The human quest for happiness is unending. We strive to acquire happiness in worldly objects, relationships, material achievements, and so on. However, even after achieving every milestone, happiness eludes us. We fail to make this state permanent. Despite being blessed with money, fame, and power, human beings are incomplete. Where are we lacking?
The Western poet and philosopher John Milton explored the reason for such unhappiness in his acclaimed epic Paradise Lost:
The mind is its own place and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
The Vedic scriptures have emphasised the significance of the mind thousands of years ago. The Bhagavad Gita states:
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ (Gita 6.5)
Meaning: Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself, for the mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self.
Hence, the mind can be our best friend or our greatest enemy. Our misery can be attributed to our inability to control the mind and the thoughts created by it. The mind continuously bombards us with different kinds of thoughts. Some of these thoughts lead to attachments, while others to aversion. One thought is followed by another till a series of thoughts trap us in an inescapable chain. Most of these thoughts are unproductive and regressive. By engaging in faulty thoughts repeatedly, we energise and empower them and unleash misery within ourselves.
Thoughts are like seeds. They influence our actions (karma), which are like plants. The metaphor of a garden best illustrates this. We sow good seeds and prune the weeds when we desire a kempt garden with beautiful plants. If we do not tend the garden, it will be overgrown with wild grass. Such is the case with the garden of our mind. If we don’t pull out the unwholesome thoughts, they will create more of their kind and impede our success, happiness, and fulfilment.
Jagadguru Shankaracharya asked in one of his discourses: जितं जगत् केन? It means, Who can conquer the world? He answered it himself: मनो हि येन।One who conquers the mind conquers the world. Thus, those who have learnt to master the mind are cheerful and embrace only positive and uplifting thoughts while rejecting the degenerating ones. How do we achieve this state?
Negative thoughts can be difficult to eliminate but are achievable through a simple three-step process: Dilution, Substitution, and Sublimation.
- Dilution: It is the process of distancing ourselves from the thought. When we identify a thought as automatic, unproductive, demotivating and intrusive, we reduce our attention to it and let it wilt away like an unwatered plant. Maharshi Patanjali identifies this process as one of practising detachment from thoughts. He writes in his Yog Darshan:
अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः॥
abhyāsa-vairāgya-ābhyāṁ tan-nirodhaḥ (sutra 1.12)
Meaning: “Practising detachment from thoughts is the means for controlling the perturbations of the mind.” When we distance ourselves from pernicious thoughts, we succeed in letting them die a natural death and are, hence, no longer troubled by them.
- Substitution: This is the process of substituting a degenerating thought with an uplifting one. If a negative thought is troubling us, we should try to think of the opposite, a positive one. Maharshi Patanjali calls this “pratipakṣha bhāvanā”. He explains:
वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्॥
vitarkabādhane pratipakṣabhāvanam (sutra 2.33)
Meaning: “When unwholesome thoughts contrary to self-discipline and goodness arise in the mind, the reverse thoughts should be practised.” Doing this can turn our focus from harmful to beneficial thoughts.
- Sublimation: This is the process of building a positive stream of thoughts. It is about cultivating a series of ennobling and inspiring thoughts. Maharshi Patanjali recommends directing our thoughts towards the Divine in order to master the mind:
विषयवती वा प्रवृत्तिरुत्पन्ना मनसः स्थितिनिबन्धिनी॥
viṣayavatī vā pravr̥tti-rutpannā manasaḥ sthiti nibandhinī (sutra 1.35)
Meaning: “steadfastness of mind may be maintained by contemplating upon and becoming absorbed in God”.
Positive thoughts don’t happen automatically. They must be created by our intellect and fed to the mind. The mind is an amazing inner machinery given to us by God. Without it, we wouldn't be able to experience happiness and the beauty of life. Thus, it is our responsibility to protect this beautiful gift by tending it with utmost love and care.
