Wednesday, August 29, 2012

VI: 26

Chapter 6, Verse 26

"No matter where
The restless mind wanders,
It is to be reined in
And brought back to the Self
Again and again.

Swami Shivananda:

Here the Lord gives instruction for controlling wayward thoughts.  Just as you bring your horse back to the corral when it runs out, so also you bring the mind back to your point of concentration repeatedly, when it runs towards external objects.  When you feed the horse tasty hay, it does not run away.  When you feed the mind the joy of the Self within, little by little, through the practice of concentration, it will gradually learn to abide in the Self alone and not run towards the external objects of the senses.  Sense-objects make the mind restless and unsteady.  By understanding their transient nature, and by making the mind absorb the permanent splendor of the Self, you can wean the mind from its attachment to sense-objects and fix it firmly on the Self.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

It is the nature of the mind to be drawn to a field of greater satisfaction.  When, during meditation, the mind begins to experience the finer aspects of the object of attention, it begins to experience increasing charm at every step.  There is then no chance for it to go anywhere except in the direction which leads to the Highest.

Paramahansa Yogananda:

When a horse pulling a carriage tugs hard at the reins through unruliness or fright and tries to bolt from the path, an experienced driver will be able to subdue it.  This requires the skills of firmness and kindly patience.  In the same way, as the subconsciously excited "stallion" of a restless thought pulls the concentrating mind off on a tangent, the "charioteer" of discernment focuses the effort to establish authority.  No matter how many times restlessness invades the mind, the Yogi guides the thoughts back towards the fundamental.

Father Bede Griffiths:

The Greek Church Fathers used to say, "Bring the thoughts from the head to the heart and keep them there."  Thoughts rove about in the head incessantly, but when we bring them down into the heart, into our center, there they come to rest.

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails