III MIND CONTROL

D: How can I control the mind? M: There is no mind to control if the Self is realised. The Self shines forth when the mind vanishes. In the realised man the mind may be active or inactive, the Self alone exists. For, the mind, body and world are not separate from the Self; and they cannot remain apart from the Self. Can they be other than the Self? hen aware of the Self why sho!ld one worry abo!t these shadows? How do they affect the Self? D: If the mind is merely a shadow how then is one to "now the Self?
M: The Self is the heart, self-luminous. Illumination arises from the heart and reaches the brain, which is the seat of the mind. The world is seen with the mind; so you see the world by the reflected light of the Self. The world is perceived by an act of the mind. When the mind is illumined it is aware of the world; when it is not so illumined, it is not aware of the world.

If the mind is t!rned in, towards the so!rce of ill!mination, ob#ective "nowled$e ceases, and the Self alone shines as the heart. The moon shines by reflectin$ the li$ht of the s!n. hen the s!n has set, the moon is !sef!l for displayin$ ob#ects. hen the s!n has risen no one needs the moon, tho!$h its disc is visible in the s"y. So it is with the mind and the heart. The mind is made !sef!l by its reflected li$ht. It is !sed for seein$ ob#ects. hen t!rned inwards, it mer$es into the so!rce of ill!mination which shines by Itself and the mind is then li"e the moon in the daytime. hen it is dar", a lamp is necessary to $ive li$ht. %!t when the s!n has arisen, there is no need for the lamp; the ob#ects are visible. &nd to see the s!n no lamp is necessary; it is eno!$h if yo! t!rn yo!r eyes towards the self'l!mino!s s!n. Similarly with the mind; to see the ob#ects the li$ht reflected from the mind is necessary. To see the heart it is eno!$h that the mind is t!rned towards it. Then the mind does not co!nt and the heart is self' eff!l$ent. D: &fter leavin$ this &shram in (ctober, I was aware of the )resence that prevails in Sri %ha$avan*s presence enfoldin$ me for abo!t ten days. &ll the time, while b!sy in my wor", there was an !nderc!rrent of that peace in !nity; it was almost li"e the d!al conscio!sness which one experiences while half'asleep in a d!ll lect!re. Then, it faded o!t entirely, and the old st!pidities came in instead. or" leaves no time for separate meditation. Is it eno!$h constantly remindin$ oneself +I &,*, while at wor"?

M: (After a short pause). If yo! stren$then the mind, that peace will contin!e for all time. Its d!ration is proportional to the stren$th of mind ac-!ired by repeated practice. &nd s!ch a mind is able to hold on to the c!rrent. In that case, en$a$ement or no en$a$ement in wor", the c!rrent remains !naffected and !ninterr!pted. It is not the wor" that hinders b!t the idea that it is yo! who are doin$ it. D: Is a set meditation necessary for stren$thenin$ the mind? M: .ot if yo! "eep the idea always before yo! that it is not yo!r wor". &t first, effort is needed to remind yo!rself of it, b!t later on it becomes nat!ral and contin!o!s. The wor" will $o on of its own accord, and yo!r peace will remain !ndist!rbed. ,editation is yo!r tr!e nat!re. /o! call it meditation now, beca!se there are other tho!$hts distractin$ yo!. hen these tho!$hts are dispelled, yo! remain alone 0 that is, in the state of meditation free from tho!$hts; and that is yo!r real nat!re, which yo! are now tryin$ to $ain by "eepin$ away other tho!$hts. S!ch "eepin$ away of other tho!$hts is now called meditation. %!t when the practice becomes firm, the real nat!re shows itself as tr!e meditation. D: (ther tho!$hts arise more forcibly when one attempts meditation1 M: /es, all "inds of tho!$ht arise in meditation. That is only ri$ht; for what lies hidden in yo! is bro!$ht o!t. 2nless it rises !p, how can it be destroyed? Tho!$hts rise !p spontaneo!sly, as it were, b!t only to be extin$!ished in d!e co!rse, th!s stren$thenin$ the mind. D: There are times when persons and thin$s ta"e a va$!e, almost a transparent form, as in a dream. (ne ceases to observe them as o!tside, b!t is passively conscio!s of their existence, while not actively conscio!s of any "ind of selfhood. There is a deep -!ietness in the mind. Is it at s!ch times that one is ready to dive into the Self? (r is this condition !nhealthy, the res!lt of self'hypnotism? Sho!ld it be enco!ra$ed as yieldin$ temporary peace? M: There is Conscio!sness alon$ with -!ietness in the mind; this is exactly the state to be aimed at. The fact that the -!estion has been framed on this point, witho!t reali3in$ that it is the Self, shows that the state is not steady b!t cas!al. The word +divin$* is appropriate when there are o!t$oin$ tendencies, and when, therefore, the mind has to be directed and t!rned within, there is a dip below the s!rface of externalities. %!t when -!ietness prevails witho!t obstr!ctin$ the Conscio!sness, where is the need to dive? If that state has not been realised as the Self, the effort to do so may be called +divin$*. In this sense the state may be said to be s!itable for reali3ation or divin$. Th!s, the last two -!estions yo! have p!t do not arise.

D: The mind contin!es to feel partial towards children possibly beca!se the form of a child is often !sed to personify the Ideal. How can this preference be o!t$rown? M: Hold on to the Self. hy thin" of children and of yo!r reactions towards them? D: This third visit to Tir!vannamalai seems to have intensified the sense of e$oism in me and made meditation less easy. Is this an !nimportant passin$ phase or a si$n that I sho!ld avoid s!ch places hereafter? M: It is ima$inary. This place or another is within yo!. S!ch ima$inations m!st end; for places as s!ch have nothin$ to do with the activities of the mind. &lso yo!r s!rro!ndin$s are not merely a matter of yo!r individ!al choice; they are there, as a matter of co!rse; and yo! sho!ld rise above them and not $et yo!rself entan$led in them. 4& boy of ei$ht and a half years sat in the hall at abo!t five in the evenin$, when Sri %ha$avan went !p the Hill. 5!rin$ His absence, the boy spo"e on yoga 6?7 and Vedanta 6?7 in p!re, simple and literary Tamil, -!otin$ freely from the sayin$s of saints and the sacred script!res. hen Sri %ha$avan entered the hall, after nearly three'-!arters of an ho!r, only silence prevailed. For the twenty min!tes the boy sat in Sri %ha$avan*s presence, he spo"e not a word b!t was merely $a3in$ at Him. Then tears flowed from his eyes. He wiped them with his left hand and soon after left the place sayin$ that he still awaits Self'reali3ation8. D: How sho!ld we explain the extraordinary characteristics of the boy? M: The characteristics of his last birth are stron$ in him. %!t however stron$ they may be, they do not manifest themselves save in a calm, still mind. It is within the experience of all, that attempts to revive memory sometimes fail, while somethin$ flashes into the mind when it is calm and -!iet. D: How can the rebellio!s mind be made calm and tran-!il? M: 9ither see its so!rce so that it may disappear, or s!rrender yo!rself so that it may be str!c" down. Self's!rrender is the same as Self' "nowled$e, and either of them necessarily implies self'control. The e$o s!bmits only when it reco$nises the Hi$her )ower. D: How can I escape from samsara 6?7 which seems to be the real ca!se for ma"in$ the mind restless? Is not ren!nciation an effective means to realise tran-!illity of mind?

M: Samsara is only in yo!r mind. The world does not spea" o!t sayin$, +Here I am, the world*. If it did so, it wo!ld be ever there, ma"in$ its presence felt by yo! even in yo!r sleep. Since, however, it is not there in sleep, it is impermanent. %ein$ impermanent, it lac"s s!bstance. Havin$ no reality apart from the Self it is easily s!bd!ed by the Self. The Self alone is permanent. :en!nciation is the non' identification of the Self with the not'Self. hen the i$norance which identifies the Self with not'Self is removed, not'Self ceases to exist, and that is tr!e ren!nciation. D: Can we not perform actions witho!t attachment even in the absence of s!ch ren!nciation? M: &n atma jnani alone can be a $ood karma yogi 6?7. D: 5oes %ha$avan condemn dvaita 6?7 )hilosophy? M: Dvaita can s!bsist only when yo! identify the Self with the not'Self. Advaita 6?7 is non'identification.