How can we get rid of unwanted thoughts?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
When unwanted thoughts come in the mind, how can we focus? That’s what we are going to elaborate and discuss in future classes.
But I’ll briefly explain this, that there is information, which comes into the mind. The most important step for dealing with the mind is distancing ourselves from the mind. That means, we have to identify the mind.
Hey, this is the mind speaking. Not identify with the mind. Identify with the mind means, Oh, I’m getting angry now.
Oh, I want to show this person. So, identify the mind. Hey, the mind is getting angry now.
And the mind is prompting me to shout at this person. The mind is prompting me to hit out at this person. So, once we identify the mind, then we can deal with it.
So, the first step in dealing with the mind, in dealing with unwanted thoughts is to recognize that everything inside me is not me. That, okay, these thoughts are coming, and because of whatever past karma, whatever inclination, whatever samskara, whatever the cause, it has come here. So, we identify that this is not me.
And this is not what I want to know. In 14.22-23, Krishna says that by the three modes, different kinds of thoughts will come in us. He uses the word prakasha, pravarti and moha to refer to goodness, passion and ignorance.
In goodness, illumination comes. In passion, the inclination to act comes. I have to do this, I have to do that, I have to do that.
And moha, just tiredness, illusion comes in ignorance. He says, na dveshti sampravrtani, na nivrtani kankshati. When something comes, we don’t resent its arrival.
Nor, when it goes away, we don’t crave for its presence. Udasinavadasinam. Stay as it detached.
Gunai yo na vikalyate. By the modes, one does not get agitated. How? Knowing that it is the modes that are producing this, yo avatishthati nem rate.
One does not get agitated. So, how do we do this? I’ll give one example here. And I’ll elaborate it.
I’ll talk later. In cricket, there is an umpire. Now, Krishna says, udasinavadasinam.
Be situated as if detached. So, in English, there are actually two words, uninterested and disinterested. Sometimes they are used interchangeably, but actually they have two very different meanings.
Uninterested means having no interest at all in the subject. Disinterested means having no vested interest. Disinterested means impartial.
Uninterested means apathetic, uncaring. So, if a cricket match is going on, the umpire should be disinterested, not uninterested. So, the bowler bowls and the bowler appeals.
And the umpire says, I was not watching the match. But I will not do. Why are you the umpire? The umpire has to watch the match.
Has to watch what is happening very carefully. But the umpire has to be disinterested. It should not be that I want this team to win.
I want that team to lose. No. The umpire has to be neutral.
So, the players will appeal. But the umpire has to process the appeal and then decide. Now, it is the duty of the players, even if the batsman is not out, still the bowler and fielder will appeal.
Now, just because the players have appealed, does not mean the umpire has to give the batsman out. But, just because the player has appealed, that does not mean that every appeal has to be rejected also. The appeal has to be evaluated and measured.
So, similarly for us, once we understand that I am different from the mind, then we have to become like the umpire. Various emotions, desires, thoughts, they will appeal within us. Do this, eat this, sing this, watch this.
But we have to evaluate. So, to the extent we situate ourselves in a spiritual platform, with knowledge and with realization, with philosophical knowledge when we study and hear regularly, we understand that I am not the mind. These thoughts coming within me are not mine.
And then, with spiritual strength, एवं बुद्धे परं बुद्धवा सम्स्थव्या आत्मानं आत्मना In 3.43, the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says, एवं बुद्धे, with your intelligence, परं बुद्धवा, know that you are param, you are transcendental, you are beyond this material phenomenon, beyond the mind. सम्स्थव्या आत्मानं आत्मना Situate yourself on the spiritual platform. So then, we recognize that these are emotions, these are desires which are coming in, they are going to appeal.
But I, by recognizing, by reminding myself that I am a soul, I evaluate. And then on merit, I either accept or I reject. So, rejection is not possible simply by saying no.
We have to have some redirection. So, when we don’t want to do something, we have to have something else to do. So, first is, at least I should not want to do what the mind is saying.
But then, I can’t simply keep saying no to what the mind is saying. I have to have something positive to say yes to. And when I focus on saying yes to the positive, then the no will be automatically said off.
So, first of all, distancing ourselves from the mind, and then redirecting our thoughts elsewhere. That’s how we can learn to get rid of unwanted thoughts.