Mind runs about too much – Chinmayananda

Mind runs about too much

Question: My mind runs about too much. I do not seem to get it under control!

Answer: You describe a situation which every sincere seeker experiences at one time or another. This is mainly because you despair unncesessarily at the direction in which your mind is running at some point or other in time. Your mind is like a child which must be allowed to play.

If you keep a pet dog, there are moments when it must be let loose to run and jump about. Once exhausted, it obediently returns to lie down at your feet, wagging its tail to express its total love and loyalty. Therefore, do not unnecessarily concerned with the roamings of the mind now and then.

Try to change the direction of your thoughts. Recognize that every action, whether mental or physical, is only because of the enlivening Presence in our Hearts; it is the ego that prompts us to achieve, acquire and possess.

Ignore the little slips of the mind, which are nothing but the past habits. The change within us cannot come overnight. Learn to smile at the follies of the mind and turn the attention to Him who is everywhere. When the ego begins to disappear, you will find more and more self-confidence and self-assurance. Try to live those values of life described in the Twelfth Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

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