Being Mindful

Being Mindful

Chandrika

Of the mind, Krishna says, “Unwavering is the mastered mind, like a lamp’s flame, steady in a sheltered alcove.” (6:19) But Arjuna complains, “Agitated like waves, restless like the wind, how does one control the mind?” (6:34). The answers are many. Through... Faith - which makes a missile of the mind. During an offensive, the Japanese army was quite depleted. The soldiers wished to retreat. Their commander would not hear of it. He took them to a temple. He said, “Let’s toss a coin at the altar. Heads, we win.” The coin fell heads. Suddenly, there was renewed vigour. The soldiers fought valiantly and won. “It was destiny,” they affirmed. “No, faith,” said the general showing them the coin. It had heads on both sides. Focus - which concentrates the mind’s massive energies. Whistler, the painter, was studying engineering. Drawing the blueprint for a bridge, he placed two children on them. “Remove them,” howled his instructor. “This is an engineering exercise.” Whistler got them off. And re-submitted his drawing. The instructor was even more miffed. The children were on the bank. “Out with them,” he shouted. The next time, there were no children. Until he looked closer. They were under a tombstone. It’s no surprise that Whistler eventually gave up engineering for art. Purpose - which steadies the mind on its chosen path. On hearing the story of the Buddha, who ran away from family and crown to seek enlightenment, the sceptic said, “How could he relinquish his responsibility? Totally unfair!” The guru explained, “Who said he relinquished anything? Once his goal appeared, all things dropped off him, like autumn leaves from a tree. He was left with only one thing - the passion to pursue his dream.” Contentment - which stills the restlessness of the agitated mind. “Tell me,” said a little fish to a large one, “where do I find this thing called the Ocean?” “The ocean,” the bigger one replied, “is what you’re in.” “This? But this is water! What I want is the ocean,” said the disappointed fish before swimming away. The waves whispered, “There isn’t anything to look for, fish. Just look.” That’s why, the Buddha once remarked, “Absorption, attention, awareness - together they make up the still mind.”