How do our beliefs and habits shape what pops up on our inner screen?
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
We talk about beliefs in spirituality or in behavior more specifically. I talked about the inner screen on which certain images come up. So based on our beliefs, certain images come up much faster.
So for example, somebody has a lot of faith in money. Money. So they think that money can solve all problems.
But whenever they have problems, they'll think, oh, can I throw money at this issue? So then when a problem comes, the image of money comes on top of it. The image of money comes on top of it. That way, if somebody feels that, yeah, I can smoke better.
I can code better by smoking. Then that, so whenever I'm having some difficulty in coding, the image will pop up. Oh, smoke.
Basically you could say our mind is like a very customized software. If I search one thing on Google, next time I just type half of it, it'll come immediately. So the things we do, the mind starts proposing them again and again and again.
So basically at that time, we have to recognize that this is happening. So if I say I have selected a particular, I want to visit a particular website many times. Say I want to go to Bollywood.com many times.
Now I want to type B, and I want to look at Bhagavad Gita. I want to go to Bhagavad Gita.com. But if I type B, what will happen? Bollywood will come. So like that, based on our past habits, past beliefs, past behaviors, certain ideas, certain courses of action will just pop up in our mind.
Pop up on our inner screen. Now if we are not very discerning, then whatever pops up, we'll click on it and we'll go there. But if you become a little more observant, You need to take a step back and understand.
Okay, this has popped up. Do I need to click it or do I not need to click it? So if we become a little more observant, then we'll be able to choose it. So the stronger habit, what means? Habit basically is the connection between stimulus and response.
The stronger habit means the quicker the connection between the stimulus and the response. If I am a trained firefighter, as soon as I see fire, this is what we should do. We pour water.
If I am not a trained firefighter, as soon as I see fire, I panic. So now some connections between stimulus and response are healthy and maybe you need to increase them. And some are unhealthy.
So strong for alcoholic, as soon as they see alcohol, immediately they want to drink. Oscar Wilde, he said that giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I have done it over a hundred times.
One thinks when he's given up, but as soon as the proposition comes, one is overwhelmed. So what we need to do is create some gap between the stimulus and the response. So one way to create the gap would be that we don't make the fulfillment of that proposition easily available.
Say for example, if I want to give up smoking, then the desire will come up. But if I don't keep it close to me, then I still will get the impulse to fulfill it, but generally when our desires come, they peak for some time. And during that peak, it's almost impossible to think of anything else.
But after that, they subside. So if there is some distance created through physical obstacles also, then that also gives time for that peak to pass, and then you can shake off. So generally, dealing with habits can be done at the external level by creating some distance between the object of indulgence.
At an intellectual level, by recognizing the importance of giving it up, and at a spiritual level, by connecting with a higher reality. So that connection with the higher reality gives us greater strength. So basically, when you practice Bhakti Yoga, God is supremely pure, and connection with the pure brings purity within us.
So the impure promptings that are there, they will go down. And that's how, at one level, what we are trying to do is, this pop-up comes, I will not say yes to it. But when you become purified, the pop-up itself stops coming.
And then life becomes much easier. And that will happen gradually. One way to do it is to keep saying no to it again and again and again.
That is important. But another way is, just say yes to the positive, that develops a habit of connecting with the positive, and the negative automatically will say no to it.