When you throw a stone in a still lake ripples are formed. For a few minutes there is a slight disturbance in the surface of the water and then eventually everything settles down. The stone sinks and disappears into the bottom of the lake. The calmness of the lake is unaffected by the stone thrown at it. The lake does not turn ugly, it's face does not frown, it does not lose its rhythm and tranquility. Interesting isn't it......
I became jealous of the calm lake. I used to get irritated and angry at the slightest provocation, at the smallest accusation someone made at me. I was a easy target for baseless arguments and eventually it dried up all my energy. I tried to remain calm on many occasions but it just did not work... One day my friend and spiritual mentor told me something very interesting. He told me
"Vish, you have developed a crooked mind,the only thing you need to do now is to own it. Right now you are disowning it and that is giving you all the pain....."
Own a crooked mind...... sounds strange but it did help me and i will show you how....
Why doesn't the lake get affected when you throw a stone at it? Very simple. The lake is so obsessed by the characteristics of calmness and tranquility that it cares a damn about the stones thrown at it. It does not catch the stone and throw it back ,it allows the stone to fall down slowly by itself.... The stone by itself is powerless , it gains power when you give it undue attention...
When someone tries to provoke or irritate us we want to throw it back at them, we want to get rid of them. We do not allow the provocation or irritation to pass by and die its own death. We give the subject matter undue attention and it causes us lot of pain and stress... We have a feeling that if we ignore it the problem would grow and we tend to participate in the problem and it gives us sleepless nights... If you are facing such problems and issues and i am sure majority of the people fall into this category then you dont need to worry ... I have a solution...
The first thing we need to accept is the fact that a clear and crisp mind does not get affected by these issues. A transparent mind is like the calm lake... So if we are affected by all these things we are in possession of what i call a "Crooked mind". Now there is nothing to feel bad about it...Even great men and women possess it....But here is the difference these great individuals own it while we disown it....
How can something external really affect us and cause disturbance within? How can someone get the authority to disturb my peace of mind without my permission? Which area is he or she targeting that it is causing me so much pain? These are certain questions you need to ask yourself. There are certain areas within you which have been bruised, which have been affected and wounded because of your past actions and life style. You did not take the time to heal it and left it unattended. You were more interested in getting rid of the person or problem and you were not so much concerned about the real source of the problems.
You thought the problem required only an external fix and you went about your daily chores after the issue was resolved. However all the negative thoughts that sprang in your mind during this time did not disappear. It found a nice and cosy place within you and built a chamber for itself called a " Crooked Mind" . The only objective of the Crooked mind was to collect negative thoughts and so bit by bit it increased his kingdom even while you were asleep. Five years passed by and one day when you got up you saw yourself completely hijacked by this chamber. You found it difficult to breathe within this chamber but you have no choice... You get provoked,irritated and disturbed by almost anything which did not go your way..... The lake was unruffled inside of you...
The solution is simple.. A calm mind can never get irritated. So accept the fact that you own a crooked mind. The next step is even more simple. " Burn your crooked mind" said the guru to his disciple... "Pick the areas within you where the Crooked mind has set up its chamber and set it on fire. Watch all your negative thoughts disappear as the Lord of Fire devours it.
Life is simple. Own only the good things and develop the ability to recognise bad things within you and burn it... This is the only way to greatness and glory....
Peace and Love BE onto You
Awaken the Giant Within…
Lecturer, entrepreneur and Fortune 500 business consultant, Vish Writer is the author of the Amazon No 1 bestseller, "The Joy of Becoming God". Visit him at Spiritual SimplicityThe Real Secret