Question: Swamiji, just how do we purify our mind from all these negative tendencies—anger, for instance?

Swamiji: It is as if the mind is made up of soft matter. So, as each thought passes through it, an impression is left on the mind stuff, just like a scratch. Then when similar thoughts are repeated, the scratch deepens into a canal. Every subsequent thought wave has a tendency to flow through that ready-made canal. So if the canal is made up of good thought waves, then a good character is maintained and strengthened by the subsequent thought waves flowing irresistibly in that direction.

Let us take a concrete example to examine the working of the mind. If you have a tendency to get angry and want to eliminate that tendency you should first feel sorrowful or repentant about it. Then you will have already conquered the anger to some extent. If you merely suppress it, the potential pent-up anger will come forth at a later date.

But, if you are intelligent, you will divert that anger—energy into some profitable activity. You should not succumb to the anger-weakness by meekly saying, “It is on account of my karma.”
Carve out a new canal in your mind with continuous good thought waves. Repeat to yourself: “I love all. I am very, very tolerant.” Go on repeating the self-suggestive thoughts: “I am kind. I never get angry. I am always tolerant.” Afterwards, in a very short time, you will observe that you have no anger at all in your mental make-up.

So first, you must recognize your mental tendencies, or vasanas. Be fully aware of your weaknesses. Man is mind. Personality is the very composition of the mind. Because of these vasanas of the mind, we live in a state of constant reactions to the outer objects. The quality of one’s experiences depends upon the mind that is brought to the circumstances. The mind is what it is, only as ordered and set by the various impressions it has gathered in its various transactions in life. Thus, when we have purified and chastened the motives and thoughts in the mind, we have purified our mind.

Q: What is the role of truthfulness that spiritual teachers often emphasize?

S: The path to Truth is laid with truth. When you lie, there is psychological split caused between the mind and the intellect. For example, because you are feeling lazy, you call the office to say that you are sick. The intellect knows one thing, yet is hearing another. This causes a self-cancellation, so that when the intellect states something, the mind says the opposite. Eventually when you desire something, the opposite happens. Mind and intellect are to be your servants, but they must work together to produce the desired results.

Q: When I set a goal, life seems to set up obstacles to make it difficult.

S: Yes, life can test you to see if you really mean it. You have decided to study hard and achieve the high grades you need on your exam so that you will be admitted to Madras University. As soon as you have determined your goal, a cousin’s wedding comes, friends drop by, free movie tickets are offered—they all come to take you off course. You have to say, “No, this week I’m studying, next week I’ll be available.” You must connect with that goal and always keep it in your mind.

Q: It seems like many times when I am wanting something very much that it doesn’t happen. Then when I say to myself, “Never mind, I really don’t need it,” what I wanted comes along.

S: Your mental energy must have been tied up; you were too tense. When you decided that it did not matter, the mind relaxed so it could do its job.

The mind is your servant. But we don’t treat it like one, so it becomes the master. When I was in college in Lucknow, three of us were living together in an apartment. We decided that if we pooled our money we could easily afford to have one servant between us. We found a suitable person and hired him.

On the first morning, one of my roommates arose and asked the servant to draw him some warm water for a bath. Then, as the servant was heading for the bathroom, I, having just discovered that I was out of cigarettes, came out of my room, handed him a rupee note, and told him to run down to the corner for some cigarettes. There he was—stuck halfway between the front door and the bathroom—not knowing which way to turn, when the third fellow emerged from his room.

“Quick, get me some breakfast. I’m late for my class!” he ordered the servant. Now what could the poor fellow have done under the circumstances? He could only quit—he walked out on us!

In the same way we are constantly giving too many, and often conflicting, orders to the mind. That is why you must pick your goal, give the mind its orders, then go quietly about your duties until it has time to get the assignment accomplished. So relax, this is what you did not do.

Q: It seems like whatever one is doing, but particularly when attempting to practice a spiritual life, the attitude of the mind is crucial.

S: Yes, keeping the mind in balance enables its best performance in the outside world, while at the same time it lessens accumulation of agitation that make spiritual practices difficult. Spiritual devotion is the easiest method for maintaining a balanced mind throughout the day. Do your work in a prayerful surrender to the Lord. This is the best method for a peaceful mind, whether you are a Christian, Moslem or Hindu. Tune your mind to Him, then the knowledge, that you have will flood through you. Everything you do will have a special beauty.

In this complex world, mind becomes confused, then becomes overwhelmed and agitated. It needs an anchor to hold on to. Surrender to a higher ideal, silently. No need to tell anyone what you are doing.

Q: My mind never stops running. What can I do?

S: Mind does not stop because it is the mind. Mind is a thought flow. If it were to stop-no mind.
If it runs out all over the place, tell it, “never mind.”If it still keeps running, let it run while you watch what joy it really receives. When it gets bruised and sad, tell it with the intellect: “Didn’t I tell you there was no real joy in it! But I let you see for yourself.”

As it gains more and more joy from the spiritual life—the reflection on the wisdom of the Upanishads and meditation—the mind will seek pleasure less and less in the outer world. The gap between the intellectual knowledge of what you should do and the actions of your body depends on your own innate vasanas. Until you have understood the true values of life, do not trust the mind. You have been leading a sensuous life and your mind has had the upper hand for many years; it will justify any behavior for you. This devil-mind can speak as the voice of God. The true inner voice must be cultivated carefully.

Mind is not to be changed; it is to be transcended.