677-Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati

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Wednesday, September 21, 2022.06:00.
Change your Philosophy!

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By changing our perception of things, by developing a positive attitude and by educating our minds to look at the positive rather than the negative, we begin to change and feel more joy within us.

Now, let us now study the intellect. It has the capacity to understand. Everyone has their own philosophy and awareness of life. What is life, what is death, who is God, what is my goal in life, what is good, what is bad? Deep within, we know the answers.

Developing a Holistic Philosophy :

Based on its philosophy, the intellect understands or misunderstands the world and the mind reacts to it. The reaction of the mind can be modified and controlled by changing our philosophy.

A person, while waiting for his flight at the airport, was sitting and reading a book. To munch something, he bought a packet of Uncle Chipps. While engrossed in reading, he would, every now and then, take a chip from the packet. To his surprise, he noticed that the lady sitting next to him was also eating from the same packet. He was outraged at her audacity. How could she eat from his packet without asking him? He did not say anything; he continued reading the book and eating, but inwardly fumed and cursed her.

Soon there was an announcement for his flight. He picked up his bag and noticed that the packet he bought was on the other seat. All the time, he had been eating the lady’s chips! When he understood this, immediately the anger in his heart disappeared and he felt ashamed.

When Lord Rama was told to go to the forest, he was happy. His thought that by doing so, he would be obeying his parents. Also, this would give him the opportunity to meet various Mahatmas and have satsang with them in the forest. He saw everything positive because his philosophy was holistic.

What is my philosophy? What is my idea of God? What is good? What is bad? What is my understanding of the law of karma? Why do I get what I get in my life? All these questions will be answered if we have a holistic philosophy towards life. Our scriptures guide us. By reading the Bhagavad-gita, and Upanishads, we are able to look at life holistically, not as a part. This understanding helps the mind react to the world positively.

People in India throw wrappers on the road when they eat. But when those same people go abroad, they are very careful not to litter the road. They keep the wrappers in their pockets and dispose them later, in an appropriate place. What is the difference? They know that this is a different country with a different philosophy; here their philosophy changes. They react differently.

Promoting Positive Memory :

Then we go deeper to the level of memory. We have to improve our memory. We cannot change what is in the memory, but we can think of and remember all that is positive in life. In Ishavasyopanishad, the last mantra says, “May I remember all that is good in life”. The person is praying before his death, “May all the good things I did in life come to my mind. May I not remember the bad things that I did, even though I will get the result. May I remember what is good and positive.”

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The author is the Regional Head of Chinmaya Mission in New Delhi and its centers in Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad.

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