Mind Matters Most | Article

All beings that exist with the life force within them want only one thing – to be free from all sufferings. Whether we are consciously aware of this or not is not of relevance – the truth is there in front of our eyes, in front of our actions, in front of our words, our deeds, our aspirations. Everything we strive towards is for the hopeful promise of everlasting happiness. A happiness that can remove the pain of existence – of birth, growth, disease, decay and death. We seek it in our material objects, in our work, in our identities, in our children, in our friends and family, in our phones, in all creative expressions, in our meditations – everywhere we go we are actively rummaging, looking, frantically grasping to hold on to the sands of happiness that slip so effortlessly through our fingers.

All these objects, temporary in their nature, give us the heavy accumulations of more craving and more aversion. The starting and ending point of all dukkha (suffering) lies within us. Everything in between is comprised of the circumstances we are born into – often full of disparity and inequity. As we work to harmonize this world for the wellbeing of all so that all are safe, well-sheltered, well-fed, we can also work to harmonize the energies in our own minds side by side.

As the Buddha says in the Dhammapada, Manōpubbangamā dhammā, manosettha, manomayā.  – Mind Matters Most. Mind precedes all that manifests in the world in the form of thought, speech or action. Therefore, guard your mind friends! Protect it! Make it your greatest friend! So that you can experience,

विशोका वा ज्योतिष्मती ॥३६॥
viśokā vā jyotiṣmatī ॥1.36॥

The state of consciousness free from sorrow and anguish and infused with inner light that also anchors the mind to stithi, the peaceful flow free from all thought constructs.
– Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Secret of the Yoga Sutra

Vishoka is the state free from samskaras (deep conditionings of the mind), a state described by inner healing and joyfulness that gives one the strength to accept and face reality. It is the aspect of your mind that is infused with its own Buddha Nature, the true nature of all beings on this planet.

Jyotishmati is a condition of inner luminosity, the blinding light that chases away the darkness of illusion, delusion and ignorance. The shining light of truth, of knowing the right moment, and the right action for that moment. In those moments of blazing light, the heart is infused with an infinite courage that transcends the limitations of the body and circumstances.

In this state of the mind, the asmita/ego falls away completely and this realization leads to true ishvara pranidhana, complete surrender. A surrender that cannot be characterized by any active effort, but rather, the relinquishing of all striving.

In the tantric traditions, this is achieved through meditation on the lotus of the heart. By meditating on the heart one gains complete knowledge of the mind (YS 3.34) and our intuition brings us in contact with our original desire – freedom, moksha, kaivalya, nibbana. All of our outer labels dissolve into one as we become a chid of Truth, a child of Love, a child of Wisdom. May the Lotus of Compassion arise in all hearts! May you experience this state of sorrowless joy!