Relationship between mind and time

 

You have a mind and the mind passes through time. Why don’t you observe it! You have different moods in the morning, different moods in the afternoon, and different moods in the evening and night. Isn’t it so?

There is alertness and wakefulness at sunrise. I don’t think anybody likes to listen to romantic songs at dawn, dusk or afternoon. Unless you are newly married or just fallen in love! 

In the morning, the mind is in a state of knowledge, alertness and wakefulness.
It is action-oriented in the afternoon and in the evening, the mind is in a state of relaxation.

One who wants to be unhappy can be unhappy the whole time, and one who wants to be happy can be happy throughout the day. A fool will be unhappy all the time and the intelligent one will be happy in spite of changing moods. In the same way, seasons also affect the mind. 

Definitely, the mind and time have a very unique relationship. If you have transcended the mind, there is happiness throughout. An eternal calmness and serenity dawns. 

Happiness is your very nature

 

If you look at your own life you will find that life is 80 percent joy and 20 percent misery. But we hold on to the 20 percent and make it 200 percent! It is not a conscious act, it just happens.

Your senses are trying their best to find happiness for you all the time. But the senses have their limitations. How much music can the ears enjoy? How much food can you eat even if it’s utterly tasty. The senses get tired too. You can feel sad without a reason. But you don’t need a reason to be happy. Happiness is your nature. But you are unable to experience it because you are searching for it outside.

Instead of preparing to be happy, be happy now and resolve to remain naturally happy. Everyday make a resolution. “Today, I am just going to be happy, come what may. I will not let anything disturb my happiness. I am going to be content and happy.”

Importance of laughter

 

Laughter comes from the centre of our Being, from the core of our heart. Our belly is so full of laughter that the laughter permeates every cell in our body.

True laughter is true prayer. When things go all right, everybody can laugh, but when everything falls apart, and yet you laugh, that is evolution and growth.

Nothing in life is worth more than your laughter. Never lose it. Events come and go. Some are pleasant, and others, unpleasant.

There is an area deep in you that is left untouched. Hold on to what is untouched. Then you will be able to keep laughing.

Five methods for successful meditation

 

Meditation is the air conditioning for the mind to be comfortable. We want comfort but we don’t know how to be absolutely comfortable. Let us explore five methods for a successful meditation.

The first is through yoga and physical exercise. When our body does certain postures, with a certain rhythm, the mind slips into meditation. If you are very active or too well rested, you cannot meditate. But in a state where the body has the right amount of tiredness, yet still not that tired; in that very delicate balance, your whole system slips into meditation.

The second is through breathing techniques and pranayama. The mind becomes quiet and still and you can slip into meditation effortlessly.

The third is through any sensory pleasure — sight, sound, taste, smell or touch. Being 100 per cent engrossed in a particular sensory object brings you to a state of meditation. Just lie down and keep looking at the sky, or when you are completely engrossed in hearing music, a moment comes when the mind becomes still.

The fourth way is through both positive and negative emotions. When you feel utterly hopeless or very angry, you say, ‘I give up!’ It means, ‘This is it. I can’t take it anymore.’ During those moments, if you don’t slip into frustration or depression or violence, you will find that there is a moment where the mind stands still.

The fifth is through the intellect, knowledge, awareness. This is called jnana yoga. When you sit and know that this body is made up of billions of cells, something gets stimulated deep inside. The context of life immediately changes when you become aware of the magnanimity of the universe: Who are you? What are you? Where are you? How are you in reference to the unfathomable, infinite universe? Some shift happens within you.

To meditate, you just need to know how to relax. If you are on a massage table, you let the masseur take care of you. Similarly, in meditation, you do nothing. Let nature or the spirit take care of you.

Time is the gift of life

 

Time is the gift of life, to you. When you consider time as a gift, your entire outlook towards life shifts. In the cycle of time, every event in life has something wonderful in it and something not so favourable. The good or favourable part makes you joyful, bringing peace and tranquility. When unfavourable things happen, you need to have strength and courage for they bring a depth to life. Every challenge brings an opportunity to improve your skills and helps you to realise your potential.

It is good to reflect how time swept you through different events and has now brought you to a New Year. Look at the year that has passed and the experiences it has brought you. Like every year, 2021, too, offered you gifts, while the challenging times made you more resilient. 

While the lockdowns and social distancing kept people apart, technology brought nations together – millions across the globe came together, virtually, to meditate twice each day. With the help of technology, we reached out to hundreds and thousands of distressed and anxious minds, and helped them regain the strength to carry on! Across all nations, the year 2021 brought home the most important lesson that human values cannot be compromised. Love, compassion, a sense of belongingness, gratefulness for what you have, and a vision for the whole world has to dawn in every life! 

The pandemic forced millions of people globally to face the reality of illness and death, experience anxiety and fear. Now at this time of the New Year, many wonder, “So many people lost their lives, how can we celebrate?”. If you arrange a party just to satisfy yourself, when your celebration is aimed merely to gratify yourself, to draw pleasure from it, then you will definitely feel guilty. But if your intention is to uplift those around you – your friends, family, loved ones, neighbours, then don’t delay it! In such a scenario, the celebration itself, even if it is virtual, becomes an act of service. When your celebration becomes your service, you will find there is no guilt. 

From the ashes of 2021, and the ushering of 2022, we have a great responsibility to uplift the collective consciousness of the world. A new creation has come in and, with it, a new hope for everyone on the planet. And I am certain that all of us here have the capacity to not only uplift ourselves, but also those around us. So in the coming year, let us celebrate with the intention of bringing knowledge and happiness to everyone – to awaken everyone to the fact that everything is impermanent. What is eternal? It is the spirit of our consciousness – it does not change, it has no life nor death. Remind everyone that life on a higher plane is eternal. Let us celebrate every moment and be grateful, for time is a gift to us.