Answers to some questions have such far-reaching implications, they fundamentally change the way we live and, consequently, the world around us. With incisive analysis and methodical reasoning, Swami Swaroopananda pulls back the layers to reveal, in the simplest terms possible, the amazing reality at the heart of our existence and the corresponding potential this holds out to each and every one of us, in the book ‘Who/What am I’. In this blog we look at one such important question – ‘How to have a peaceful mind…here and now?’

Joy and sorrow are the two principal states of the mind. Either we are at ease or we are not. If we quieten the mind, if we do not struggle for objects, peace can be gained, right here and now. Even at this instant, as you are reading this, are you not peaceful? 

There is no movie, no music, no dance, no pizza, no chocolate… but still your mind is relaxed and at ease. If we understand the technique of stilling the mind, we can experience joy at each and every moment. 

All we need to do is wake up to the truth that happiness is experienced whenever the mind is in a state of quiet. In fact, this is the mind’s natural disposition. (Note that joy is not the same as excitement, which is simply another form of agitation.) It is only when the mind is disturbed or agitated that we suffer anxiety and sorrow. 

This goes to show that to gain joy in life, we do not need things, we need just a peaceful mind. But the mind cannot remain still permanently because it is naturally in a state of flux – sometimes predominantly tamasic, sometimes rajasic, and at other times sattvic. The fact remains, happiness is gained when the mind is at peace. The source of happiness is the very Subject. 

Therefore, what we really desire in the name of happiness, is only ‘my Self’. Now, you will undoubtedly respond, “I have myself, but I am still not happy.” And so we come to an analysis of sorrow.

Ignorance, Incompleteness and Sorrow

We experience sorrow, or shall we say disappointment and emptiness, when a desire is not fulfilled. Let us see: When and how does a desire arise? It arises from a feeling of ‘want’. I ‘want’ something or someone because I feel incomplete. 

Naturally, we do not desire something we already have. The moment we desire an object or an experience, the mind becomes restless. There is no peace until the object is gained. And if one is unable to acquire it, there is frustration and disappointment leading to a niggling sorrow or a feeling of lack.

My incompleteness arises from a sense of finitude or a feeling that I am limited. At present, I am convinced I am a limited person, a limited entity who is born, fears disease, old age, and death. Moreover, I cannot live without several things; I cannot exist without specific comforts; I cannot survive without certain people; I am nothing. We entertain all these ideas and notions in the mind, without really understanding who we truly are. 

If happiness is not the nature of objects and yet I can experience happiness regardless of the presence or absence of objects, that means happiness is already within me; it is my own nature; it is my very self. If, as we established earlier, our sorrow owes to a sense of finitude, then logically happiness can only be in the opposite, which is infinitude. And because happiness is actually within me, that means infinitude is my nature!

In spite of that, I do not feel happy or at peace because I am ignorant of my Self. I see myself as a finite, limited individual. It is this very ignorance that creates a multiplicity of sorrows that I experience in my everyday life. The root, the fundamental cause of all our misery, is ignorance – ignorance of our own Self.

Many times, when people have approached great masters with their problems, the sages always responded, “Who has the problem?” The moment we enquire, our attention turns away from the problem to ourselves. The moment we sincerely look within, we will discover that the Self is complete and fulfilled; It has no problems.

Do you Know Yourself?

Careful observation will reveal that we possess little knowledge about the mechanisms of the body; we know even less regarding the workings of the mind; we are totally unaware of all the different and wonderful equipment we have, instruments that can be used to reach unimaginable heights.

Reference: Peaceful Mind from the book Who/ What Am I by Swami Swaroopananda