Added: Aug 27, 2008
From: Gurugillies
Duration: 8:15
Mental health is important yet it is not really recognised in public education in the same way as physical health. Mental development/health is not the same as spiritual practice. However, spiritual practice might reveal the need for addressing mental health needs.There are several similes in this chapter for the mind which might resonate with someone who has lived in an ashram or near a temple in India. The first simile is a poisonous tree which can be cut down with the axe of enquiry. This is spiritual practice.Direct the attention back to the attention. It is the attention which is the problem. The mind is the attention. Depression is when the attention is identifying with negativity.What is your attention focussed on right now? What is your emotional tone? This is the state of your being.Every moment is an opportunity to practise although extreme pain or trauma can make it impossible.Perhaps a modern simile for the mind is the computer. Many of our distractions are represented by the computer. It's like a map of our distractions. The computer can be difficult to switch off, just like the mind.The mind is described as an elephant with its own momentum. It's difficult to stop. Rama is encouraged to be a lion and tear it to pieces with his sharp intelligence.Examine how we justify our distractions. We need integrity and self-honesty. Self-honesty is difficult when we feel we have a self-image that we must promote at all costs not only to others but mainly to ourself.
Channel: Nonprofit
Tags: attention computer depression distraction education enquiry health mental mind negativity practise similes spiritual
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