This week we will look at the five key ideas in this great book called “Conquest of Mind” by Eknath Easwaran; a powerful guide to spiritual and psychological freedom through disciplined training of the mind.
We start with a really big important idea.
You are not your thoughts. Your mind is a tool – not your identity. You can observe and direct it with practice.
(The italicized words are from the book. The rest is my commentary.)
Imagine someone letting their dark thoughts take them over. They think their mind is them. They go insane. I think we are all a little insane. We have thoughts of jealousy, envy, negativity, unfairness, difficulty and suffering. These thoughts make our life hard.
If we understand that our thoughts are not us, but seperate from us, and that we can control our mind and eliminate suffering and use it as a tool, we can break free of it’s negative influence on us.
Idea #2 tomorrow!
My name is Fiseha Arega. I am from Ethiopia . I own a construction and material supply start up. Your messages are inspiring . Please keep your good work.
A great reminder to be mindful and not mind full 🙏🤙
While I have not read this book, thus don’t have enough context to make a fully thoughtful comment, I am not sure I agree with the statement that we are not our thoughts. This a big interdisciplinary discussion that involves understanding the brain, psychology and psychiatry, and consideration of a philosophical perspective. What makes us human; what makes us ‘us’? Yes we all have negative and unbecoming and possibly worse thoughts, as long as we don’t act on them then we aren’t defined by them. If we wallow, obsess, and scheme then perhaps we are!
When diagnosed with stage 4 bone cancer in my jawbone at first I was scared. I quickly focused on all that was positive in my life. God has blessed me with a great job, fantastic wife, beautiful daughters and grandchildren and much more.
My surgeon said I would be in ICU for 2-3 weeks. With perseverance and positivity I discharged in 8 days.
6 months later I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphatic cancer with 3 tumors in my neck. I continued to stay positive, never giving in to pain and praying every day that God would make my chemotherapy and radiation treatments side effects minimal. Prayers answered and tumors defeated I was back to work in 90 days.
Thank you sir for your Daily Blog.
Life Is Good!
Kudos on shining a light on this incredibly powerful concept! However, i am compelled to comment because credit must be shared with others who have promoted and taught this. Most notably, Ekhart Tolle author of Power of Now and others.
Great topic! Yesterday I was day dreaming, pleasant thoughts, then a negative thought from 50 years ago (when I was in High School) popped into my head, why? why do our brains do that?
“I think we are all a little insane.” True, and important to remember when trying to understand others.