The Tranquility of the Mind

written by YeShey on Sunday, April 11th, 2010

In meditation there is total stillness and total silence. The mind is undistracted by anything internal or external.

Of course this does not come to us in the first days or weeks of meditation. It happens gradually and with the assistance of a well rounded outlook on who we are and the way we act in this world.  The great sage Patangali offers us a description of 8 stages on the path that help us achieve our ultimate goal.  The first two stages are called niyamas and yamas in Sanskrit.  Simply put, they are things that we take on and things that we give up.

The Niyamas (things we take on) are: integrity, contentment, living simply, study of scriptures, and contemplation on the highest world view.

The Yamas (things we give up) are: not harming others, truthfulness, moderation, not stealing and right sexual conduct.

There is alot of material written about the yamas and niyamas and I encourage anyone that is interested to do a bit of reading on this subject.  At the very least, I think it is worth considering the simple point that the way we think and behave has a direct effect on our ability to establish peace in our mind.

When we are resentful, we create a disturbance in our own mind (an likely no disturbance in the mind of the person we harbour resentment toward!).  When we are able to forgive, we bring instant peace.  When we engage in deceit we include lies, justification and mental agitation.  When we are open and honest, the mind is free of any subsequent concern.

Of course mastering this is a very tall order; and being conscious of them and doing our best to be our best, requires diligent effort and patience.  As our practise matures, some of the niyamas come naturally and some of the yamas naturally drop away.  The first step is knowing them, then we practise them… which usually leads to further inquiry and more practise!  As we set our course and venture forward we will find that we are able to maintain a happy and optimistic demeanor and with this; the mind becomes more and more tranquil.

Love,

YeShey