By Remez Sasson
A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.
He asked his teacher: "Why are most people's minds restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"
The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled, and said:
"I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more."
This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly:
"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"
The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear, or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions, and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"
The elephant stopped eating and said:
"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way, I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
The disciple's eyes opened wide, and a smile rose on his face.
"I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm."
"Yes, that's right," answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind."
From India, Pune
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108A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.
He asked his teacher: "Why are most people's minds restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"
The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled, and said:
"I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more."
This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly:
"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"
The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear, or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions, and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"
The elephant stopped eating and said:
"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way, I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
The disciple's eyes opened wide, and a smile rose on his face.
"I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm."
"Yes, that's right," answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind."
From India, Pune
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The nature of the mind is restless; it cannot be stable at one place. Every action is initiated by the mind, even senses are responsible for diverting the mind. But it's a minor contribution, whereas the mind has the capability to act without the involvement of the senses. Once we withdraw our mind from a certain thing, even the senses cannot record it. So when we control our mind, automatically our senses are controlled. When our mind is under our control, we can achieve anything.
Chaitanya
From India, Hyderabad
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Chaitanya
From India, Hyderabad
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Mind-Its Mysteries and Control.pdf