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Gita Lesson - 1306: Meditation

Bhagavad Gita
Unit - 13
Lesson - 1306: Gaining Conviction through Meditation
By Raja Subramaniyan

Anger is the twin sister of desire. It is very difficult to control anger without controlling desire. When the mind gains conviction that there is no happiness in the objects of the world, it will stop desiring them. When there are no more desires, there will not be any anger. Until this status is achieved, one should work through following steps to reduce anger.

Anger is expressed in thoughts, words and deeds and it is essential that one control the anger systematically in the reverse order.

Step 1: Control the deeds

If our intelligence has sufficient control over the mind, this step can be easily achieved. Whenever, we become angry, we should be very cautious on how we respond to it in our action. Since we are aware, that our mind does not function correctly in the angry mood, we should resolve that all our action be completely controlled. We often repent our own action, which was done as an impulsive response to an incident that causes anger.

We can decide to donate a huge sum of money to a good cause if we express our anger through our deeds. If we make such a donation every time, our intelligence will get enough strength to arrest our mind from acting under the influence of anger.

Step 2: Control the words

As the next step, we should control our words expressed in an angry mood.

We can decide to donate a fixed sum of money to a good cause if we express our anger through our words. If we make such a donation every time, our intelligence will get enough strength to arrest our mind from expressing angry words.

Step 3: Control the thoughts

This is very difficult to do unless the strength of the desires is greatly reduced. One can attempt to ensure that the anger, which is expressed as thoughts, is not encouraged. It is important to understand that it is not possible to change anyone. Everyone will function as machines in a predetermined manner controlled by their preferences and knowledge. If we gain sufficient knowledge, we will understand that the person, whose behavior is causing the anger in us, cannot behave differently. He is controlled by his preferences and knowledge and it is impossible to change his behavior.

Once we gain this understanding, the anger at our thought level will reduce. For example, we do not become angry on a cow, if it decides to cross the road without any warning. We had to encounter such a situation due to our own accumulated impressions. We cannot blame ourselves because we accumulated such impressions due to our own past actions done due to our preferences and knowledge at that time.

No one can change us either. If our knowledge is limited, we will continue to become angry and it is not possible to stop our anger at the thought level. However, as and when we gain enough knowledge, we should not entertain the anger even at the thought level.

Once these three steps are crossed, one will be relatively free from the effects of desire.

Prevention is better than curing. We should avoid anger, fear, irritation and all such negative emotions. Desire is the only cause for all such negative emotions. It is not possible to remove all the negative emotions without removing desire. Desire can be removed only when the mind gains conviction that the there is no happiness in the objects of the world.

The first step is to gain intellectual conviction. The next step is to do meditation on the fact that there is no happiness in the objects of the world.

Teaching 77: Meditation is a tool to refine the mind to see the truth

Chapter 5: Science of renouncement [Verses: 26 - 29]

5.26 Those who are self-restrained and free from anger and desires, who are self-realized are assured of liberation and achieve oneness with Brahman.

5.27-28 Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils, thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the seeker becomes free from desire, fear and anger. One who meditates like this is certainly liberated.

5.29 The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the lord of all the worlds and the well-wisher of all living beings attain peace.

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