Taming the mind

Judhisthir the most pious character of Indian epic Mahabharata, was once asked by Dharmaraj (king of righteousness) that, what goes faster than the wind?. Judhisthir replied, mind goes faster than the wind.It is true, mind can cross the boundaries of time and space in a fraction of a second. It also influences our daily lives very strongly. A chaotic mind finds chaos all around,where as a peaceful mind can make a soothing background, and can help us to act in a harmonious way through all challenges of life. Connections between mind and life's activities are very deep rooted.Our personalities are formed according to our positive and negative thoughts created by mind, and we also act accordingly.
As certain training is always needed for engaging in the art of war,so does our engagement in battling with active life.AsYogananda said,unless we know,how to persevere our inner peace, we can soon be down with bullets of worry and restlessness in active life. So all through the ages,many great souls thought and meditated on this problem very deeply. They found the solution and showed us the ways to be the master of our own mind.
One such powerful and scientific technique is Ashtanga Yoga. Rishi Patanjali showed the definite way,to be the master of our own mind,by controlling our senses,with systematic practice of moral discipline,exercise, proper breathing,concentration,meditation etc. Yoga means,union between individual soul and the supreme soul. With the help of yoga,when an individual soul realizes his inner potentialities,his divine source, and his connection with the divine energy,he gets empowered, and can easily overcome all worldly temptations of life .Being the controller of his mind, guides it rightly with his proper discrimination and will power. Describing the power of yoga,Paramhansa Yogananda beautifully said,"in any given situation,our actions can be correct and appropriate,only when we know how to remain mentally undisturbed. An undisturbed mind can see the world as a cosmic drama,while a confused mind takes it too seriously and suffer.
Buddha realized , the intensity of human suffering depends on the intensity of minds clinging attitudes. The isolated and insecured mind tries to cling to impermanent worldly things to have permanent peace and happiness, and soon gets disillusioned and unhappy. To create peace in our own mind,Buddha asked to work on mindful breathing constantly.Mind always wonders in past or in future thoughts. Mindful breathing can bring it back to the present and makes it calm.Buddha said, Buddhahood is present in every one, only we have to put right effort, and dive deep in meditation to find the precious pearl of peace in our own mind.