Swami Chinmayananda

More often than not, the most sincere of religious priests have been guiding their generation with the best of their advices on ‘right living’… but, alas, often wrongly expressed. Very rarely do they recognise the necessity for employing the right technique in giving out the theory and practice on ‘right living’ to their devotees. In all vocal arts such as music, poetry or oratory, the medium employed is as important as the ideas expressed through each one of them.

Because of its various preoccupations and selfish interests, a careless priest-class, goaded by haste, perverted by prejudices, and over-anxious for maximum turnover – has been for sometime now dolling our science of life, religion, to an equally agitated, restless and dejected crowd. The result is that the sermons and discourses preached to the laity are almost always heard, but usually not understood at all and so, without regret, easily forgotten. Occasionally some did come to hear and even happened to understand them but never could they accept the creed. In some rare cases we find that sincere seekers have listened to them, studied hard and intelligently tried to understand it; they have even consciously toiled hard to practice what was preached to them. But, unfortunately, without an exception all of them have, either in the very beginning or a little later, got disheartened because of their utter failure to live successfully the pattern of life advised to them.

The priest-class condemns the generation of devotees for their lack of perseverance and faith; and the disappointed devotees come to believe and ardently declare that the theory and technique of life as propounded in the religions of the world are impossible schemes. To them, religion soon becomes a futile technology, elaborate and exhaustive in its plans and schemes but useless to the average man-of-the-world because it is a mere utopian dream of some impractical saints, ever soaring high into beautiful altitudes away from the gross surface of the earth where worldly men live and struggle.

If this unprofitable method of instruction in religion is not totally given up, very soon, we shall have empty houses-of-God which shall shelter only a few unintelligent pandits, prises and maulvis.

It is certainly a most acceptable thing for all of us if religion claims to bring about a revolution in the individual human personality. We all realise that unless the texture of the human heart is changed, the external prosperity and comforts, which science has assured for us, cannot fulfil themselves in the world. Happiness is that state of mind in man when he comes in contact with the happy scheme of existence that science has created in our age for us. A transformation of the mental quality is, indeed, the most beneficial thing to be achieved by the members of the human community all round the world. Priests in all religions unanimously indicate this acceptable goal of perfection as the very thing to strive for, if our life is again to be guided into a state of its fulfilment.

Change in the existing mental make-up is no easy process. The mind is constituted of thoughts manifested within each one of us, and unless the thoughts are changed, the mind cannot be changed. The rehabilitation of a given personality consists in bringing about a triple change in the thoughts in us – change in their quality, quantity and direction of flow.

The quality of thoughts entertained by us has been to a large extent completely changed by the constant remembrance of the Lord-of-our-heart, especially when this springs from the deep and delicate depths of a devoted heart. The practice of devotion towards an ideal personality, possessing all the humane qualities, is a method of directly changing the quality of thoughts entertained by us.

Positive or creative qualities are such that they, in their reaction with the world outside, do not multiply into a boisterous upsurge within, eroding and washing away one’s mental vitality. For example, bring into your mind the memories of your love and watch your mental condition; after a time, work your mind up to relive your hatred (or jealousy) which you entertain for your enemy. Be conscious of the mental condition. The contrast is obvious – love soothes the mind, while hatred of jealousy whips up the mind into a storm.

God is conceived of, in all the religions, as the embodiment of all ‘positive’ qualities of a human mind and, therefore, to remember Him constantly is to change the quality of thought in the devotee’s mental life. And, since ‘positive’ thoughts bring about tranquillity and peace, the quality of thoughts in the mind is also chastened.

As the same given mind cannot efficiently apply itself in more than one direction, to remember the Lord is to, in fact, forget everything other than Him. If I am going to the office, it automatically means that I am moving away from my home, since no individual can be at one place and at the same time, both at home and in office. To remember the Lord is to forget everything other than the Lord – that is, the direction of the thoughts is turned God-ward, and not allowed to continue in its present impetuous sense-ward flow.

The ‘positive’ approach of remembering an ideal is easy and natural for a healthy human mind. It is an entertainment for mind to act ‘positively’ and remember a definite thought given to it; but the human mind is never so efficient to function ‘negatively and forget a given idea. This ‘positive’ attitude, which is the nature of the mind, is ignored by all over-insistent moralists and ethical puritans. The parents and elders, teachers and professors, priests and pandits, scriptures and Puranas have all been constantly preaching the non-performance of a certain type of thought. All priests are persistently preaching ‘don’ts’.

As an example, if you try not to remember as you wake up, from tomorrow onward, say, four ordinary things – broom-stick, doormat, ladder and spoon – you will find that every day your very first thoughts will be flying towards these very objects that are banned. On the other hand, if the advice was to remember gratefully the source of all energy, the Sun that has risen in the eastern horizon it is possible that mind can be easily and effectively led away from remembering wrong thoughts.

In all religions there are both positive and negative aspects of the thought-life prescribed for the training of the mind – in as many do’s’ and don’ts. Decadence in culture and religious downfall generally visit an era wherein the negative aspects of the social thought-discipline are over-emphasised. A renaissance or revival is ushered in the moment the positive side of religion is taken up for serious study.

To remember the Lord at all times and act in the world with awareness that He is the all seer is the most positive sadhana for a seeker who is striving to evolve and thereby to transform his or her inward personality from its present condition of wretchedness to a state of harmony and efficiency.