“[T]he key to intentional living is in gaining mastery over the mind,” Easwaran advises at the start of chapter 8 of The Mantram Handbook. And yet:
“Most of the time, the vast majority of us live on the surface level of consciousness, not suspecting the storms that rage in our unconscious. We get some hint of the tremendous power of these storms when they break through to the surface in the form of fear, anger, and greed. When these get out of control, they can pick us up and hurl us about as they like, exactly as if some force takes us over and makes us do things, say things, that we would not ordinarily do.”
It is a fearsome reality. Yet, once again, “[h]ere is where the mantram is an invaluable ally.”
“It can harness all this destructive power that is going to waste and transform it: fear into fearlessness, anger into compassion, and greed into the desire to be of service to those around us.”
We look forward to hearing your comments on this week’s eSatsang reading, pages 109–113.*
Identify something in your life that you find confusing at this time, and where you wish you could ask Easwaran for his tips. See what he has to say in our readings. How can you apply his words to your situation?
As we continue a second pass through our mantram exercises, we are looking for ways to deepen them, for example by practicing more consistently or via a bit of extra effort or preparation. Here’s our mantram exercise this week:
Is there someone who you see often, who you feel critical towards? If so, smother the criticism with cheerful mantrams; pre-empt the criticism with the mantram as a reminder that the Lord is in this person. This is a version of “mantram forgiveness.”
* For those using electronic versions of The Mantram Handbook with different page numbering: this week we are reading from the start of chapter eight and ending before the subheading “Anxiety.”
For our spiritual bonus this week, here is Christine Easwaran reading the passage “I Am the One Who Will Never Forget You,” Psalm 119.