Too often we feel that we are subjected to circumstances that are out of our control. The flood that damages our home; the fender-bender caused by a careless driver; the break-in by an unscrupulous thief and the list goes on and on. We try our best to take charge of our own lives only to have unforeseen obstacles present themselves. We must all accept that uncertainty is a part of life. We cannot control everything and everyone. The more we try to bend these external forces to our will, the more frustrated we become.
We must recognize that in all the chaos and doubt of the outside world, there is one thing we have absolute control over – the mind. The human mind is often likened unto a monkey jumping from tree to tree, restless and never still. We have the power to change this though. With discipline, we can tame and train our mind. This brings to mind the example of Hanumanji as a child. While rushing towards the Sun, thinking it was a tasty fruit; Hanumanji was distracted by the planet Rahu and diverted his course. In this way we can see the fickleness of the mind; how easily distracted it is. It is only by centering the mind on pure devotion that we can realize the true mental power we are capable of.
You may ask yourself why this is important. Training the mind may seem trivial. What does one’s mind have to do with external forces? The answer is simple. We may not be able to control our life, but we can control the way we respond to it. We can adjust our perceptions of our environment and, by doing this we can change our world. Again using the example of Hanumanji, he took a negative event; the kidnapping of Sita Ma; and changed it into a positive one; the destruction of Ravan. A crisis is turned into an opportunity. Transforming events in this way can serve to reduce our level of frustration at the external forces imposed on us and help us to better cope with the challenges of everyday life.
Hanumanji is the perfect example of one with a trained mind. He is master of all his senses and he performs his actions with detachment, acting as an instrument of destiny rather than being driven by any selfish motive. The recent celebration of Hanuman Jayanti should serve as a reminder to us of this great Yogi and the divine potential of our own minds.
Jai Bajrang Bali!
