The Mind - Amma

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The Mind

" One doesn't progress in sadhana if the mind is restless with thoughts. It's

like rowing a boat in a river covered with seaweed. "

 

" Just as a wild horse is put in a pen and tamed, we have to tie the mind to some

ideal and tame it. " The mind is a collection of thoughts. Negative thoughts come

up because it is time for them to disappear. Learn to see the thoughts pass

through your mind like what you see while looking from the window of a moving

train. "

" Try to stand back as a witness to the thoughts in your mind, like one standing

on the bank of a river, watching the water flow. "

 

" The thoughts of the mind are like the waves of the ocean. One cannot stop the

waves by force. But when the ocean is deep the waves subside. Similarly, try to

concentrate the mind on one thought, instead of trying to stop all thoughts by

force. The ocean of the mind will become deeper and it will become quiet. Even

if there are small waves on the surface, it will be peaceful. "

 

" The mind is like a cat. We may take care of it with a lot of affection, but the

moment our attention wanders it will stick its head in the pot and steel some

food. Manasa puja is a method to keep the mind fixed on God. "

 

" The bee looks for honey wherever it goes. But a fly prefers to stick to

excrement even in a rose garden. At present our mind is like the fly; we have to

try to make it like the honeybee. "

 

" Before the seed is sown, the land is cleared of grass and weeds. In the same

way, clear the mind of all the external things and then direct it to God. "

 

" The thought of God will become firm only in a pure mind. The broken stones are

washed before they are used for making concrete. "

 

" People build large palatial houses and commit suicide inside! If luxury could

give us happiness, why would people die of depression? Peace and contentment

entirely depend on the mind. "

 

" How can you fully experience spiritual bliss without fixing the mind totally on

God? If you mix your dessert with other dishes, can you fully enjoy its taste? "