How To Understand and Control Mind

Man has four divisions - body, life-force, mind and soul. Body is controlled through yogic exercise; life-force is controlled through Pranayama; and mind is controlled through meditation. When these three are controlled, a man reaches out to soul or true-self which is the blissful state of all. In my earlier two articles I have described how to control body and life-force. In this article I shall describe how to understand mind and control it.

For a man, mind is the most valuable, real, eternal and divine thing. The material body and material world outside are unreal and destructible. Inside the body, there is non-material mind, while outside there is matter; inside there is thinker, while outside his imagination; inside there is seer, outside there is sight; inside there is truth, outside there is falsity; inside there is life, outside there is death. Body is the imagination and direct manifestation of what remains in store in the mind. Mind is non-matter or not material. However, its thoughts are matter.

All actions, all structures are first imagined in the mind and since thoughts of mind are material, these thoughts manifest as actions or man-made structures. Clearly, this mind is able to do good or bad for the society. Atomic power generates electricity for the good of society. On the other hand this power has been utilized for the destruction of civilization. So this powerful mind should be controlled so that we can keep wellness of the body and wellbeing of the society. This mind may be controlled through meditation (dhyana). For practicing meditation following steps may be followed.

1. Rest the body in a posture - For resting the body in a posture, it is better to select the sleeping posture (sabasana). In this posture relax the body completely. One should move the mind upwards from fingers and toes, feeling that all limbs are at rest. When body is at rest, movement of life-force as well as mind shall slow down.
2. Stay in Pranayama - By resting the body, one should keep mind on the inhalation and exhalation of breath across the nostrils. By this body, life-force and mind slow down gradually and finally come to a point and remain standstill.
3. Keep mind on Trikuti - When life-force and mind come to a point, move this point to Trikuti, a point in between your eyebrows. Stay there as long as possible. This is meditation. By staying there for a long time, you feel peace and bliss of body and mind which you cannot get from worldly activities.

Nothing in the world is as valuable as mind or consciousness. A being is different from matter for it has mind and will-power. Every man should try to reach out his most peaceful and blissful Self right in this birth and get himself free from all worldly pain and sorrow. This is liberation and one enters into heaven. Hell and heaven are in the mind only.