Who is your real enemy? It is your own fourfold mind possessed by the evil thought waves. That mind alone, which is free from attachment, delusion, jealousy, lust, selfishness and anger, can have constant memory of God/Soul/Self. If the mirror is dirty, you cannot see your face properly. Even so, if the mind-mirror is dirty through the accumulation of impurities (six passions, Lust, Anger, etc.), Soul cannot be reflected in the mind. When it is cleansed thoroughly, when it becomes Sattvic (Pure), it is fit to reflect Soul.
Whatever you practice (Karma Yoga or Bhakti Yoga or Raja Yoga or Jnana Yoga), you must be free from jealousy, hatred, attachment, pride and egoism and you must have control over Senses. You can unite with the cosmos only through love, unselfish service and charity.
Aspirants should totally abandon all the evil thought waves described above. These constitute what is known as devilish qualities. Whether you live in a town or in a cave of the Himalayas, it is all the same when you have a ruffled mind. You carry your own thoughts with you even if you remove yourself to a far-off, lonely cave. The mind remains the same. Peace comes from within. Irritation, anger, impatience, revenge, suspicion, prejudice, grudge, dislike, intolerance, restlessness, depression, fired or heated feelings - all these must be totally removed by spiritual practice, by developing Sattvic qualities, by meditation on OM, by constant Inquiry. Then only can peace be obtained. By developing divine qualities such as Compassion, Truth, Non-violence, Brahmacharya, Mercy, etc., the devilish qualities will be overcome.
The Method of Substitution
It is the method of substitution. When there is a lustful thought, substitute thoughts of purity. Begin to study the good books and sing divine songs. Impure thoughts will vanish. When there is hatred, substitute thoughts of love. Think of the good qualities of the man whom you hate. Remember again and again his kind actions. Hatred will disappear. When there is fear, fill the mind with thoughts of courage. When there is irritability, meditate on the virtues of tolerance, patience and self-restraint. The negative thoughts will die of themselves. If you are depressed, fill the mind with the idea of joy and exhilaration. If you are sick, fill the mind with ideas of health, strength, power and vitality. Practice this. Practice this. Herein lies a great treasure for you.
Every thought or emotion or mood produces a strong vibration in every cell of the body and leaves a strong impression there. If you know the method of raising an opposite thought or counter-thought, then only you can lead a happy, harmonious life of peace and power. A thought of love will at once neutralize a thought of hatred. A thought of courage will immediately serve as a powerful antidote against a thought of fear.
Idea creates the world. Idea brings one into existence. Idea develops the desires and excites the passions. So, a contrary idea of killing the desires and passions will counteract the former idea of satisfying the desires. So, when a man will be impressed with this, a contrary idea will help him to destroy his desires and passions. How can you ignore an evil thought? By forgetting. How can you forget? By not indulging in it again. How can you prevent the mind from indulging in it again? By thinking of something else which is more interesting. IGNORE. FORGET. THINK OF SOMETHING INTERESTING. This is a great Practice.
When there are diseases, discord, disharmony in the cells of the body owing to influence of vicious thoughts, worry-thoughts, fear-thoughts, hatred-thoughts, jealousy-thoughts, lustful thoughts, you can neutralize the poison or canker in these diseased, morbid cells and establish peace, harmony, health, new vigor and vitality by entertaining sublime, soul-stirring, life-giving, soul-awakening, Sattvic, divine thoughts, by vibrations of 'OM' chanting, by repetition of the different Names of the Lord, by Pranayama, by meditation, etc. Think constantly that you are pure True-Conscious-Blissful omnipresent Soul. All the evil propensities will vanish and the Sattvic virtues will manifest themselves.
Do not exert to destroy the different thought waves of Lust, Anger, Hatred, etc. If you can destroy one thought wave Ego, all other thought waves will die by themselves. Ego is the corner-stone of the edifice of embodied soul. If the corner-stone is removed, the whole edifice of embodied soul will tumble-down. This is the secret. Why are you afraid of Lust, Anger, etc.? They are your servants. You are True-Conscious-Blissful Soul. Assert the majesty and magnanimity of the Self!
Reference
Mind – Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda
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