Mind At Ease

One day, a teacher was walking from one town to another with a few of his students. While they were traveling, they happened to pass by a lake. They stopped to rest there and the teacher asked one of his students to get him some water from the lake. A student walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed some people were washing clothes in the water and right at that moment, a horse and cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy. The student thought, ““How can I give this muddy water to my teacher to drink!”” So he came back and told his teacher, “The water in the lake is very muddy. I don’’t think it is suitable for you to drink.”” After a while, the teacher again asked the same student to go back to the lake and get him some water. The student obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the mud had settled down and the water was clean so he collected some in a pot and brought it to his teacher. The teacher looked at the water then looked up at the student and said, ““See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be and the mud settled down on its own. It is also the same with your mind. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time and it will settle down on its own.”

My Reflection:

How many times have you been overwhelmed by things in your life and react in a way you wish you never? The pace of our modern world tends to put our minds in a chaotic state. Sometimes it's easy to escape the ‘madness’ and other times it can be really difficult. How many times have you let your mind go wild, thinking about to-do-lists, what's happening later in the day, tomorrow’s events, reliving an experience which frustrated you the day before, panicking about work…. a tornado is brewing in your mind and you're getting real anxious because you can’t find the off button to the chaos in your mind. The truth is that you don’t need to turn off your mind, you never will be able to, but you can stop listening to the ‘noise’, stop allowing those thoughts orchestrate your feeling towards life and allow your mind to settle. Be patient with yourself. The quicker you can identify the noise in your mind, you will be able to settle it and bounce back to a state of peace. A peaceful mind is essential for our effectiveness in every day life. It keeps us calm no matter what the situation is. As the above story illustrates… when your mind is disturbed, it’s like mud in water, let it settle down and it will become pure once again.


Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

"When you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there". - George Harrison

Quiet Time

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long time; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded. Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance. The farmer looked at him and thought “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn alone. After a while, the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed. The boy replied “I did nothing but sit on the
ground and listen. Amidst the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and gently moved it in that direction.”

Reflection

I love this story, as it has such a powerful message to learn. A peaceful mind is essential for our effectiveness in handling life. It keeps us calm no matter what the situation is. It allows us to always stay rational and positive. A peaceful mind can think far better than a worked up mind. It can find solutions much faster and will keep you focused on what is important. We cannot immediately escape from turbulent situations in life, but we are all faced with the same choice; either we can panic and jump to conclusions or we can be calm and logical. It's true that the outcome of every situation all depends on the mindset of the person being challenged. When things get extremely chaotic, when you feel overwhelmed or in a state of panic… Stop, be silent, listen to your intuition and it will lead you in the right direction. This, of course, is a practice and you should exercise your mind regularly. I would suggest a few minutes of silence in your mind every day, and you will see how effectively it can assist you through life with absolute ease and clarity.

Have a peaceful week, where harmony is your minds greatest weapon. - Darren Zwiers

"To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him" - Buddha.