stress

“Who forces time is pushed back by time; who yields to time finds time on his side. “

~ The Talmud ³

Modern life make it easy to be stressed. Many people feel they have too many demands on their time. It becomes difficult to keep on top of the competing pressures. First we have to be easy on ourselves. Don’t try to be superman or superwomen, we can only do a certain amount. People will have to accept that. We shouldn’t feel guilty because we are unable to keep up the appearances of having a second subtle body to multitask… The best way to avoid stress, is just to take the most pressing issue and do it as best you can, when that is completed, move on to the next issue which needs dealing with. At least this way, you have started prioritising and you are working on one thing at once. Often by creating a plan and workflow it becomes more manageable and you can actually get more done.

Time to Yourself.

Every second counts, so can we really justify spending 30 minutes in absolute calm and stillness? Of course! If we really want to create time for ourselves, we will find it is definitely possible. It is a liberating experience to set time aside for meditation or moments to yourself. It gives a greater balance to your life and gives the necessary inner peace to deal with the outer world.

Photo By Pranlobha, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

Excerpt from Essays of Francis Bacon ↩
Wings of Joy by Sri Chinmoy p112 ↩
Talmud ↩

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Don’t Blame The World

By tejvan on October 25, 2010 in life

world

Do not
Blame the world.
Find
A solution.

- Sri Chinmoy ¹

Human nature often wants to blame other people and the rest of the world for our problems. How many times do we think – if only? But, complaining never makes us happy, nor does it solve our problems. If we can learn how to look at a problem, half its strength goes away. What are the solutions to our problems?

Is it Really a Problem?

Often our problems are imaginary, we perhaps feel slighted by someone else, we fear others are thinking ill of ourselves. In these situations it is the emotional vital that is affected by pride, jealousy or insecurity. But actually, most of these emotions are just our imagination. It is not a real problem we have to deal with, but, our own passing emotions. If we can let go of these imaginary problems, it will be a big weight off our shoulders.

The Mind Exaggerates

The mind has a tendency to exaggerate the extent of a problem. If you allow your mind to think about the problem in circles, the problem becomes magnified out of proportion. If we are able to get out of this train of thought by doing something completely different we can almost forget all about the problem.

Success and Failure

We apt to value only success, and when things are easy. This is understandable, but, to make any appreciable journey there will always be difficulties. In the life of Abraham Lincoln so many setbacks he had. Yet, in a way these setbacks were essential parts of his life experience, that made him the person he was. Similarly, difficult times, force us to bring some disguised quality to the fore; it gives us extra strength and inner reserves. A setback or failure is not just an unsolvable problem, but part of the bigger cycle of life.

We Are Only Responsible For Ourselves.

Do you want to change the world?
Then change yourself first.
Do you want to change yourself?
If so, remain completely silent
Inside the silence-sea.

- Sri Chinmoy ²

The only person we are responsible for ourselves is ourself. We cannot change other people, we can only change ourselves. Usually, human nature instinctively is drawn to the faults of others, and we ignore the metaphorical plank in our own eye. Thus we always see insolvable problems.

We can love the world without expectation, but, we can never expect the world to rise upto our perceived standards.

Related

Jewels of Happiness p.9, Sri Chinmoy, ↩
Excerpt from Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 40 by Sri Chinmoy ↩

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How To Develop Will Power

By tejvan on August 2, 2010 in life

What is will power? Will power is the ability to do what we set out to do, without being sidetracked by doubt, hesitation and temptation. Will-power is the soul force which enables us to transcend the limitations of our self.

A person without will power is easily swayed and influenced. Without will-power we can feel a helpless victim to circumstances, other people, and our own thoughts.

To develop will power is to develop greater self-control and release our own hidden potential.

How To Develop Will Power

Exercise the Muscle.

Will-power should be seen like a muscle. If we train our muscle it gets stronger. If we don’t it gets weaker. Will power is not a heredity condition. It is something that we can develop.

Clear Focus.

Will power involves being one pointed and achieving a certain goal. If we are not entirely clear what we want to do, it is difficult to focus our will to doing it. When we attempt to do something, we need the co-operation of all parts of ourself. Don’t be in two minds, but decide exactly what you need to do and stick to it.

Will Power For the Positive.

It is better to develop will power for a positive goal, rather than using our will power to negate something.

“The easiest way to use will-power is to take the positive approach. Use will-power to do something positive, not to keep yourself from doing something negative. If we say, “I shall not tell a lie,” that is important. But if we say, “I shall tell the truth,” that will-power is more effective. When we say, “I won’t do it,” already the negative thing has half its power just because we are thinking about it. If we repeat in our mind, “I won’t be jealous,” the word ‘jealous,’ the negative quality that it embodies, ruins our mind and then we do become jealous.”

- Sri Chinmoy (1)

Ignore Silly thoughts.

It is human nature, that when we attempt something, silly thoughts appear in our mind to try and put us off. These thoughts have to be ignored. We have to see them as foreign entities. If we listen and accept every silly thought that comes into our mind, we will have no will power because our hyperactive mind will pull us in many different directions.

Concentration

Concentration and will-power are closely linked. If we develop our concentration which is our ability to remain one-pointed, we are at the same time developing our will power. See: Concentration exercise.

Never Give Up.

Will power doesn’t mean we have to always achieve at our first attempt. If we get pulled off our target, pay no attention and don’t allow despondency to enter. We need to keep trying. Persistence and patience are essential components of will-power.

Make It Easy Not Hard

If you want to give up smoking, avoid situations which encourage the craving. If you want to have the will-power to avoid chocolate, you wouldn’t buy the most tempting chocolates and invite your friends to come and eat them in front of you. Will-power also involves common sense to help us achieve our goal.

Understand Benefits and Costs.

To achieve something we need to understand benefits and costs. If we truly value what we are aiming at then we will develop the perseverance to continue struggling for it.

Use of Will Power

Will-power is one thing, but it also has to be directed in right direction. Napoleon undoubtedly had great will-power, but that doesn’t mean we have to become another Napoleon. Often the most important use of will-power is using it to become a better person. It is to be free of our own limitations fear, doubt and jealousy. This will-power to be happy is definitely worth growing.

(1) Sri Chinmoy Speaks Part 5

Photo Pavitrata Taylor, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.

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Letting Go of the The Past

By tejvan on July 19, 2010 in life

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.”

- Lao Tzu

There are many things we need to do. One of them is letting go of our unfortunate mistakes, habits, thoughts and experiences. At times we also need to let go of other people, we need to move on from the past and look towards the future. If we hang onto the unfortunate experiences of the past, this is what we will carry forward into the present. There is a well known story of the Zen monk who wanted to know why he couldn’t gain enlightenment. His Master replied – how can a full cup be filled up? To fill a cup with honey, we must first empty the water from the cup. It is the same with enlightenment, we have to let go of what is in our mind, for new, enlightening experiences to enter in.

What do we need to Let Go of?

Letting Go of Bad Habits

There are many things that we cling onto out of habit, which really don’t help. Sometimes we have a habit that we don’t really want, but part of us still clings to it. It is like the camel continuing to eat thorns, even though it is causing camel pain. We fail to make a complete break because subtly we have a lingering attachment. If we resolve to get rid of a negative habit like being jealous of other people, we have to make it complete. Just because we always do something doesn’t mean that a) it is a good thing to do b) we are compelled to do it. Look at our daily activities and see what we would be happy to change.

Things we Have No Control of.

Many things happen in life, that we can in no way influence. It may be the behaviour of other people, it may be events in society, even our own government. Having these problems revolve around in our mind will change nothing, except to make us unhappy at our perceived helplessness and misfortune. These are the kind of things we have to let go of. This is not indifference to problems in society, it is just realising what we can and can’t do.

Letting Go of The Past.

To think of the past
Is indeed a painful task.
To carry the past
Is indeed a fruitless burden.

- Sri Chinmoy (1)

Something that has happened in the past we cannot change. If we carry unfortunate experiences around in our mind, it is like a heavy weight that clouds our state of mind and makes life a struggle. To let go of the past, and enable new experiences to enter is the most positive approach. Even if the past is good, we shouldn’t feel that this former experience is the pinnacle of our life. This can breed a complacency and make us just yearn to hold onto the ‘golden days’. We have to keep moving forward looking for an even brighter future.

The Inevitability of Change.

Whether we like it or not, life will unmistakably teach us the inevitability of change. We have no choice but to let go of things. We will lose ou physical capacities; we will lose friends, family, money – anything can be lost at any moment. However, change is not a bad thing if we are cheerful and accept it as part of life. Human nature is to seek improvement and new experiences. If everything were to remain static, we would get bored and life would feel stifled. We would never be able to realise our potential.

Mind’s Preconceptions.

If we analyse our mind and the thoughts that come, we will soon feel there are many things that are good to let go of. Not least, our preconceptions and pre-judgements of other people. Our mind can be very bad at projecting false motives onto other people. If we can let go of these, we will be much happier (and better people)

How to Let Go

It is one thing to know we should let go of thoughts and experiences, but, human nature is to cling onto things, even when it causes suffering and cannot help. Firstly, we have to make a clear decision to let go of our thought / habit. It is no good if part of us wants to let go, but part of us still wants to hold on.

Looking forward.

To let go of the past is much easier when we spend our energies cultivating a better future, living in the present moment. If we are active in a positive way, we don’t have time to dwell on the past.

Don’t Fight Nature.

Nature and life are always in a state of flux. We need to realise this world is fleeting and ephemeral, change is inevitable. But, do we always want to stay exactly where we are? There is nothing to fear about moving forward. Life is nothing if not a journey of discovery.

Real Love / Attachment.

We often mistake love for clinging onto people. But, this is just emotional attachment. Real love is compatible with letting go on an external level. The real, all embracing love, does not have to be confined to certain people and small areas of the past.

Related

(1) Ten Thousand Flower Flames Part 63 by Sri Chinmoy

Photo by Pranlobha, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

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Yoga and Self Improvement

By tejvan on June 28, 2010 in self improvement

sunrise

Yoga is the ancient art of Self-Discovery, and Self-Realisation. Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Union with God’, – ‘Union with the Highest consciousness’. When we talk of Self-Realisation, it means realising the divine nature of our Higher Self, our Inner Pilot. A Buddhist may call it entering into Nirvana, a Hindu may talk of liberation / God-realisation. Ultimately, it is a state of consciousness beyond name and form and the limitations of the mental world. The Upanishads talks of ‘Sat Chid Ananda’ – Existence, Consciousness, Bliss – Our highest Self – a being of pure delight.

Such ideas may seem very far from our present state! Given the limitations of our mind and nature, a consciousness of unbridled delight and peace seem a far cry. Most of us would settle for just a little bit more peace, a little bit more joy. But, the highest teachings of yoga tell us that there is no end to our inner self-transcendence. – All we need to do is realise the divinity within.

In the West, yoga often invokes images of hatha yoga – difficult postures for calming the physical being and gaining greater peace of mind. But, hatha yoga is only one small aspect of the ancient path of yoga. There is also.

Bhatki yoga – the path of love and devotion. Bhakti yoga doesn’t worry about philosophical discourse and explanations, it merely seeks to love. It is not a human love based on possession and expectation. But, a divine, universal love without expectation or sense of possession.
Jnana yoga – the path of wisdom – gaining true insight into our real being; a wisdom which is much more than intellectual understanding. A wisdom that comes from knowing our deepest soul through meditation.
Karma Yoga – the path of action. Making progress through selfless service to the rest of humanity. It is selfless service without expectation of reward, recognition. It is egoless work done with detachment to the outcome.

How To Make Progress Through Yoga

Yoga means we make a conscious effort to transform our consciousness. It means facing upto and transcending our weakness. It requires a faith in God, or at least a faith in our self. It requires patience and persistence and the ability to remain focused on our self-improvement.

Patience, Perseverance.

Patience is sometimes viewed as a negative, or at least static thing. But true patience means ignoring the demands of the ego and accepting the transformation of nature which inevitably takes time. It is a mistake to think the path of yoga is about austerity and a bed of thorns. To seek our real self, is the most rewarding thing we can undertake. But, neither is it an easy downhill path with everything done for us. But, nothing worthwhile is without trials and challenges. We cannot give up at the first hurdle, but must remain committed to yoga, however, bumpy it is. How to be more patient

Enthusiasm.

To make progress in any aspect of life, we need an enthusiastic attitude. It is the same with yoga, we can make the fastest progress only when we value and are enthusiastic about the goal. See: Enthusiasm

Honesty / Self Appraisal.

In yoga we need to overcome the ego. The justifications and excuse of our ego, just make our journey longer. See balance between self-criticism and self-encouragement

Inner Strength.

Yoga is not for the feint hearted, sometimes, you need to go against the prevailing way of the world. We cannot allow ourselves to be sucked into materialistic goals. Yoga doesn’t negate the outer life, but, seeks to give a proper balance between inner wealth and outer wealth. This needs an inner strength to be true to our inner calling.

Simplicity

Sometimes it is the simplest things which matter in yoga. A sincere smile, doing something with love, doing something selflessly – outwardly it may not sound much but it can make a big difference in yoga.

Each smile
Is a radical
Self-improvement.

- Sri Chinmoy

photo: Sri Chinmoy Centre Gallery

(1) Excerpt from Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 21 by Sri Chinmoy

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How To Be Free – Inner Freedom

By tejvan on June 21, 2010 in life

freedom

What Does it Mean to Be Free?

Having just sat through an insipid world cup performance by my team England, I have realised how my mood can easily be disturbed by 11 football players failing to pass a football ball as well as I expect them to. I mean they were dreadful, but, should I be letting myself be affected by things outside my control? Well the world cup is only every four years, and I will always be a glutton for punishment (by nature I’m an optimist – I can’t help but always think this time we can win). But, football aside, we need to develop an inner freedom, a state of mind which can be free from the innumerable worries and anxieties of life. Real inner freedom is a state where we can remain unaffected by disturbing thoughts and ideas.

Inner Freedom

To Feel Negative Thoughts as Separate Entities.

Socrates once went to a noted sage. The sage told Socrates and his followers that Socrates had all the human limitations of anger, pride and jealousy.

His followers were shocked and interrupted to criticise the sage, saying they saw Socrates as a saint. However, the sage, said, ‘let me finish. It is true that he has all these negative qualities, but Socrates doesn’t let them affect him.’

As we aspire for a better life, human weaknesses will continue crop up. We cannot remain totally unaffected by old thought habits and emotions. However, we don’t have to give our acceptance and full support to these negative thoughts and emotions. We can feel these negative thoughts and emotions as separate to our real self. If we see these thoughts and emotions as separate and outside our self, then we can remain free from there power. We can remain centred in our real self. This is the secret of inner freedom because we can detach from thoughts and emotions that drag us down and round in circles.

We can have all the outer freedom we want to live exactly as we want. But, if we unable to let go of jealousy and insecurity, then we are not free to be inwardly happy; we will be constantly limiting ourself.

To be Free of Desires we Don’t Want.

It is the nature of desire to remain unfulfilled or be disappointed. The more desires we have, the more prone to disappointment we will be. There are still good things to aim for. There is no harm in aspiring to be a better person and to achieve worthwhile goals. But, to limit material desires, and desires from other people lifts a great pressure off our state of mind. If we have innumerable desires we always feel a sense of dissatisfaction until they fulfilled in our own way. We can become a slave of our desires, making us sacrifice worthwhile principles to get what we want. Yet, even when we get our desire, we soon realise it isn’t the secret of inner peace and contentment. Inner freedom is to be the master of our own desire.

To be Free from Peer Pressure

Friends, society and government consciously or unconsciously place expectations on our behaviour, attitude and actions. There is a pressure to conform to certain pre-conceived attitudes. If you look over the past 100-200 years, you can see how concepts of morality and reasonable behaviour are constantly changing. To be free from these subtle pressures is essential to give us our inner peace and enable us to be inwardly free.

To be free from peer pressure doesn’t mean we have to be the natural born rebel, always trying to shock people; this can become it’s own ideology. Having a shocking hairstyle is not the be all and end all or symbol of inner freedom. The real secret is the inner attitude. It is to quietly question prevailing values like materialistic goals; it is to have the self-confidence and inner faith to live as we feel inwardly inspired.

Knowing our Real Self.

“What is false freedom? False freedom is our constant and deliberate acceptance of ignorance and our conscious existence in ignorance. What is real freedom? Real freedom is our conscious awareness of our inner divinity, and our constant inseparable oneness with the Inner Pilot.”

- Sri Chinmoy (1)
To be really free, we have to be able live in our real self. The self that is spontaneous, happy, non-judgemental and cheerful. It is the childlike quality we all have within us. It is this source of human creativity and real joy. We have all felt this at some times in our life. We feel uninhibited and can access that creative aspect of ourselves. We can know this real self through living in the heart – living away from the critical mind; it is something we can access through meditation and contemplation. The irony is this inner freedom requires discipline.

Related

(1) Excerpt from The Tears Of Nation-Hearts by Sri Chinmoy

Photo Tejvan,

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Judgemental People

By tejvan on June 14, 2010 in life

newcollege

We are constantly judging other people, our self and situations. It can feel like life is a constant reality TV show with a panel of judges always in evidence. But, the judgemental nature of the mind, will neither give us peace or happiness. To attain a real inner peace, we have to go far beyond the judgemental game of inferiority and superiority.

Why Be Less Judgemental

We Suffer

When we judge others, it’s hard to not have a feeling (consciously or unconsciously) of superiority / pride. When we judge others we lower our own consciousness.

“If we judge others with our unlit human mind, with the intellectual mind, with the sophisticated mind, the persons whom we judge do not lose an iota of their achievement, of their reality. But we lose. How do we lose? When we start doubting others, we offer something of our own existence to the outer world something of our own reality goes and eventually we become very weak.”

- Sri Chinmoy (1)

We may be Wrong.

When judging others we are often judging only a small part of their nature. It may even be second hand information. We may hear someone’s opinion and take it as gospel. But, who is to say they haven’t put their own slant and perspective on the other person. Even when we seem someone first hand we may misunderstand their motives or inner attitude. We can never know what is going on inside a person. Every is fighting their own battles and trying to be a better person in their own way. We cannot expect every to be at the stage of sainthood in this incarnation.

How would we want to be judged?

When we do something good, of course, we want the whole world to know about it. But, when we do something bad or unfortunate we would really like it to be kept quiet. If we take delight in people’s misfortunes then it is a big mistake, and it is likely to happen to us.

How To Be Less Judgemental

Be Sympathetic

When we see someone doing something wrong, we can feel that this is something we could be doing wrong ourselves. Ironically, when we criticise faults in others, we often have the same faults ourselves. If we remember we are as prone to misjudgement and doing the wrong thing then it gives us more compassion and understanding.

Be supportive not critical.

Judging others rarely helps to change others behaviour for the better. Being supportive can change.

Concentrate on Being Happy.

When we get bogged down in judging others, we wont gain much happiness. Happiness comes from enjoying the good things in life, not in giving sermons on the failings of the world.

Look Upon People as an Extended Family.

If someone close to us does something wrong we are more willing to forgive and see their better qualities. When judging friends or work colleagues see them as an extended part of your self / family, this will give us a more sympathetic approach.

Being Right Isn’t the Most Important Thing.

In judging others, there is a strong desire to be right and show others as wrong. But life isn’t all about being right. It’s about quietly making a positive contribution.

Judge Only Yourself.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye” Matthew 7:3

If we have to judge, why not judge yourself and see how you can improve yourself as a person? Don’t make the mistake of blaming your difficulties on others. Difficulties come from some defect in our own character.

Dealing With Judgemental People.

Some people are very judgemental. They have a habit of making us feel small / guilty. It also encourages us to be judgemental in response. We either seek to defend ourselves or start judging others – joining in their game of judging people.

It can also be difficult to disagree with judgemental people, as they often can have deep conviction in their beliefs.

The best way of dealing with judgemental people is not to directly challenge them, but, allow them to go their way, whilst we maintain our quiet approach. Don’t worry about having the last word or defending yourself. If they are really making unfair criticisms of friends, you can always point to their good qualities. But, you are unlikely to change their nature so don’t expect too much.

Related

(1) Warriors of the Inner World by Sri Chinmoy

Photo Top, Tejvan, New College, Oxford

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Overcoming Weaknesses

By tejvan on June 3, 2010 in life

glastonbury

Sometimes it feels quite easy to write what you want you should do. In fact, when you write everything down the task of self-improvement looks quite easy! But, alas, knowing what to do is only part of the problem. Even when we have resolved what we want to do, part of our human nature can cling to its old habits, emotions and thought patterns. Even when we no longer want to pursue a certain emotion, it still can come to the fore despite our mental rejection.

Sometimes, it can feel like there are two parts to our self. There is the one positive part aspiring for a better consciousness. At times we glimpse this and feel a sincere happiness. At other times, we can feel overpowered by some undesirable aspect of our nature.

The first thing to bear in mind, is that everyone has this experience of making a few steps forward and a few steps backwards. It is necessary to accept our transformation takes time. – See: Changing yourself by accepting yourself. It is often just when we think we have made great progress and overcome some emotion like anger, that it re-appears out of nowhere and takes us by surprise. Human nature does take a long time to transform. But, when we experience the stubbornness of our own nature, it is important to bear in mind a few things.

Don’t be depressed or mad with yourself for a temporary relapse. By becoming depressed over our weaknesses, we only strengthen them. A feeling of guilt or despondency is also very unhelpful. If we see it is a inevitable step in our self improvement then it loses much of its power. See: Avoiding Self Pity
At the same time, we must distance ourselves from this emotion. We shouldn’t give it any mental support. By distancing ourselves from our negative emotion, it helps us to detach and slowly the experience will dissipate.
A quiet but firm resolve to overcome any difficulty is the most effective way of quickly overcoming them. We should avoid elation at a good experience and despondency at depressing experiences. But, we do need flexibility and a willingness to give up old thought patterns and habitual responses.

I enjoy peace
Only when I am not afraid
Of changing my stubborn mind.

- Sri Chinmoy (1)

Don’t Over Analyse / focus on your Negative Qualities. The best way to overcome negative qualities is simply to aspire for more light and concentrate on doing the right thing.
Any experience is an opportunity to transcend the quality we want to. We need to maintain a careful balance between self criticism and self encouragement

Related

(1) Excerpt from Peace-Blossom-Fragrance, Part 1 by Sri Chinmoy

photo Tejvan, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.

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A Clearer Mind

By tejvan on June 1, 2010 in inner peace

mind

“When we are clear in heart and mind—only then shall we find courage to surmount the fear which haunts the world,”

- Albert Einstein

When we have worries and problems going around in our mind, we feel like there is a heavy weight holding us down. Sometimes, these mental problems build up slowly and we are not even aware of how much we are struggling to carry around. We can also feel powerless to deal with what we have. These are some tips to keep less on your mind, and to aim for a clearer and sharper mind.

Make A Decision for Each Issue

For each issue that occurs, examine it and then decide what, if anything that you can do. For each issue that comes into your mind, you could:

Do Nothing. Some of our worries about other people are beyond our control. Some are things that have not materialised yet. In this case there is nothing we can do. Thinking / worrying about it does not help, so there is no need to pursue it further. Feel free to let go of it completely.
Do it Straight-away. If it is really urgent, or really quick, do it straight away then you can get it out of the way. For example, if you have dirty pots lying on the floor, you can go and clean them in two minutes, then you don’t have to think about them for the rest of the evening (or get nagged by your wife e.t.c…)
Make a Plan to Deal with it at a certain time. We can’t deal with everything at the same time, nor is it efficient. If we have a work related issue, but it in a box for when you return to work. Maybe you need to speak to someone, and until then there is nothing that you can do.

The fundamental point is that everything that comes our way, we carefully analyse the best way and best time of dealing with it. It’s like we have an inbox in our mind, but, we try to keep our inbox clear by either dealing with it straight away or putting it in folder (work, relationships) A folder to be dealt with at the appropriate time.

Quite often, we have things going around in our mind which we half heartedly deal with, but don’t resolve. We have many things which are nagging at our attention, but, we don’t deal with them straight away. With this method, we can be clearer about when we are going to deal with things.

When we have this clarity, we can be much more focused and at peace withourselves.

Each thought is hopeless and useless
When I am in my unclear mind.
Each thought is prosperous and generous
When I am in my clear mind.

- Sri Chinmoy (1)

Pay No Attention to the Speculations of the Mind

Often the mind creates imaginary problems. It speculates on people’s motives and attitudes towards us, even on the flimsiest of evidence we build up fearful situations. These mental speculations are usually wrong, but, they can take up a lot of negative energy and make our mind feel cluttered.

Don’t Take Problems Which are Not Yours

We need to empathise and offer support with friends and family. But, we have to tread a careful line to make sure we don’t take on problems which are not our own. If we waste energy worrying about problems which are not our own, it will be never ending, as we can’t even solve them.

Don’t Feel Guilty

” If you want to transform
Your life radically
Then immediately give up
Your false sense of teeming guilt. ”

- Sri Chinmoy (2)

What has happened in the past is gone. There is nothing we can do about it. Feeling guilty for past mistakes won’t help rectify them; however, it will burden us down. If we make a resolution to do the right thing, this is the best approach.

We can definitely keep our minds clearer. We have to be willing to let go of problems, and deal with things at the appropriate time. Either we need to relax or deal with a problem until there is nothing more we can do.

Meditation

” Clear mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don’t worry about clear mind: it is always there. When thinking comes, behind it is clear mind. When thinking goes, there is only clear mind.”

Zen Master Seung Sahn

Remember we always have a clear mind, it is just that sometimes it gets clouded by thoughts. But, by detaching ourselves from thoughts we can regain our clear mind.

Photo top by Tejvan, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries – at top of Glastonbury Tor.

(1) Excerpt from Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 12 by Sri Chinmoy
(2) Excerpt From Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 40 by Sri Chinmoy

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The Power of Giving

By tejvan on May 17, 2010 in simplicity

I rarely get inspiration from TV. At best, it is a bit of occasional light relief and relaxation through good comedies. But, yesterday there was an interesting programme on BBC about How To Live A Simple Life. A church of England Vicar, Peter Owen Jones, went on week long travel living according to the philosophy of St Francis Of Assisi. This meant owning no possessions or money but relying on the goodwill of strangers for food / shelter and travel.

St Francis of Assisi philosophy was radical to say the least. He felt this lifestyle was the best way to live the spirit of the Gospels. To give up material possessions, makes one dependent on other people. Our ego hates this because we like to be self-sufficient; the idea of relying on the good will of strangers is difficult. There is also tremendous uncertainty. It requires faith, detachment from difficulties and a positive attitude to look for the good in humanity.

St Francis taught that this lifestyle has many benefits. It gave people the opportunity to give. When we selflessly give to others we can get great joy. By begging for food, the wandering mendicant learns to humble his pride. It is also an opportunity to connect with people in a meaningful way. If we are self-sufficient we can easily ignore other people. We can drive past in our comfortable air-conditioned car. But, when we are reliant on the good will of others it forces us to make friends with strangers. We may meet with well meaning rejection, but, we can also find and appreciate the good will of others whom we otherwise would have met.

I don’t have any inspiration to start following the life of St Francis (though I admire him deeply). But, it nevertheless did raise some thought-provoking ideas.

The Joy of Giving.

It was heart-warming to see the genuine joy strangers got from giving. (A cynic will argue the presence of TV cameras offered an extra motivation for goodwill.) But, that aside, I think people were genuinely operating from their heart. It is also giving without expectation of reward. When we give to a stranger we may never meet again, we are giving without condition.

Of course, we don’t have to wait for a wandering Franciscan monk in order to be able to give (they aren’t exactly very common in Oxford). We can give where-ever we are. Even the poorest can offer a smile and expression of good-will to those who we meet. This in itself can mean a lot. It also means considering the well being of others, and how we can be of service to them.

Also, when giving we have to make sure we are giving with the right motives. Is it for the reward of name and fame or because of an inner prompting? We should feel giving is its own reward.

Fear of Strangers.

I think in us all, we have a fear of the unknown. At the same time our inner nature, instinctively wants to feel connected / empathise with other people, to offer food / shelter to others is an almost instinctive reaction. It was interesting to see this play between the two forces.

I couldn’t help think of whether I would have given to a dishevelled wanderer who claimed to be without money? My instinctive reaction is to ignore beggars, because I tend to assume they are professional beggars – giving to them may be not the best form of charity.

I think you can get a feeling whether a person is sincere or not – whether he is sincerely in need. Hopefully, I would have felt the vicar’s sincerity. But, if I was in a rush, I could have easily gone into defense mode and rushed past head down. It is perhaps understandable if people ignore others. But, it is a shame.

Self-Sufficiency.

If we have a feeling of self-sufficiency we can easily have an attitude of haughtiness, pride and even disdain for others. Often the ego aims for self-sufficiency, but, this is not desirable. It is good to be willing to give to others. But, it is also important to be willing to receive without feeling bad. Some people are very good at giving but too proud to receive.

He mistakenly feels
That what others have to offer him
Is of no value.
In the name of self-sufficiency
He is just riding his own ego-horse.

- Sri Chinmoy (1)

What is Important in Life?

In life it is easy to get stuck in a rut. We get on an escalator of money, career and family. We move in a certain circle around certain values. But, is this what we want? Is this the most fulfilling way. I love the idea of placing yourself in radically different environments to see life from a different perspective. I admire the vicar – he must be in his 50s. It is no mean feat to give up all creature comforts and make yourself reliant on the good will of others. (even if he does have a TV crew for backup)