Mind and Life Force
A 45 minute discourse with QA in the end on Ch 8 Mind and Life Force by Swami Shivananda was conducted in Rishikesh on 21st Mar 2024 early morning. It is from my book – Preservation of our Awakened Spirit, Mind & Body with Divine Knowledge, Meditation, Yoga, Pranayam and Prolonged Inner Silence.
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Summary by Suchitra
A blessed pilgrimage to Rishikesh filled with introspection, practical wisdom and escalation of sadhana through an intense Discourse on How to increase the power of our thoughts? guided by His Holiness Shri Swami Shivananda Saraswati.
Rishikesh Yatra Summary (18-22 Mar 2024)
For Jyoti Marg, the Rishikesh Yatra is an annual homage to the luminous Rishis who once walked these revered grounds and whose presence is still palpable there starting with Swami Shivananda, Markandey Maharishi, Vashishth Rishi, Keshwananda and many more.
Each visit to the spiritually charged tapsthals here is a chance to bask in their radiant energies, a sacred communion. We visited Swami Shivananda’s ashram, meditated at Vashishth Gufa and Keshwashram, and also got the kripa to be inside Swamiji’s (Shivananda) smriti kutir after a long time across the river.
This year’s program included a couple of good Yoga classes and a Tratak session. Setting the tone for the class, Ma performed Sirshasana, a remarkable feat at her age and offered it as a symbolic token of gratitude for Swamiji’s decade long tutorship.
Our Satsangs comprised of a morning meditation with the chant of Maha Mrityunjaya and a Discourse by Ma on the chapter: Life Force and Thoughts from Book 001. The final Satsanga was distinctive as Ma followed a 45-minute time limit, giving us a condensed discourse of everything she learnt about Thought Power from Swamiji from 2014 – 2024. It has Vishesh Gyan which needs constant revisitation. A brief summary of the same follows:
How to increase our Thought Power?
Understanding Thought Power is crucial for our spiritual pursuits. One of the main reasons for not succeeding in sadhana is because the quality of our thoughts is very poor. When God created us, a part of God was transferred into us. God’s reflection (pratibimba) is in our manas. Mind is composed of thoughts and therefore thoughts are very important. Thoughts have energy, they vibrate. Thoughts never die unless they manifest. Our mind is a powerhouse provided it has constructive thoughts. Thoughts have the power to regenerate us.
Thoughts are deposited in different sections of the mind. Consequently, there are three levels of consciousness. Most people operate from their Conscious mind using their 5 senses. Thoughts and perceptions we have gained are deposited below the conscious mind, in our Subconscious mind. Swamiji recommends using our Ichcha Shakti to activate our dormant buried good thoughts. Rarely does anyone go till the Unconscious mind. If someone has very good thoughts, with the wish of God & a lot of effort, these can be used for regeneration of self and the world.
A part of every thought is deposited in our mind as memory. Our powerful thoughts are those repeated with utmost intensity, emotion, or resolution. We must be mindful of the thoughts we generate and the kind of consciousness we are latching onto.
Generating new, positive thoughts:
- Despite lacking quality thoughts now, we can cultivate and reinvent ourselves by consciously planting seeds of positivity.
- Peace is the best environment for positive thoughts. Meditate to calm your mind. Anchor good thoughts in your mind and reflect on them during peaceful moments.
- Our good thoughts, like tender saplings, require protection from negativity to thrive.
- When in tune with your Guru and Rishis, new thoughts can emerge from anywhere. When you get into the deeper recesses of your mind, you will get param sukh anand, the deepest state of bliss right inside your mind.
- Make a habit to sit quietly with a heart surrendered to God. In shunya/samadhi, God will sow a good thought in your mind. Originating from God’s sankalpa, it holds immense power.
When Ma has a very big task in front of her, instead of asking yeh kaam kaise hoga? She says yeh kaam kaise nahi hoga?! Such a positive mindset automatically invokes the energies required to accomplish the task.
Om Shanti