Peace of mind is the most sought after ‘commodity’ in human life. It appears that most of us are in a state of perpetual restlessness. On analyzing the causes of this restlessness, I have ventured to find for myself ten solutions that need to be followed religiously if we are serious about achieving perfect peace of mind.
1. Do not interfere in others’ business
Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others’ affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic, and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction.
This kind of attitude on our part denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God, for God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because they are prompted to do so by the Divine within them. There is God to look after everything. Why are you bothered? Mind your own business and you will have your peace.
2. Forget and forgive
This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often nurture ill feeling inside our heart for the person who insults or harms us. We forget that the insult or injury was done to us once but by nourishing the grievance we go on excavating the wound forever. Therefore it is essential that we cultivate the art of forgiving and forgetting. Believe in the justice of God [...]
Any dog or horse trainer will tell you that what is fed to an animal influences its behaviour. Although we like to forget this when it comes to ourselves, what we eat has a huge influence not only over our physical well being, but also over our thoughts, and ultimately our emotional and spiritual well being. The yogis of ancient times knew this, and many classical yogic texts, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, contain advice on a yogic diet. However, proper diet is a controversial subject. Nutrition has been extensively researched by modern science, and there seems to be as many ‘proper’ diets as there are scientific studies. It is more than a bit confusing for someone to devise their own individual diet amidst so much, often contradictory, advice.
The advice given below is based on the classical yogic texts and on the author’s experience. It also gives pointers for further research and experimentation.
Unlike modern scientists, yogis are not interested in the chemical content (protein, vitamins, etc…) of the food. Instead, food is traditionally classified according to its effect on the body and mind, using the the three Gunas: Sattva (the quality of love, light and life), Raja (the quality of activity and passion, lacking stability) and Tamas (the quality of darkness and inertia, dragging us into ignorance and attachment) :
Sattvic food promotes clarity and calmness of mind and is favourable for spiritual growth. It is “sweet, fresh and agreeable” and includes most fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables, whole grains, honey, pure water and milk (with the reservation that commercially produced milk may not nowadays be so sattvic…). Given the amount of pesticides and chemical fertilisers used on commercial crops, only organic products still qualify as Sattvic, and tinned or frozen [...]
It seems like we all go through it. You know- those times of change, when everything that we hung our hats of self-esteem on- are cast aside. Perhaps it’s the loss of a job, spouse, friends, health, children, youth and beauty, or some less dramatic change that causes us to experience our share of fear and worry. I’m sure there is no one reading this message that hasn’t experienced it more than once, and I would venture to guess it may even be going on now for many of you. After all, this is a time of huge evolution in the growth of mankind, and in order for growth to occur, we demonstrate change and transition. It’s not always easy and it doesn’t feel good- at least not to some part of us. This is the time, more than ever, to turn to the part of ourselves that never changes, is always the same, whole and complete. But how do we do that when our mind is running rampant with fear, worry and compulsiveness?
1st Step: OBSERVE THE MIND
If you pay attention and just notice, what were you thinking that caused your upset feelings just now? Were you worried about the future? Was it past regrets? Was it some form of either one? Just notice, don’t judge. Look over the last hour-what were some of your thoughts? How many thoughts were anchored in the past? What about the future? You can begin to break out of the mind’s incessant suffering-causing mechanism when you can begin to disidentify from you as your mind to you as the one who uses your mind.
How does the mind work? It judges, worries, justifies, blames and compares. It looks for opposites, comparisons, judgments, etc. The mind when left to run rampant will cause suffering [...]
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