From our very earliest days we are taught to dress properly, wash behind the ears, brush our teeth, and so on. We are taught how to present ourselves before others and how to mind our manners. We learn the importance of feeding our body and protecting it from heat, cold, rain, snow and ice. All this is taught to the child. But no one teaches the child to take care of the mind. 

Society teaches that money will bring happiness. Large billboards on the side of the highway advertise that lottery winners live happily ever after. They also advertise that vacationing in Hawaii will shake your blues. They should be sued for false advertising. Our experience of happiness lies not with the outside world but with our own mind. Two people may be going through the same experience with two diametrically opposite reactions. They may have completely opposite reactions to the same person and to the same thing. One feels happy, whereas the other feels miserable in exactly the same situation. Situation is the same; difference is the mindset of the person.

If you are suffering from a disease, know that your mind will play a very significant part in your healing process. If you have no faith in the medicine you are taking, the medicine will simply not work. If you believe the medication will work, you will get better even if the medicine was only a placebo in the form of a sugar pill.

It is not without reason that Hindu scriptures talk repeatedly about taking care of the mind and controlling it. They say, “The individual who has conquered his mind has conquered the entire world.” 

To still the mind, remain silent for an hour or two every day and practice gratitude and positive thinking. Meditation must become a part of your daily life. Mindfulness must be practiced every waking moment.


Yours,

Didi Ji