Wipe the slate clean: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wipe the slate clean: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The mind that is not united with your inner self acts, like your enemy. That mind which has been won over, which is unwavering is your best friend. Befriend and work your mind. This is the message of yoga. Save the mind at all costs is the message of Bhagvad Gita. We are not defending our own mind. We are simply moving outwards. The inward journey, is yoga and outward journey is Bogha (enjoyment). Unless you take the mind inward you can’t even enjoy the world outside. When the mind goes deep inside, it experiences yoga and then you will be able to enjoy.

That mind, which is centred, reflects the universal self. If the water is muddy and with waves, it cannot reflect but if the water is still, you can see the reflection. Similarly when the mind is pleasant, happy, content and peaceful, then the universal spirit or the big mind, reflects itself.

The yogi self is satisfied through knowledge and realisation. He is steady and has the senses under control. Lord Krishna says: The yogi looks at everyone with the same attitude or the same sight. One who is connected with the being, sees friends and foe equally. He perceives the same consciousness present in every one. Because beyond the outer expression and roles they are playing, they are part of one consciousness. There are two signs of such a person, gyana and vigyana —the subjective knowledge and objective knowledge. Bhagvad Gita, tells you to be scientific in your approach. That is why Lord Krishna, after giving this knowledge to Arjuna, tells him to accept what appeals to him. “Don’t just accept because I am saying so,” he says.

 

Your mind is bombarded with impressions all the time and it is always under pressure. When it cannot handle it anymore it slowly leads to paranoia and psychological illnesses like schizophrenia and depression. Paranoia is nothing but an impression that did not get relieved or erased. If your life is all about seeing through the past impressions, you will have no future experience in life. Our mind our memory is like a slate. If you write something on a slate, with a chalk, and without rubbing it, you over-write again and again on top of it, finally you will not be able to read anything. Similarly, meditation, is wiping cleansing, the past impressions from the mind.

If you don’t cleanse the mind of impressions, then you have to carry the same mind and same impressions with you after death.