The Tendency of the Mind

From a satsang by Gautam Baiji ~

By the grace of God, we are able to get satsang in our lives.

Sometimes we might think, "Why is it necessary?"

Especially if we have knowledge, why do we need satsang again and again?

One devotee asked this very question of his guru.

The guru said, "I will answer in a moment, but first, would you clean my pot please?" The guru handed him the aluminum pot he drinks from.

"Guru, you give me this pot to clean every day, and it's never that dirty. Why is it necessary to clean it every day? Why not wait until it's very dirty?"

The guru said, "The pot's made of aluminum. If you don't clean it regularly, you will see stains everywhere. It will look so dirty, you have to use lemon and salt and a lot of effort to clean it.

"But if you clean the pot every day, then you don't need to work hard to keep it clean.

"It's the same with satsang. We live in this world and know that mind has the tendency to collect negativity quickly. But regular satsang will keep it positive." 

The Rich Man and the Poor Man and the Rain

From a Rammurti Baiji satsang ~

One day a rich man and and poor man were walking when it started to rain.

The rich man opened his umbrella so he could stay dry.

The poor man had no umbrella and got wet, but he had a smile on his face. He actually started to dance in the rain, having a joyful time of it.

The rich man thought, "That looks like fun" and started to close his umbrella to have some fun with him.

But he stopped himself. "I'm carrying a laptop, and it might get wet."

Then he thought, "My clothes are expensive, and so are my shoes. I don't want them to get ruined by the rain."

While the other man enjoyed the rain, the rich man thought, "Who is truly richer?!"

What Stopped You?

There was a movie called Castaway where a man was stranded on a remote island.

He wanted to get home to his wife, but there was an obstacle:

A giant, powerful wave sent him crashing to the rocks below, injuring him badly.

This defeats him for quite a while. He really wants to get rescued so he can get home, but the wave stops him. For a very long time.

In the movie, he finally makes it over that menacing wave, has other trials and tribulations, and then he's finally rescued. He would never have been rescued if he didn't conquer that first big wave.

That wave reminded me of how we let one thing stop us from following a dream.

Just one thing! Whether it's fear of rejection, fear we're not good enough, fear of the unknown, whatever.

It turns out that people who accomplish their dreams figure out that they don't have to be attached to their so-called "failures." Failures to them are just stepping stones.

I heard of a guy who wanted to start a candle business. The first ones he made were terrible. The same with the next group, and the next.

He made 200 candles (which he gave away to friends) until he figured out the right temperature to pour them at. He tried 185 degrees, 175 degrees, 165 degrees... that was the one!

Then he had to figure out colors, scents, packaging, etc. He did all that, and now he has a small thriving business that he plans to expand into other housewares under the brand he created.

Thomas Edison made 1000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb until he had a proper light. I guess he had more perseverance than smarts, and that's what counts.

He wasn't attached to his "failures."

Keep failing. Don't let the first wave stop you, or the second, or the tenth...

Five Enemies Within Us

From a satsang by Gautam Baiji ~

The saints say there are five enemies hiding within us.

kaam (lust)
krodha (rage)
lobh (greed)
moh (attachment)
ahankar (conceit/pride)*

You can escape "outside enemies," but how can you escape "inside enemies?"

Your soul is craving the divine power. Your mind is wandering with the worldly things, the materialism.

So how can we avoid distractions and connect with the divine power? How can we connect the body, mind and soul?

Here's a hint: you cannot see your face in boiling water. You can only see your reflection in calm water.

The water should be steady.

And clean.

Clean and calm water, and we can see clearly.

If the mind is not there, we cannot get the peace we want.

Our thoughts will become our actions, so we have to watch our thoughts. Everything is depending on our thinking.

So how can we make our thinking better?

Our saints say, "Good thinking comes from the company of great saints and satsang..."


*These five major weaknesses of the human personality - at variance with its spiritual essence - are also known as the Five Thieves because they steal a person's common sense