THE SPIRITUAL SCIENTIST

A Cyber Magazine for Those Who Think
Vol.3 No. 19

BECOME A POSITIVE THINKER

We live with our minds lifelong. So it is very important for us to learn to tap the power of the mind.
 
All the sacred scriptures caution us to not succumb to the mind’s short-sighted urges for instant pleasure or relief. The Bhagavad gita, the essence of all Vedic wisdom, explains that the best way to deal with the mind is to treat it as a person different from ourselves. We need to see its opinions, which are often detrimental to our long-term self-interest, as different from ours. But the mind proposes its thoughts, desires and emotions so subtly and irresistibly that we unthinkingly consider them to be our own and indiscriminately act on them. Only when faced with the consequences do we regret, “Why did I act so imprudently? Needless to say, due to the mind.
 
Mind management is both a science and an art. We can classify the mind’s thoughts into four categories– positive (joy, peace), negative (hatred, envy), routine (steering our vehicle through the traffic, wearing our dress) and waste (daydreaming, needless nostalgia). If we carefully watch our mind, we can reject the negative and waste thoughts or replace them with positive. Many of us may be consciously or subconsciously attempting this. But we will often find ourselves acutely bankrupt of positive thoughts. 
 
Can we have a readymade reservoir of positive thoughts? For this we need to recognize the positive purpose of our existence. We are all souls, spiritual beings, covered temporarily by two material coverings – the gross visible body and the subtle invisible mind. As souls, we are all beloved children of God and are meant to rejoice in eternal loving exchanges with Him. Reciprocating with His unlimited selfless love therefore is the source and essence of all positivity. We can most easily and effectively express our love for God by chanting His Holy Names. God being omnipotent fully manifests Himself in His Names and gives us the strength to reject negative and waste thoughts. As we practice chanting more and more, we will find a flood of love, peace, joy and wisdom washing away all the negativity of the mind. Millions of people worldwide have found the maha mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare especially empowering in harnessing the mind. Even scientists have confirmed that chanting increases the endorphin level and decrease the adrenaline level, which leads to peace of mind and overall good health. We can chant any name of God – Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Krishna – as per our choice and experience similar benefit. The advice of the great saint Srila Prabhupada, founder-acharya of ISKCON, can be our guiding light “Chant and be happy.”
The Spiritual Scientist

Investigating Reality from the Higher Dimensional Perspective of Vedic Wisdom
Published by Bhaktivedanta Academy for Culture and Education (BACE), Pune
Dedicated to 
His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada,
The Greatest Spiritual Scientist of the Modern Times
Magazine Committee:
Radheshyam Das (M Tech IIT, Mumbai), Director, IYF
Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&TC), Editor, The Spiritual Scientist