Enduring Autism Through Vedanta-Part III

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Controlling the Mind

The subtle science of controlling the mind is dealt with in the four yogas.
The Raja yogi launches a frontal attack on the mind itself. He trains his mind, aiming to make it free from all modifications and ultimately make absolutely still, unmoved by anything in the world. That is how the scriptures describe Samadhi.

A Jnana yogi tries to annihilate the mind by deep and searching enquiry into the very nature of existence.

The Karma yogi tries to calm the mind by selfless service.

The Bhakti yogi elevates his mind by selfless love for God.

Where do I stand? Utmost tough is for the autistic to control the mind. My mind is restless, tense and wavering. Thus, Raja yoga is tough for me. What else can I do? My eye-hand coordination is poor. I cannot perform Karma very well. I do not have deep Bhakti. But, God has given me a good thinking brain. What I do is read, read, re-read Vedanta literature and try to think about the reality (or the unreality) of this world. I get solace from its strong, powerful ideas.

Some may ask what is the use of just reading? There are many benefits. I can cite an example from my own life. Several years ago, I used to read a lot of English literature, history, philosophy, physics and mathematics. A lot of people in the field of autism questioned the wisdom of learning so much instead of training for a vocation. But I loved learning and continued to do so. Obviously, all that reading led me to write three books. The first two books have been of invaluable help to so many parents to understand their own autistic children. This I know from the number of emails we receive from parents all over the world. Thus, one day, I hope and pray all this reading of Vedanta would be of use to others. However, it has already benefited me tremendously.

For example, let me cite an inspiring analogy from Vedanta that has given me great strength. Imagine an ocean and a wave. The wave has a form and a name. The wave moves in time and space and is caused by many forces. Thus, the wave is caught up in time, space and causation. The wave travels and hits against the shore and dies. Apparently, the wave is dead. But, what is a wave? The wave is nothing but the ocean water. Every particle of the wave is the ocean water. When the wave dies, it goes back to the ocean. What is that died? The form of the wave died. The finite form of the wave vanishes and merges into the infinite ocean. Nay, the wave was and is always the ocean.

Similarly, we have to strive to understand the relation between this finite body and mind and the infinite Brahman. May God bless us in this endeavour! Let me end this article with a well-known quote from Swami Vivekananda: 'Arise, Awake, Stop not till the goal is reached."

About the author

The author of this article is an unusual writer. He suffers from autism, a brain development disorder. Overcoming all handicaps that an autistic has to face, Krishna, thanks to the care and dedication of his parents, has a B.Sc. level Electrical Engineering degree. His autobiography, Wasted Talent, Musings of an Autistic is an engaging account of his struggles and achievements. His other two books include Quest, Search for a Quality Life and A Tender Melody, a novel. Reading Swami Vivekananda's lectures on Jnana Yoga and some other writings has been a great event in his life. In the following article, he has tried to present some of the Vedantic ideas of Swamiji in the context of facing chronic illness in general and autism in particular.