Thursday, January 15, 2009

Moulding the Mind

Yesterday I heard something really cool about the mind. The mind is just like clay and it can be molded in any shape or form. One of the biggest factors that influences it is the environment, something I'm sure everyone has experienced. If you're in the association of sadhus you naturally feel enlivened, and if you're in a messy room often times you feel sleepy or lethargic!

Along with the environment, our samskaras (or impressions that have been left by events that happen to us) play a huge role in how we respond to various circumstances. Those impressions can be visualized as creating little holes in our mind. These in turn influence the thoughts that go through our mind. When we associate a favorable mentality with that impression (i.e. I eat strawberries and I like it) then the next time I come in contact with strawberries then I'll want to eat them. Eating more and enjoying it will "double the hole" or double the impression in my mind that "eating strawberries is nice."

The problem comes when we start associating favorable impressions with unfavorable stimuli and habits. Then we fall into a vicious pattern that we can't break out of. So it's really important to cultivate the proper samskaras. These will help us to stay determined and focused on our goals and aspirations.

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