When we sit in silence and begin to know ourselves, we see that we carry with us many, many things from the past. The mind has been a slave to so much, and the heart has been wounded. We have done wrong and so we have a feeling of guilt; there are doubts in the mind and pain in the heart. You might enjoy the peace of sitting in silence, but what are you going to do with all this other stuff?
When we are physically ill, we look for the cause. Is it because of food poisoning or something in your diet? Is the pollution of the atmosphere or the climate affecting you, or is it because you have not been able to give the body sufficient rest? When we look at the condition of the mind, we should look at the same things. What have you been feeding the mind? Have you been giving it negative things to think about? Is that the cause of the pain? Or does the pain derive from negative things or pollution, in the atmosphere around you? It is almost certain that you have not learned how to let the mind rest, and so it loses its peace and becomes restless and tired. When we look inside, we see worry, hopelessness, and fear, and though you may often have tried to overcome them, you probably have not been successful.
Well, at least now you understand that these are the causes of mental pain. Now you have to protect yourself from that pollution by giving the mind open space, keeping the heart clean, paying attention and feeding the mind good, nourishing thoughts. Rest is especially important for the self. Medicine works when we first give ourselves rest. Once we remove the inner tiredness, we can enjoy the fruit. At one point, I was looking after someone who rejected all the food I was offering. We went to the doctor, who prescribed some glucose, and within half an hour the patient’s appetite had returned and she started eating. The reason for the rejection of nutrition was a deep tiredness. Similarly, when the human heart has been without love for a long time, it rejects everything and becomes full of dislike and fear. But when the heart starts receiving real love, pure love, then there is power.
In order to heal yourself, learn to love yourself. Do not cause yourself sorrow. Do not criticise yourself. Do not cause yourself pain. No matter what the causes of your distress, forget them. If it is a question of forgiving others, do not repeat the old hurt in your mind. The more you go over it, the more those events and words live in your mind. It is like pouring salt on wounds, bringing yet more pain. Instead, with patience and tolerance, fill yourself with love.
Pay such attention to yourself that the old illnesses of the mind and the heart go away, and you can maintain good health and keep the mind, heart, and body healthy. If something even slightly impure and negative comes into your mind or any bad feeling enters your heart, deal with it immediately. Science has been able to create many inventions and find many cures to illnesses, but they involve the support of other people. This cure means being able to heal the self with silence.
The late Dadi Janki was the Administrative Head of the Brahma Kumaris.
