The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven
When about 400 years ago, poet John Milton included the above line in his epic poem “Paradise Lost,” no one was surprised. Everyone thought that it is just another statement from a celebrated poet. However, we may realize the importance of the right attitude or mindset when we dwell a bit deeper into the matter. As, Panchdashi, one of the ancient Indian scriptures, says,
mana eva manushyanam, karanam bandha-mokshayoh
This translates into: For man, the mind is the cause of bondage, and the mind is the cause of liberation.
Also, Bhagavad Gita says the same as
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ (Chapter 6, Verse 5)
This translates into: Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself, because the mind can be the friend and the enemy of the self.
Lord Krishna states that, on one hand, as the greatest benefactor of soul, the mind has the potential of bestowing us the most benefit; on the other hand, as our greatest adversary, it also has the potential to do the maximum harm.
As Swami Mukundananda in his new book 7 Mindsets for success, happiness and fulfillment (#UnlockYourPotential) say, “The biggest key to accomplishment, happiness and fulfilment is mastery over your emotions.” A controlled mind can accomplish many beneficial things, whereas an uncontrolled mind can degrade the consciousness with most corrupt thoughts. This is one reason some people are happy and calm in every situation. For some of us, all situations seem bad and thus never let us be happy. Obviously, the mind is the saboteur that thwarts our aspirations for perfection in both the material and the spiritual realm.
However, if all this is true, then the onus is now on us to train our minds for the right thoughts, feelings, and attitudes for having the right mindsets. Then, the questions are – How to do it? How do we avoid bad thoughts and cultivate the habit of having only good thoughts in our minds? How do we separate our responses from the situations around us? How could we choose to be happy when so many bad things are happening around us? What is the essential ingredient for a successful life? Furthermore, how could we be successful, happy, and fulfilled?
Swami Mukundananda, in his latest book 7 Mindsets for success, happiness and fulfillment (#UnlockYourPotential), answers all these questions and many more. In fact, many of these questions are answered by only reading the introduction pages of the book. #UnlockYourPotential.
