How can we correct the bad habits that we are unaware of?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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So sometimes, we have some undesirable habit which we are not even aware of. Exactly.
How do we correct that? Generally, we, what is in the inner world, it is difficult to know. What we can see is the effect of what is there inside. So for example, I may not know there is anger inside me.
But then, I find myself shouting at someone, I find myself throwing at things. I say, hey, what happened? From that external action I can infer, okay, there is anger inside. So when we observe ourselves at a physical level and we look at our own behavioral patterns, and if therein we find that there is something wrong, then we can look back and find out what is the unhealthy emotion that is there inside.
So in general, we can’t directly see the internal. We see its effect in the external and based on that we can understand the internal. Now sometimes, we may find something external but we may not be able to correlate it with something specific internal.
For example, I may find that I just feel depressed. I feel depressed but then I can’t find any reason for my depression. You know, I say that, okay, I am in a steady relationship, I have a good career, my health is good.
Why am I feeling depressed? Sometimes it may happen that although the external wrong we can identify, what is the internal cause we can’t identify? So this is, at this stage, it’s like say if we are cleaning our house and we see some dirt somewhere. Then we look, where did this dirt come from? And okay, you know, there is a window over there that’s been left open. That’s where the dirt came from.
We first clean the dirt but along with that we close that window also so that again the dirt doesn’t come. But sometimes we find some dirt, just can’t figure out where the dirt has come from. Then we don’t obsess too much over that.
First thing that we do is remove the dirt. And then again if we see the dirt over there then we try to observe more carefully and see, okay, where could this have come from? I went there, it was not there. I came here, it was here.
Probably it came from somewhere in between. We do some detective work and we find out. So like that, when we can find a causal link between an outer behavior and an inner emotion then we can deal with it.
And if we can’t, then the important thing is correcting at the physical level first. Okay, I’m feeling depressed. Let me see, how can I cheer myself up? Maybe go meet some friends who are encouraging in their attitudes.
You know, do something which enlivens us. And then at least correct ourselves. And then generally speaking when we are when we are caught in the throes of something which is undesirable, it’s not so easy to see it.
Like this. Alcoholic, I told about. Anybody else would have seen? This person is so terribly addicted going out in the middle of the night.
That person would not think I’m so addicted. I can give this up whenever I want. Most alcoholics have given up alcohol many times.
And they’re still alcoholics. So sadhana is when we are in the throes of something, when we are caught in something, we don’t realize that we are caught. That’s why if we have good friends, they can help us.
They can act like a mirror by which we can understand ourselves better. But most importantly is that if we connect ourselves through the process of bhakti yoga with God, with Krishna, then that itself purifies us. So, where something has come from is not as important as if it’s unhealthy, go out.
So this darkness, just turn on the light, the darkness goes off. So like that, if we invoke God’s presence in our life, in our heart, then whatever darkness is there, whatever negativity is there, it’ll go out. And we don’t have to worry too much about the habits which we don’t know about.
Because if we just focus on dealing with whatever issues we have, that will improve us. And we are also in a process of evolution. A small child, a child does not know triple integral calculus.
It doesn’t have to know that also. When the child grows up, it’ll come to a level where it has to deal with that. So, whatever is needed, if we have a sincere desire to grow, then whatever is needed for our growth, it will in due course be revealed to us.
So we can fight the battles that we need to fight right now. And if we do that diligently, then whatever is in the future required for our improvement, that will be revealed to us. And how to do that also will be revealed.
So basically, we can focus on the present issues that we have, whatever we feel. And if we don’t find any specific issues we want to deal with, then just the overall connection with God, through the process of bhakti, that will bring out the best within us. And then gradually, whatever lesser things, they’ll be revealed and then they can be removed.
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