Is thought a utility or an obstacle?

Is thought a utility or an obstacle?

•      We believe we always gain something or other because of our ability to think. Thoughts help us in getting our works done, expressing ourselves, getting our social status, earning money and properties, building self-esteem and many more. However, if the thought traffic in our brain is high and without any recess. It leads to mental exhaustion and insanity.

The thought which is a necessity in family, intellectual, social, financial, emotional fronts is an obstacle in spiritual front

•      There were three thieves who robbed a treasury. They were being chased by police and were in search of a place to hide the wealth. They came across a tank in a village. They wanted to hide the wealth in that tank.

•      The first thief said the water in this tank is clear. Our treasure may be visible to policemen and villagers who may come here tomorrow. Let’s place this wealth in the tank beneath that water-weed. People won’t come to its vicinity because they don’t like a weed.

•      The second thief said let’s place the treasure beneath the water covered with lotuses. People will be engaged in watching the beauty of the lotuses. Their attention will never reach the treasure.

•       The third thief said let’s place the treasure beneath the shade of that tree covering the water. The shade prevents the light to fall on the treasure. The leaves continuously falling from the tree creates ripples in the tank which disturbs the visibility of treasure.

•      Finally, the thieves found a strategic place which fulfilled all the above criteria and were successful in hiding the wealth and later escaped with the treasure

In the above example, there were four things that prevented the visibility of the treasure to its caretakers.

   1 shade of the tree (deprived of light)

 2 Waterweed (which repel the people's attention)

 3 Lotus flowers (which attract people’s attention)

   4 continuous ripples generated by the leaves falling on the water

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 Yogic science says- The prime reasons for human suffering are Raga(liking and attachment), Dwesha(hatred), Avidya ( ignorance of the fact that I am not my mind)

·        The lotus flowers are like  "Raga" (liking or attachment) and the water weed is like "Dwesha". The water weed by its repulsive tendency and the lotuses by their attractive tendency would not allow the attention to go towards the treasure. However, the attracting lotus is no way different from the repulsive waterweed in its role to distract the focus from the treasure. So we can say that both “Raga” and “Dwesha”  are equally detrimental in finding our way to peace which lies deep within us.

• Continuous ripples that appear on the surface of the water are another obstacle that prevents the visibility of the treasure. In the same way, continuous thoughts that run in our minds will never let us experience stillness. (stillness is a thought-free state of mind)

• The shade is a dark place where light cannot reach. Shade can be equated to Avidya.

   The Raga&Dwesha (Emotions), the Cognition (thinking) and the Avidya (ignorance)will not allow the stillness in the mind.

•  The leaves falling on the surface of the water can be equated to the worldly stimuli which keep touching our mind generating thoughts in us. 

 “Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha”. Yoga means letting the thought waves in the mind come to halt.

What is our treasure?

•      The source of the creation in us is the treasure that is to be discovered.

   The thought is an obstacle to experience stillness.  Stillness can be experienced only when the thought dies. 

   What happens if we take our thoughts seriously? 

   If we take our thoughts seriously we tend to divert our consciousness and energies into it. Energizing the thoughts makes us lose the stillness of our mind. Emotions (Raga and Dwesha)and cognition are two important hurdles in our journey towards YOGA(Yoga- which means union with our self).