CODES FOR DE-CONDITIONING THE MIND

CODES FOR DE-CONDITIONING THE MIND

By Swami Avdhutananda

 Ex Acharya, Chinmaya Mission-Sikkim

1)       HAVE THE COURAGE TO CHANGE WHAT YOU CAN, SERENITY TO ACCEPT WHAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. COMMON SENSE IN AN UNCOMMON DEGREE IS WISDOM. 

2)       MAKE THE EFFORT TO BEGIN TO ACCEPT OTHER PEOPLE FULLY AS THEY ARE. THE TRAGEDY IS THAT OUR OWN MIND IS NOT IN OUR CONTROL. AND WHAT IS THE COMEDY? OUR OWN MIND WHICH IS NOT IN OUR CONTROL, WITH THAT UNCONTROLLED MIND WE WANT TO CONTROL OTHER PEOPLE’S MIND WHICH IS NOT EVEN IN THEIR CONTROL—AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK!!! THIS IS THE COMEDY! 

3)       ACCEPT YOURSELF.  IT IS OUR INABILITY TO ACCEPT OURSELVES FULLY, WITH ALL OUR WEAKNESSES AND SHORTCOMINGS THAT CAUSES SO MUCH ANGUISH IN OUR LIVES.  LAUGH AT YOURSELF, AT YOUR BEHAVIOUR AND AT YOUR ANTICS.  DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY. NO ONE ELSE DOES!! 

4)       DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH ANYONE. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEIR JOURNEY IS ALL ABOUT. DON’T LET YOUR NEIGHBOURS SET YOUR STANDARDS. BE YOURSELF. DON’T IMITATE OTHERS. INSTEAD OF BEING A POOR IMITATION, BE 100% ORIGINAL.

5)       DO NOT BLAME OTHERS FOR YOUR SORROWS AND PROBLEMS.

6)       TRY TO PUT YOURSELF IN OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES.

7)       TRY TO BE MORE OPEN WITH PEOPLE.

8)       DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS WILL THINK. THEY DON’T DO IT (THINK) VERY OFTEN ANYWAY! THE SO CALLED ‘OTHERS’ ARE EQUALLY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT ‘OTHERS’ WILL THINK!! WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF US IS NONE OF OUR BUSINESS. YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYBODY. DON’T LET CRITICISM WORRY YOU.

9)       WATCH YOUR HABITUAL REACTIONS TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU AND TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT.  TRY TO REDUCE BEING DEPENDENT ON ANY PARTICULAR PLACE, TIME, OBJECT, PEOPLE, RELATIONSHIP, ENVIRONMENT, CONDITION, SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCE FOR HAPPINESS. ANY KIND OF DEPENDENCY IS A CAUSE FOR BONDAGE AND ANY KIND OF BONDAGE IS A CAUSE FOR MISERY. NO ONE IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR HAPPINESS EXCEPT YOU. NOBODY REALLY CARES IF YOU ARE MISERABLE.  SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE HAPPY.

10)   DO NOT INTERFERE IN OTHERS’ AFFAIRS UNLESS ASKED TO DO SO.

11)   WHAT IS GIVEN TO YOU WILL BE TAKEN AWAY. IT INCLUDES THE INSTRUMENTS CALLED THE BODY, MIND AND INTELLECT THROUGH WHICH YOU FUNCTION IN THIS WORLD.  SO DO NOT HOLD ON TO THINGS THAT DO NOT BELONG TO YOU.

12)   INTROSPECT REGULARLY.  ANALYSE YOUR NEEDS, ATTACHMENTS, DESIRES, HABITS, HANG-UPS, WEAKNESSES AND SHORTCOMINGS.  IT HELPS IN OVERCOMING THESE.  VIEW THE WHOLE WORLD AND EVERY THING AND BEING IN IT AS YOUR TEACHER.

13)   REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ATTAIN HIGHER LEVELS OF AWARENESS. TRY TO SEE THIS POTENTIAL IN ALL THE PEOPLE, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT MAY BE.

14)   HAVE NO HATRED FOR ANY THING OR BEING, EVEN FOR A FRACTION OF A MOMENT—EVEN IN A DREAM. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WASTE TIME HATING ANYONE. SINCE HATE POISONS THE SOUL, DO NOT CHERISH HATRED. FORGIVE EVERYONE FOR EVERYTHING. ALWAYS FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES—NOTHING ANNOYS THEM AS MUCH. LIKEWISE WE ALSO NEED TO APOLOGISE OR ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FROM THOSE WE MAY HAVE HURT KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY. APOLOGISING DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE WRONG AND THE OTHER ONE IS RIGHT. IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT WE VALUE THE RELATIONSHIP MUCH MORE THAN OUR EGO.

     

15)   DON’T AVOID DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. VERY FEW OF US ARE REALLY AWARE OF PROGRAMMING AND CONDITIONING OF THINGS AND BEINGS. WHEN WE RECOGNIZE IT THEN WE START TO DEAL WITH IT. HOWEVER GOOD OR BAD A SITUATION IS IT WILL CHANGE. DON’T SPEND TIME BROODING OVER SORROWS OR MISTAKES. DON’T BE ONE WHO NEVER GETS OVER THINGS. FRAME EVERY SO CALLED DISASTER WITH THESE WORDS “IN 5 YEARS WILL THIS MATTER?” TIME HEALS ALMOST EVERYTHING. GIVE TIME TIME.

16)   DON’T ALWAYS IDENTIFY YOURSELF COMPLETELY WITH YOUR MIND, BODY AND ACTIONS.  EVENTS HAPPEN, DEEDS ARE DONE, BUT THERE IS NO INDIVIDUAL DOER THEREOF.

17)   INSTEAD OF DOING WHAT YOU LIKE START LIKING WHAT YOU DO.

18)   UNHAPPINESS IS NOT KNOWING WHAT WE WANT AND KILLING OURSELVES TO GET IT. HAPPINESS IS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE, NOT AN AUTOMATIC RSPONSE. AVOID PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU UNHAPPY. KEEP YOURSELF BUSY. A BUSY PERSON NEVER HAS TIME TO BE UNHAPPY. YOU SIMPLY CANNOT BE UNHAPPY UNLESS YOU HAVE DECIDED TO BE UNHAPPY. MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO BE HAPPY. LEARN TO FIND PLEASURE IN SIMPLE THINGS.

19)  LIVE IN THE NOW AND ENJOY THE PRESENT MOMENT. MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PAST SO THAT IT DOESN’T MESS-UP THE PRESENT. YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST, BUT YOU CAN RUIN THE PRESENT BY WORRYING ABOUT THE FUTURE. LIVING IN THE PRESENT MEANS CONSCIOUS ACTION NOT MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

REMEMBER, YOU ARE TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED.

THERE IS NOT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT LIFE IS SERIOUS.

WHEN SELF-KNOWLEDGE MATURES, THEN THE ENTIRE CREATION IS NOTHING BUT AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JOKES!!

LIVE, LOVE AND LAUGH A LOT

LIFE IS A GIFT, UNWRAP IT.