How to control the mind

“Always meditate that God is in everything and that He controls everything”.

Fame, money and sexual attraction are the three kinds of lust. By controlling
the mind we can start to dominate these enemies of spiritual life.

We can be more efficient and harmonious in our surroundings if the mind is

under control.

If you do not control the mind, you will be its prisoner. Apparently, our desires
seem to be inoffensive, but in reality they are a spider’s web that tie us up and
fix us to this material world. Only by controlling the mind is it possible to
transcend the material limits of our conditioning that impedes our spiritual
progress.

“Allow thoughts on God to keep you away from worldly thoughts”. Srila Guru
Maharaj

Lust is your biggest enemy.

The living entity is composed of the soul, a subtle mental body and a dense
physical body. Among the subtle body’s components are the mind,
intelligence and false ego. The mind is the source of the majority of problems
we experience. All the time the mind desires something, and when it has it,
such a thing loses importance and the mind then wants something else. The
mind frequently tortures us. To control the mind is one of the main purposes
of yoga.
The first step in mind control is to recognise authority, because we have to be
the authority of our mind; and when the mind argues, the authority rests in the
truth. If we live in a world of lies, we will never be satisfied; we will always feel
disappointed, defrauded.
Mind control is not a luxury, but an essential need. The soul lowers itself in
serving the temporary desires of the mind and body, or raises itself to serve
the Great Spirit; to engage in God’s service. Only this way can we feel true
satisfaction, which will encourage us to keep control of the mind. To
accomplish it, intelligence is required. In our intelligence we access our
memory bank in our sub consciousness; there we process the imprints our
mind left from past situations. The answer leads to our decisions, our choices,
which lead to our actions. In order to gain the right decisions, we must keep
connected with our spiritual reality, with God. Only God allows us to
remember and understand things, everyone and everything depends on Him.
Our position is fortunate when we accept authority from a Guru, a spiritual
master, from the scriptures and from saints. By keeping company with people
that accept their authority we are truly fortunate. Otherwise a person must
undergo the situation of accepting and rejecting false authorities in an attempt
to accept a genuine direction in life; such is the painful price of internal
spiritual progress.
The labour of discrimination is based on analysis, elimination and acceptation.
Even though it bothers us, doubt is created by God. To control the mind is
very difficult, but if we didn’t try we would accept anything as the Absolute
Truth, and we would become seriously deviated. But also, there must arrive
the time to doubt the need to doubt, when finally the reason is conquered by
something truly genuine.
For example, many people doubt to get married, but once a special partner is
found the decision takes place without doubt; to embrace the duty of family
life. Doubts have no more chance, because if a person starts to doubt after
marriage, it would become a very complicated situation. Unfortunately, even
this example is becoming redundant as cynicism, extreme doubt, takes over
society.
Doubt is a very difficult thing to overcome for self-centred people with desires
to enjoy the body’s senses and fulfil egotistical purposes. Krishna (a name of
God) helps those sincere persons who search after truth to get rid of doubt
and insecurity. Only by feeling the nature of the self, the soul, can the mind
and body be at one with the self. Then there is no doubt. In Krishna
consciousness a person becomes free of doubt connecting one’s soul to the
Supreme Soul by chanting the Holy Names of God:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

It is appropriate to associate with those who too are genuine seekers of the
Absolute Truth, to daily study the sacred scriptures and too identify oneself
with the tasks given to one by spiritual authorities. By identifying with these
tasks, immediately one is under an umbrella of spiritual protection. In
identifying with the service and perfecting it, as it is an offering to God, we are
easily helped in controlling the restless mind.
Other processes to control the mind are artificial. Even if people try artificial
means to overcome habits and addictions, through sports, arts, hatha yoga,
etc., it is not sufficient. The mind can easily be conquered if the heart is
conquered. And only through love for God will we have the capacity to
conquer the heart, not through some material love; because, as always, there
is some deception. Why not offer the heart to God’s Love by the way of
transcendental therapies? The best one is devotional service, spontaneous
and amorous. This is the secret of Bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotion.

Srila Guru Maharaj

Translated and interpreted by Gopini devi dasi & Gopananda dasa