Train Your Mind For a Fulfilling Life

Karma – the sum of a person’s actions in his existence is viewed as his or her fate in the future

On Sunday November 15th, Gautum Baiji said:

"The Bhajan we sang about Lord Krishna reminds us that our ties to our spiritual source should never be broken. The love we bestow at the the feet of Lord Krishna is infinite.

We must train our minds so that the actions we take create a fulfilling life. During our life's journey, we face many difficulties.

Even the simplest act of having a glass of water requires us to get a glass, pour water, and then drink it. We have to do Karma (Karma – the sum of a person’s actions in his existence is viewed as his or her fate in future) no matter how small or big the task.

Saints have said Bhakti (dedication) is like walking on a sharp blade of a sword. It will test you immensely. One who wins a war on a battlefield is called a hero, but one who wins one’s mind is called a superhero.

A Pandit is a scholarly person who has knowledge, but Gyani is one who has a deep understanding of the wisdom and knowledge and lives accordingly. Gyani does not identify with the self or with the “I”. He is in union with the Supreme Being. When we identify ourselves with our ego – “I” - we cannot be free and cannot realize God – the truth.

One wonders why people who have obtained knowledge and listened to wisdom during Satsang (discourse) still have not seen any changes in their lives. For example, a child knows there is a shower with warm water available to clean his/her body and that this would be a good action. But when the child does not take a shower for several days despite knowing this, he/she will start to smell bad. Nobody will enjoy being around this smelly child, but if the child decides to take a shower, he/she will be clean. 

Likewise, one must obtain wisdom from Satsang and put it into practice. Without your determination and willingness to act on your knowledge, you will not benefit from Satsang.

The mind is very fickle and active. Negative thoughts are spoiling your joy and peace. This is where suffering comes from. So how do we calm the mind? No one is making us happy or unhappy. We are doing it to ourselves with our Karma and thoughts. This way, your mind can be your friend or your enemy. 

No matter what the situation, we should always stay positive. God has given us free will. The trick is to not recycle the thoughts over and over in your mind and allow them to stay active. 

Think of this another way. If someone gives you smelly garbage, would you take it home with you and keep poking at it with a stick, keeping the bad smell alive? In the same way, we should not let negative thoughts reside in our minds and keep thinking about them again and again. Meditation helps our minds remain calm and purified. Meditation also makes you mentally strong and increases your will power to act on wisdom.