Why can we not reach the true Self and experience perfection and total happiness? What is stopping us from reaching our spiritual goal? It is the mind. This naughty mind leads us constantly away from our spiritual purpose. The mind has a great power and force. It manufactures thoughts all the time. It has to make these thoughts otherwise it cannot exist. The mind is made up of thoughts that run and jump and distract you continually from your spiritual path. The only time this monkey mind stops playing is when you are in deep sleep. When you sleep lightly the mind makes thoughts and dreams. If you were immersed in the Truth, in your real Self, you would understand that this world is maya, illusion, and the world that you see and experience is only the sum total of your own thoughts, created by your mind.

If you are in contact with your true Self, this illusory world has no hold on you. It appears like drops of water running off a clear crystal. Your inner being would be clear like a pure crystal and the droplets of worldliness cannot remain there. The mind is the cause of thought and it is the mind, which takes you away from your true nature of perfection and peace (which are beyond the world of thoughts). The mind cannot exist alone. It must always be dependent. Yet, as long as you are attached and let the mind control you, jumping from thought to thought, you cannot realize your Self. That is why I urge you to reduce your attachments, control your desires and to stop being dependent on things, on habits or people. You cannot stop everything at once. You need to reduce steadily. But you must start this procedure otherwise you cannot grow spiritually.

Make yourself simple and humble and you will find it much easier to travel the spiritual path. If you go for a mountain climb dressed in city clothes and fashion shoes, carrying heavy suitcases full of unnecessary items, can you climb the mountain? If you go to school to learn a certain subject but you take ten big books of advanced philosophy and you expect the teacher to follow those books, can you learn from that master? Or do you expect the master to listen to your book-knowledge? Likewise, if you want to climb to the spiritual heights, go well prepared. Drop your extra baggage. Forget it. Wear clothes that are simple and suitable for climbing. Wear comfortable shoes that last - it does not matter what they look like. This means, forget the externals and unnecessary ideas and thoughts. Travel light on the spiritual path. When you reach your spiritual goal, you will have no baggage - physical or mental! So better reduce it now. If you go to learn from a master, there is no use bringing him a mind full of heavy philosophy. It is best to forget all that you read in the past. Go to him with an open heart and mind ready to learn from him. In this way you can go ahead quickly.

By doing service, by practising various sadhanas and meditations one can reduce the ego. The ego is the thought of yourself. Your small, mind-self not your spiritual, true Self. The ego-self always thinks, "I, I, I." Whenever your ego-self thinks, it starts with "I." "I want a cup of tea, I want to see my parents, I want that boy to like me, I want…" These are thoughts of attachments and selfishness. Pure thoughts directed towards spirituality lead you to selflessness and self-realization. What are pure thoughts? Thinking how you can reduce the ego, reduce desire, helping others for their sake not for your own sake, giving service without expecting anything in return, the thoughts that arise when singing or chanting with devotion and thoughts that direct the mind to be self-controlled during meditation. These are pure thoughts.

How can you control and reduce your "I" thoughts? Ask your mind from where such thoughts arise, what is the purpose of these thoughts? Ask it, who is thinking these thoughts - the mind will answer, "I am thinking these thoughts." Ask the mind "Who is this I?" It will go back inside to think about this question and you are not giving it a chance to behave like a naughty monkey, running from one thought to another. Cut the thoughts down when they start. From a small bush, roots will spread and many other shoots will start to grow. If the bush is pruned regularly, it will grow straight and strong. Likewise, you must keep trimming your mind and cut away unnecessary thoughts, then only can it become strong and grow in a controlled, disciplined way.

Having practised a little self-enquiry in this way, how can you keep the mind free and pure? Whenever thoughts arise send them back to your naughty mind and ask it, why are you thinking this, who is thinking this, for what purpose? Controlling the mind regularly in this way, keeping the mind in your body, not allowing the mind to stray outside through the eyes and senses and keeping your concentration in your heart, maya will slowly lose its hold on you. If you keep your mind in your body, concentrating on the heart, your I-self does not have a chance to run outside the body chasing after the illusion. Then your true Self will slowly emerge and spread its radiance. That shining radiance will further destroy the ego and impurities. You will be on the path to realization.

Spiritual practices are all designed to bring the mind to a state of one-pointedness, absorption and concentration. Abishekams, chanting mantras, singing devotional songs, concentration on forms of the Divine, selfless service with dedication make you single-minded. Not only that, such regular exercise for the soul make it very strong. When you encounter difficulties, face them and use your spiritual practices to overcome the problems. Exercise patience regularly. You will build up an iron-will and a disciplined, forceful mind. For such a mind, enquiry into your true nature will come much more easily.

Having started questioning your I-self and setting yourself on the spiritual track, you should carry on. Don't allow the ego to take over again. Be persistent. Especially, do not doubt that you will reach your goal. This is a waste of time. It does not matter what you did in the past. Forget the thoughts of the past; forget what others think of you. Do not allow outside energies to influence you. Stop the mind from reaching out for material things that are unnecessary and extra to your simple requirements. Do not put your finger in other people's affairs. Don't get involved in day-to-day dramas that are going on around you. See your goal clearly and go for it. You have to forget desires. You have to forget personal preferences.

The key is humility. Living simply and humbly will take you to your desired goal. I cannot stress enough the importance of humility. As much as you practise behaving in a humble, unassuming and modest manner, to that extent will you be able to forge ahead spiritually. In this respect definitely I will test you very much. I will put you in certain situations that will test your meekness and flexibility. I will observe how much you are able to adjust and how strong is your will to succeed on the path to the truth.

When you reach the truth, the mind does not exist. Only your true Self will be there. Your I-self cannot exist when the Self appears. In such a state you will be in total peace, total silence and total happiness. That is what all beings are striving for, consciously or unconsciously. Today is a good day. Pray to Lord Vinayagar, the Lord of the great energy that removes difficulties and hindrances. Pray that He will help you to destroy your selfishness and become selfless.

Swami Premananda