How to remain healthy in body and mind

by E. Sivarajah

A grave crisis is staring at our society and there is a serious threat to integrity, security, greatness, hoary culture and religions. No other time in the history was fraught with such gravity and danger as it is now.

Man has lost faith in man; he has lost self-confidence. For the sake of his safety and pleasure, he is hankering for money, pelf and power even at the expense of his status and reputation.

It is high time that people wake up from their torpor and gird up their loins to plunge into action with zest and zeal. Purification of people from the topmost echelons of administrative machinery to the lower level, in all walks of life is the need of the hour. Their minds/hearts have to be transformed and this is possible only, initially, by regular Sadhana – a method of disciplining the mind and thought.

In modern times, people say that they have no time for Sadhana. Bagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba repeatedly stresses that it could be simply practised even when we are engaged in our day-to-day work.

When Aathy Sankaracharya was asked who was poor and who was rich, he said, “He who has so many desires is the poorest in the world and the one who is satisfied with what is available is the richest person.”

Health

Today, who has accepted that if man has to acquire the wealth of health, he should be healthy not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. Mere absence of disease does not mean healthy.

The human mind constitutes three gunas such as Satwa, Rajas and Thamas. When Satwa dominates Thamas is absorbed in Rajas and Rajas in Satwa and thus they exist in a state of sublimation. This can be easily understood by this short story.

”A man, passing through a forest, was caught by three robbers and after relieving him of his belongings one said, “We will kill him”.

Another said “No, let us tie him with this tree and leave there. After they tied him the 3rd robber expressing his sympathy untied him and left him at the main road showing the direction to his village.”

Here the man wandering in the forest symbolises the Jeevan wandering in the worldly affairs - Samsara - to fulfill his desires. The robbers are three gunas. Thamas – tends to destroy, Rajas-tied the man with the tree, and Satwa – showed him the way for liberation.

Four levels of mind
Unconscious – Being in deep sleep
Sub-conscious – State of dream
Conscious - In the waking state

Super conscious – It is beyond the mind and is experienced only after the mind is totally absorbed in the state of samadhi.

The Mind functions through manas, buddhi, chitta and ego and their functions follow one another so rapidly that they seem instantaneous. Conditions of the mind is described as restless, dull, gathered, one-pointed and concentrated. The latter leads to achieve the state of super-conscious.

Active

Generally, mind is incessantly active like a mischievous monkey. Nevertheless, it could be disciplined through simple method of self-observation and analysis. Observe the mind as a silent witness, pointing out that unhappiness is caused by selfishness, dissatisfaction by superficiality and frivolity and anxiety by attachment. When you sincerely practise this observation method daily at least for 15 minutes at a particular time, anyone could realise a transformation taking place in his ideas and behaviour.

This transformation is essential for purification of the mind without which one cannot yield any fruitful result. A farmer reaps a good harvest only after he clears the field of thorny bushes, ploughs it, waters it, sows good seeds, plucks out the weeds and sprays insecticides. Similarly, consider your heart filled with impurity, wickedness and evil thoughts and remove them cautiously to harvest everlasting happiness.

The following principles of self discipline are useful to nurture your mind to achieve the level of super-conscious. While practising, you require constant vigilance to conquer the enemy called egoism. Disciplining the mind is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is right living, good conduct and moral behaviour. To achieve this end, one has to be always watchful of the 5 letter word “WATCH”.

* Watch your words

Tongue should be used for speaking the truth pleasantly and not for hissing like a serpent. In case, a truth will cause grief or pain, always keep silent.

* Action – watch your action

Do your duties properly and discharge your obligations promptly. Helping the needy is the highest virtue and harming others is condemned as sin. None of your action should cause pain or humiliation to others. You may fail to help, but never harm anyone. Never look for others’ defect and gloat over them. But when others point their finger towards you, be thankful to them.

*Watch your thoughts

Morality has to be grown in the heart by feeding it with love. Be honest to yourself by being sincere in thought, deed and word. Money comes and goes, but morality comes and grows. Forget and forgive the harm done by others from this very moment and start a new chapter of love and brotherhood.

*Watch your character

Seeking company of good people is the easiest and most fruitful method of being free from dust and rust.

If one is forced to work in a group of evil people to earn his living, he can still avoid being affected by others just as a tongue is never bitten by the 32 teeth within which it moves fast and safely. The six foes within a man are: Pride, Anger, Lust, Hatred, Greed and Attachment.

They have to be overpowered and transmuted, otherwise they will reduce man to the level of demon. The most infectious diseases are selfishness and the habit of reviling others. A deep examination will reveal that self is better served by serving others.

*Watch your health

Cultivate faith in ultimate success. Never despair or fault or doubt. Steady faith alone can earn victory. Where there is faith there is love, peace, harmony and bliss. Prevent the five sins that body commits: killing, adultery, theft, eating meat and drinking intoxicant. Among the said sins, consuming intoxicant plays the dominant role as other four do very often follow suit.

Life is a journey from the position of ”I” to ”we”. This creation is like a bridge which connects man with God.