The Amazing Power of the Human Mind
Realisation and awareness are two iconic qualities that shine the light on the astounding qualities of wisdom, writes RAVI VALLURI
Aeons ago lived, lived an ambitious king named Suddhodhana, chieftain of Sakyan republics. He was captivated with the thought of perpetuating the dynasty. However, his battle fatigued son Siddhartha, was not ensnared by the Mara of trappings and adornment of power, carnal pleasures and family life. Siddhartha eschewed violence, cast away royal clothing and adorned ochre robes in the search of quintessential truth.
And over a period of seven years of intense and gut-wrenching tapas which transfigured his mind, he metamorphosed from Siddhartha to Gautama and then into the Buddha. It was at Sarnath that he delivered his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths, which was soon followed by the Eight-Fold Path for citizens to pursue.
Upon attaining enlightenment, the Compassionate One dissected the bewildering characteristics of the human mind. He was soon to quantify, and in an unostentatious and plain sailing manner decree that. “We are what we think and our thoughts shape our lives.” A person may be a stock individual or a personality clouded and crowded with quotidian thoughts and practices, a seeker or a savant; all are governed by this cardinal principle of how the mind operates.
In case the mind is bestowed with efficacious thoughts, humans are endowed with the enriching aura of positivity. This eclipses Sisyphean and nugatory thoughts and the persona is encompassed with the stamp of shimmering jollity which is alluring and attractive. However, if the human mind is cannonaded by antipathetic thoughts, there is depletion in the prana level.
The mind is then not resplendent or robust nor suffused with ennobling thoughts. On the contrary the human mind is brim-full of gloom-ridden patterns which are distressing and obstructive. Individuals become mere retainers of negativity. Over a period of time, the mind that does not get propelled or fuelled to become empowered will not be able to unyoke itself from its negativity, rendering it unable to take up adultness and responsibility.
Ironically, the moment an individual realises the magnetic potential and prowess of the human mind the Universe suddenly becomes magical in its desire to support all efforts. The mind remains an enigma. Our resoluteness and positivity are the lodestars to harness its embryonic ability. This is the key to scale the summit of triumph and glory.
Once there was a Good Samaritan, Sudhakar (name changed). He happened to read the maiden effort of a civil servant called ‘Enormous Vistas of Human Mind’ and a few other articles that he had written. This gentleman, with some trepidation became a ‘Facebook friend’ of the mandarin and began persuading him to be interviewed by a few T.V. channels.
However, the thought process of the public functionary- who was a recovered alcoholic- kept misdoubting and disbelieving the sincerity of the Facebook friend. In disgust, he ‘blocked’ and then ‘unblocked’ the gentleman, perhaps more to quell the pangs of his own conscience. Finally, in a dawdling manner and in sheer vexation he gave in to the entreaties of the ‘Facebook friend’. Soon an amazing pattern emerged and the government administrator was invited by several media houses and estimable institutions to deliver lectures as to how he combated and conquered the battle against the bottle.
Only much later did he realise that Sudhakar had lost some close relatives to the perils of alcoholism, and that he found succour in espousing the cause of conquest over the disease.
The autarchic mind of the bureaucrat was ossified and looking life through the prism of tunnel vision. One day, after a series of interviews, the functionary received a distress call from a lady, who had happened to listen to one of his interviews and was also reading the book penned by the bureaucrat, which captured his triumph over alcoholism.
On receiving the call, he could empathise with the woman’s husband who was fighting a grim battle against alcoholism. He silently thanked his benefactor Sudhakar, who had provided the much-needed platform to address the grievous misadventure of millions of unfortunate souls. There was a sudden transmutation in the mind of the public servant. As tears of gratitude flowed from his eyes, he embarked upon the odyssey to combat this life-threatening disease in all sincerity.
Realisation and awareness are two iconic qualities that shine the light on the amazing power of the human mind. Several centuries ago, Gautama Buddha was travelling with a group of disciples. The compassionate one felt thirsty and desired some water to quench his thirst. He asked a disciple to fetch some water from a nearby lake. The enthusiastic disciple rushed to the lake but was horrified to find the water turgid as a farmer had just crossed the lake on his bullock cart.
He returned back remorsefully as he could not fulfil the wish of the holy Master. Buddha was to send the disciple a couple of times to fetch water to quench his thirst. But to the dismay of the tutee on each occasion the water remained dirty and turgid. While the devotees were fidgety and distraught, Buddha remained patient. Eventually, the devotee animatedly brought fresh water from the lake and offered it to the compassionate one.
Buddha smiled and drank the water. He was to say, “You did nothing. The mud settled down and the water was purged of the impurities. Let your mind also settle all the dust accumulated over a period of time.” Make no effort, let the mind settle.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar succinctly says, “Effort is a state of the body and effortlessness is a state of the mind.” Thus, effortlessness is the trailblazing quality of mind. This is the state of total surrender, where the grace of Guru flows and miracles unfold.