The Power of Realizing the Nature of Mind
Do you ever feel that you would like to gain control over your life? Do you ever feel depressed due to emotional conflicts? Do you admire those who are happy all the time and bring happiness to the people around them? Once you realize the nature of your mind, all of this will be remedied.
It is true that meditation can help us greatly in dealing with our emotions. Just like we need to bathe regularly, wash our face, and do the cleaning, we also need to clean up our inner mind frequently. Otherwise, our emotions can get out of control. Since training our mind in meditation doesn’t bring immediate results after only one or two practice sessions, we need to develop a habit of long-term practice. Then, gradually, our stubborn mind will become pliable and be liberated. At some point, no matter what happens in our lives, we will be able to face it easily and bravely.
Personally, I do not admire people, due to their great wealth or high position; but I do admire those practitioners who have some level of realization, because wherever they are or whatever situation they are in, they are very happy; and whatever they do, it can help and benefit the world. So it is of great importance for us to observe our mind and train it step by step. When we truly realize the nature of our mind, we will know we actually have mastery over the whole world, no matter how it may change. I sincerely encourage all of you to observe your mind with the methods with which you are familiar. For example, to observe, what is the nature of your mind when you are happy? What is the nature of your mind when you are suffering? What is the nature of your mind when various thoughts arise in daily life? After constantly observing the nature of your mind with the proper methods, you will definitely realize one day: “Ah, this is the nature of my mind!” Yet, this may not be apparent to others.
When you fully realize the nature of your mind, you will never be passive or lazy; on the contrary, you will treat your family with a kinder attitude, have a stronger sense of responsibility toward this world, and hold a stronger sense of caring for others in society. This can be seen from the stories of many great enlightened beings in history who, when they fully realized the truth of life, would never isolate themselves from the world and just enjoy their own peace and joy in solitude. They were never hedonists. Instead, they would try their best to spread their true love and wisdom to every being, in any way possible.
