5 Ways to begin to conquer the mind

Many people do not realize it would be in their interest to let go of certain perceptions and beliefs.   Individuals concerned with self-image are not serious about self-awareness. They do not exert effort to get rid of the distracting noise in their mind.

When you are not ready to register or see the truth, you would still benefit from hearing about it. The process of learning you identify with your mind is a way to start working through it.  Peel away the layers of your thoughts and you will find more illusion and deeper layers until you finally transcend them all.

As you move through each phase of your life experience, you describe thoughts and sensations with words.  This silently reinforces misunderstandings.  If you choose, you are invited to explore five ways to begin to conquer the mind;

1) how do you resist what you view as abnormal situations?

2) why do you believe you have no insight into their cause?

3) when will you learn the meaning of attention?

4) what is required for you to meditate and master all action?

5) where will you be when you stop deluding yourself? 

Comments

[Melinda]

Always a good message Liara. One of the most wonderful things (for me) about aging has been letting go of my obsession with my physical appearance. I am almost ashamed to admit this--but as a young woman, I based my self-worth almost entirely on my physical appearance. It was not until I went to college and became more confident in my intellectual capabilities that I was finally able to let some of that go.

And my goodness--how freeing is that? Thank you, Liara--for your thoughtful and always inspiring posts.

Take care,
Melinda

[Jay]

Is it possible to never delude yourself? It seems to me that this might be a life lesson, and it might take that long to achieve it- let me know your thoughts. Signed up RSS via feedburner- thank you.

[Amanda Linehan]

Hi Liara - Yes, preoccupation with self image can certainly get in the way of self awareness. If you begin to let go of your own sense of self-importance you will find that your self development is stronger.

Thanks for the post!

[Paul Maurice Martin]

I'm wondering what you mean by mastering all action. Also, when you refer to using words to describe thoughts and sensations as a phase of one's life experience - I'm not too clear.

That is, this would seem to be a phase that lasts one's entire life. Otherwise couldn't be doing blogs, for example. Of course there are times throughout life that we get beyond words - in meditation, for example, which you refer to...

[Alexys Fairfield]

Hi Liara,
Everyday as I think of more ways to conquer the mind, I realize that I am doing exactly what it wants me to do - think!

The more I relax and resign myself to the task of thinking, the more I am in the moment - floating freely to my destiny.

[Liara Covert]

Melinda, learning to let go is a liberating experience at any level. As you realize shame is an emotion you invent to digress, you gradually learn to dissolve that. Praise and blame have no place on your path. These emotions are forms of mental manipulation you outgrew already.

[Liara Covert]

Jay, some people believe that to be human in the physical world is to choose to enter into delusion so you can work to transcend it. People get distracted by experiences and forget they exist to present lessons in tangible form. Dreams and paranormal experiences can be viewed as stages of transformation. And yet, to get lost in the awe and mystery cripples you so you do not move beyond them. You experience what you choose and observe it too.

[Liara Covert]

Paul Maurice, there is a difference between experiencing something in moment and experiencing the same thing with the mind wandering. To learn to be present in every instant implies you learn to work through negative thoughts, judgment, emotion, noise and other distractions in your mind that draw your attention away from what is. People will contemplate the future and dwell in the past while forgetting the timeless beauty right in front of them. Self-mastery implies the ability to transcend time and other self-created limitations that prevent you from loving everyone and everything equally and unconditionally. This includes yourself. To evolve to be grateful for all of your conditions, to love and accept where you are, to find purpose and lessons in every event, all of this is also implied. The mind inteprets the world with thoughts and sensations. Every stage in your life brings opportunities for new levels of self-awareness. As you evolve, what you sense and perceive, what matters and what you choose not to notice, also evolves. Your energy is in perpetual motion. You may not yet notice the subtle nuances.

To borrow a quote from Socrates in the book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior,
"Meditating an action is different from doing it. To do, there must be a doer, a self-conscious someone performig. When you meditate an action, you have already released all thoughts, even the thought, 'I' There's no 'you' left to do it. In forgetting yourself, you become what you do, so your action is free, spontaneous, without ambition, inhibition, or fear."

[Liara Covert]

Alexys, when your heart and soul are sincerely invested, then the outcome is meaningful regardless of whether destiny evolves into something consciously unexpected. To master all compulsions and see through all behaviour can seem like a daunting task for some people. And yet, it is possible for a person to have no habits, to become more conscious, deliberate with every thought, word and deed. It is only a tall order if you convince yourself it is.

[Davina]

Hi Liara. Just as Melinda did, I based my self-worth largely on my appearance and how others treated me. I could not accept myself so it seems they reflected that back to me.

[Liara Covert]

Davina, to recognize what you used to do reveals you have moved on to a new level of self-awareness. This does not necessarily mean you have completely dissolved the source of discomfort, but noticing it is the first step to detaching. You design the nature of your own process.

[Paul Maurice Martin]

I understand but had asked about "mastering" an action and how using words would be only a phase of life experience.

It sounds like you were talking specifically about meditation, which of course goes beyond words, and that perhaps you were using "mastering" as a synonym for meditating.

[Liara Covert]

Paul Maurice, words are tools humans use in efforts to describe feelings and sensations at different stages of life experience. As you say, meditation is a word that describes mental states. Some people believe words do not accurately reflect the meaning of any experience. If you believe truth is felt, then you may believe your inner voice needs no words to get through to you. Simply sift through and discard adopted beliefs that do not serve you.

[Paul Maurice Martin]

Makes sense to me-

[Miruh]

Using the mind to conquer the mind can create more of the same. For me, to practice coming back to the present moment dissolves mind constructs; thoughts are always moving on if we let them go and not go into the story-line.

[Henie]

"Where will you be when you stop deluding yourself?" Such a powerful question that has me contemplating...letting go of delusions certainly places one in the midst of the present...to be "whole" with one's self.

The mind has tremendous power...its choices synaptic...

Thank you for sharing how to befriend my mind!:)