Meditation is known to strengthen the mind. There are those who meditate and those who are meditators. Many people do meditation to relax or calm down and that may be enough for them. Those people meditate from time to time when they feel the need, or maybe a little in the mornings and a little in the evenings. A meditator though has a definite lifestyle. One part of them is naturally vigilant, watching the thoughts that are being produced and paying great attention to the quality of those thoughts. They are intensely aware that overthinking and crit-ical, negative thinking, brings mental exhaustion, and that is when the power to tolerate and think clearly is lost.
Their life is a little like that of an athlete going for gold. Those athletes are constantly aware of what they are eating; the nutritional value of the food and the effect that food will have on their weight. They have the natural awareness to maintain optimum weight if they wish to succeed. A meditator is a mental athlete. Even a beginner can start by following a simple rou-tine to take care of the mind.
Spend time on waking to charge the battery of the soul with a few moments of peace. The effects will last all day. During the day take a few moments to return to that feeling of peace, slowing down thoughts. Observe how the thoughts are flowing. Just one waste thought can block the flow of happiness and creativity. Do this for two or three minutes, mid-morning and then every couple of hours. Finally, at the end of the day, put the mind to sleep. Think of the whole of life as a play, a drama, and for today the curtain has come down on this day’s per-formance. Today’s drama is over. Give yourself permission to put it into the past, empty the mind of thoughts of today, and let it sleep.
It is ‘my’ mind that is thinking, so it should be under my control. Waste thoughts and emotions should be under my control. Overthinking is the single most damaging thought pattern that is affecting everyone at this current time. Especially in the face of all the worldwide challenges that each one is facing. For those who make meditation a lifestyle, there is no such thing as a problem, because when we conserve the energy of the mind, we change our perspective on life and its challenges.
It is time now to turn to our inner world of thoughts, emotions and beliefs and pay less atten-tion to the outer world to build inner strength and maintain inner happiness as we pass through these challenging times. The way to gauge how much inner strength we already have is by seeing how much ability we have to tolerate people, situations, or even our own weaknesses. How much ability we have to forgive; Gandhi said, ‘…the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.’ We can see how much ability we have to give love. Dadi Prakashmani, former chief of the Brahma Kumaris, said that only a powerful soul can give love. When we are weak, we need to take.
If I want to own my happiness and have willpower and tolerance, I need to respect the mind. It is time now to understand and care for the self, to make it the most important priority. To be a meditator, not just one who meditates.
Yogesh Sharda is the National Coordinator of the Brahma Kumaris’ services in Turkey.
Spend time on waking to charge the battery of the soul with a few moments of peace. The effects will last all day. During the day take a few moments to return to that feeling of peace, slowing down thoughts.