Power Of The Mind

Ramana Maharshi

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By Super Admin

Thursday, June 23, 2011, 17:54

D:	I long for bhakti. I want more of this longing. Even Realisation does not matter for me. Let me be strong in my longing.
M:	If the longing is there, Realisation will be forced on you even if you do not want it. 'Subhechcha' is the doorway for realization.

Here we find a categoric assertion by Ramana of the mind's power. For, the power of thoughts is the reflected power of the Self itself. The light of consciousness is thrown on the individual, the thinker, and thoughts derive their strength from it. When the mind is not weak, when it is not scattered, it becomes a most powerful instrument. Nothing is barred to such a mind. A long time inmate of Sri Ramanasramam,

Major Chadwick, writes about the strength of intense desire. In his letter to Dilip Kumar Roy, he says that a 'jnani' used to tell his friend that if he desired Self-realisation sufficiently he could not even die till he had attained his goal. Such indeed is the potency of the mind. Hence the responsibility of channeling the mind's strength properly, on dharmic lines, on lines which lead one on to liberation. As Ramana puts it 'it should be an auspicious desire' - 'Subhechcha'. It is needless to say that thoughts can pull one down into the mire of binding attachments or cut these bonds at their very root. Bondage and liberation are only ideas in the mind.

It seems strange that while our sights are set on a state where the mind itself is destroyed, the sole weapon we have is the mind itself. Destroying the mind through the mind becomes possible only by purifying it. Gradually as its 'sattvic' content increases, as the tendencies get corroded through meditation, through action dedicated to God, through self-enquiry, the inner journey becomes smooth. Straying away from the source becomes less and less and the externalization of the mind decreases.

One can therefore readily see the significance of the longing, intense longing, to tread the path of wisdom. It follows logically that we should have a good look at the factors which eat into this enthusiasm. There is always the fear that we may not succeed or succeed quickly enough in attaining the goal. 'Are our attempts sure to succeed?' is the doubt. Beginning with Natanananda this is the assurance which many have sought from Ramana. It is easy enough to understand this fear and the consequent anxiety, for our minds are result oriented.

Ramana's reply would invariably be that 'realisation is our nature and there is no room for doubt'. Alternatively he would say that one is already realized and one has only to eradicate the factors which obscure this knowledge. One can therefore be not only optimistic about the result but can also be sure of success provided one is steadfast in practice. Why this proviso? It is because practice alone makes the mind strong enough to sustain and water the desire, the longing for awareness of the truth about the 'I'.

To Be Continued