Purity is the mother of all virtues
abracad, · Categories: externally authored, spiritualityBy Lt Col R K Langar
Purity of body and mind are two essential aspects of man’s personality. Out of the two purity of mind holds the key for one’s betterment in life. It is the pure mind which dictates how will you speak and how good are your actions. Just as colored water penetrates easily in white cloth similarly elevated teachings go deeply in a pure mind. Without purity there is no peace of mind and without peace of mind there can be no true happiness. Purity of mind is a big power. Purity gives clarity of thoughts.
Truth is the root of purity. Truth is the real nature of our soul or Atma. Being truthful means honest, loyal and non-deceitful. Truthfulness is the core of moral life. A pure mind can be ever meditative as a pure mind entertains no negative or waste thoughts. A pure mind is accountable for every thought it entertains. Purity also means purity of food and purity of your company or association. As it is said that the man is known by the company he keeps. Purity of thoughts and feelings help one to develop and intuitive mind, which is often called the sixth sense or the voice of the soul or Atma within. A true intuition can only come when the mind is pure – free from desires and passions.
What are the impurities
Impurities of mind are temptations like lust, anger, greed, attachment and jealousy. The Gita describes lust, anger and greed as the three gateways to Hell. Pursuit of material happiness based on our desires leads us to impurity of mind. The world is tempting and eye catching and gives instant joy to a worldly man when his desires are fulfilled. Desires can never be satiated by gratifications. The more the worldly desires are enjoyed the more they grow as fire grows by pouring of butter into it.
Negative thinking is another impurity of mind. Looking and dwelling on the faults of others weakens our mind. Eighty percent of our daily routine works are carried out as per our habits bypassing our intellect. When the mind works under the guidance of our intellect. The intellect works as a filter which removes negative thinking.
Selfishness is the biggest impurity which does not permit us to look beyond our own self. Selfishness is the basis of all immoral and corrupt practices that are prevalent in our society. When we think about our own interests and comforts we become self centered which is even worse than selfishness. In self centeredness we are literally unaware of the world around us as we contribute nothing towards social efficiency. Selfishness and self centeredness also arise when we identify our soul or Atma with our body and we become body conscious more than being soul conscious which is our true nature, which is ever truth, knowledge and bliss.
Waste thoughts also account for our impurities. What are waste thoughts? Waste thoughts are irrelevant thoughts which our mind entertains when not engaged in a purposeful manner. Mind has a tendency to dwell on past or future due to which waste thoughts are created causing impurities in mind. Waste thoughts not only waste our precious time but can also cause boredom and depression in life. Sitting idle and doing nothing is encourages you to become passive and lazy. Then you find you have nothing to do think of your ideal of life which keeps mind pure. Worldly conversation is another way which makes your mind impure. In an ordinary conversation you are bound to listen even if you don’t talk, defects and shortcomings of others. Avoid worldly interaction to the extent possible. Keep mind engaged in spiritual interaction. Worldly conversation brings in impure thoughts in your mind.
Ways of purifying mind
Purity of mind and heart means freeing ourselves of all clinging to the objects of the world. Strict self control is required to negotiate the temptations like lust, anger, greed, attachment and jealously. Lust is to negated by purity anger with love and greed by contentment. Attachment leads to bondage which is to be countered by detachment. Detachment is love and care for all as opposed to attachment where you are connected with specific people. In attachment there is Love but it is selfish Love where you direct your love to specific people. Detachment means enjoying the pleasures of life without being dependent on them as things of possession.
Positive thoughts negate negative thinking. Instead of looking at the faults of others, you should catch goodness of others. If you are a good human being you will always notice the goodness of others without giving any attention to their weakness. In fact you will ignore the defects of others. Positive thoughts not only negate negative thoughts but they also make your mind pure.
To root out selfishness, we have to bring about a change in our attitude towards life. We should move from an attitude of hoarding to an attitude of sharing. Giving is important to root out selfishness. One should involve oneself with charitable acts. We have to replace self interest by social interest. When a man establishes himself in benevolence, his selfish thoughts decline and he moves on to the path of enlightenment. He slowly but steadily acquires wisdom. A wise person is always selfless mind contributes towards the purity of mind.
Acquire moral virtues. Purity comes through practice of moral virtues and not just by knowing them. Use your acquired virtues in your daily life constantly. Perform all activities as service to God for benefitting human kind. Offer the fruit of your works, attachment to your work and sense of doer ship to God. Such works remove the impurities not only of mind but also cleanses the impurities of your Sanskar or Karmic load which you are carrying from birth to birth.
Since our soul or Atma is divine, our natural state is Absolute Truth, Absolute knowledge and Absolute Bliss. The Gita says that there is no purifier as great as knowledge and he who has attained purity of heart through prolonged practice of selfless work automatically sees the light of Truth in his own self. Pure mind is always truthful. Pure mind cannot be touched by sin. The other advantage of pure mind is that God’s grace is won by good conduct and pure mind. If your feelings are pure you are a beautiful person inwardly. As it is said a beautiful mind is better than 1000 beautiful faces.
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Filed in: externally authored, spirituality
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