Excellence
through Spirituality
Swami
Bhoomananda Tirtha
PART
- II
[Concluding
part of the talk given on 29th November 2004 at the
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.]
Question-Answer
Session
Question
1:
Sir, I would like to have a strong mind. But Sir, in order
to make the mind strong you need a strong mind, so that you
can control it. So, it is a vicious circle in itself. How to
break this vicious circle?
Swamiji:
There is no vicious circle at all. The body grows by
nutrition and pure air and water. The body is itself an
outcome of food and nutrition. If you want to improve the
body, you have to give it healthy food. Similarly, if you
want to have a strong mind, you have to give the mind its
nourishing food – good thoughts and good emotions. Think
in terms of expansion and strength; that’s all.
You
know, there is a law of the mind, like the law of gravity,
laws of motion, etc. The law of the mind is that, as the
mind thinks, so it becomes. As you think, so you grow. So,
from now onwards you start saying: “I want to be strong. I
am going to be strong….” This is called Mantra
japa. Mantra japa is repeating a formula and
ingraining it in the mind. The mind survives on thoughts.
Good thoughts make the mind good; bad thoughts make the mind
bad. Our mind gives us that freedom to think. For
excellence, I generally give a mantra: “Ku¿alo’ham...
.. Ku¿alo’ham”
–
meaning “I am excellent; I am excellent”. Go on
contemplating upon excellence and you will become excellent.
No paradox!
Question
2: What
should we follow – mind or intelligence? Or both?
Swamiji:
The intelligence should always direct the mind. Whatever the
intelligence assesses, determines and concludes, the mind
should always pay heed to. The mind must act upon the
knowledge provided by the intelligence. Our effort must be
to make the mind and the intelligence work in beautiful
harmony and integration with each other.
Question
3: In the beginning you spoke about ego being the
coordinator of our body. But, what I find is that generally
the ego hinders you from taking the right decision. So, how
do you consider it being a coordinator when it is the very
cause of the clash between your consciousness and your
action?
Swamiji:
See, I used the word not in the manner you are perhaps
considering. We are seeing with the eyes, smelling with the
nose, hearing with the ears, acting with the hands. All
these things are centrally coordinated by an identity
‘I’. We say, “I am seeing”, “I have heard”, “I
did”, etc. I am referring to that central focus in you
from which all these feelings originate. So, in the ego you
can feel that “I should not have any more a preferential
or a prejudicial outlook. I will rise above both. I must
have a comprehensive vision.” The ego you are referring to
is the constricted ego displaying pride, intolerance, a
sense of superiority and the like. We are referring to the
ego that is the central focus in your own personality.
Question
4: Do you believe in luck and destiny? If you
believe in them, then how can you pursue excellence when
everything is pre-decided?
Swamiji:
Any objective situation is subject to experiment, research
and finding. All the living comforts of the present
civilization have come out of human pursuit. Even now,
extensive research is going on for improving the traffic
system to avoid accidents! How can you then say that
everything is pre-decided and human effort has no value?
But,
whenever something good takes place, we normally say: “Oh!
Everything went off well. We are very lucky!” It is only a
humble word of compliment, to avoid ego.
Actually, all of us are equally lucky, because we are
under the same sky, breathing the same air and living upon
the same earth. Similarly, when something went wrong and you
could not prevent it, you say: “Oh, I tried my level best.
It is my destiny!” It is only a psychological prop for
reconciling with the adverse development.
See,
in a bus accident, out of 100 passengers 60 died and 40
escaped. Who died and who escaped? It is all in the nature
of the accident: The manner in which the bus was hit, who
sat where, what was the level of tolerance in each, etc. It
has got nothing to do with luck or ill luck.
Question
5: Swamiji, as managers, they say, you need to
manage situations. Many a time situations demand that you
change your course so that you can make two ends meet –
especially when you stand with your integrity but the others
do not. Would it be suicidal for your organization in case
you take a stance just because you feel that with your
integrity you do not support the organization’s cause?
Swamiji:
I am moving and interacting with quite a number of people.
We have a person with us who occupied a very senior position
in NIIT. He tells me that only those people who are honest
and have integrity are able to rise. This is his personal
experience. Now, suppose you are given to integrity and your
group is not able to respond readily to that, then your
integrity should help you to integrate the substandard
situation also. You should not have lack of tolerance there.
A
manager or a team leader is one, who is able to lead the
mind and intelligence of his team. You can call for a
discussion and say, “This is what I feel. If you have any
other opinion then let us know. We will sit together and
discuss and arrive at unanimity. But once a decision is
taken, it should be implemented without any preference or
prejudice, till it is changed.” This collectivity is very
important in a manager’s outlook. Then you can demand
integrity and loyalty from the group.
The
intelligence requires knowledge input and the mind requires
emotional input. To provide these, you need a lot of patient
thinking on your side. A teacher is one, who always reflects
the students’ problems in his mind. You must be catholic
and flexible enough. You must be knowledgeable and
emotionally resourceful, appealing. So, look into your own
mind: “Why is it that my words lack appeal? Where do I go
wrong?”
Question
6: What we are discussing is an ideal situation.
Sir, I see a negative connotation associated with this.
Suppose we are unable to achieve the ideal situation, then
as a manager usually we might be able to take the most
pragmatic decision according to the situation. But, if we
are obsessed by our ideal, then our decision might be
subdued by our heart that is showing the path of
righteousness. So shall we strive for the ideal making it
supreme?
Swamiji:
It is an interesting question. It may require a little more
time for me to clarify. I shall try briefly.
The
effectiveness of an individual primarily consists in being
able to function in any given situation. Suppose there is a
son born of immoral parents. Can he start saying that “I
am born of immoral parents; therefore I cannot live”? It
is a fact he has to recognize. Any given situation you have
to understand and your effectiveness lies in moderating your
ideals and qualities making them relevant to the actual
situation.
To
summarize, disregarding the actual you cannot think of an
ideal. An ideal is to be practised and sought in the actual.
So, a pragmatic approach will be a moderate and a balanced
point of view. Bhagavadgeeta says: All undertakings in this
world are associated with a measure of evil. To live, we
have to take oxygen. And what are we giving out? Carbon-di-oxide.
Is it not poisonous?
Addiction
to the ideal should not be to the total disregard of the
actual. A society is guided by a set of values. They may be
right or wrong. In as much as you are a member of the
society, you cannot dislodge the people from their values
all of a sudden. So, you have to have moderation. This
requires a comprehensive outlook.
Question
7: You said that we should do away with anxiety.
But, what about the anxiety of doing better all the time –
is it healthy or unhealthy?
Swamiji:
How can you call it anxiety? You must aspire to do better.
You should strive to do better. Anxiety always has an
agitating note. It is weakening. But, aspiration is always
strengthening. So, you must aspire to become good and
excellent. But, you should never be anxious about the whole
process.
Question
8: Swamiji, if I want to devote my life to the
mission of spreading spiritual happiness to the Indian
corporate world, what should be my plan of action?
Swamiji:
Join us! (Laughter)
I think I would like some students and managers from the
corporate world to be our members. You know our Centre for
Inner Resources Development in Vasundhara nearby is ready
for the purpose. We want to have a package ready for the
educationists and the students also. So, you can seriously
think about it!
OK.
Have no anxiety. Have abundant aspiration and inspiration.
May you have a glorious life – prosperous on one hand,
peaceful and enlightening on the other. Be confident. Be
confident.
Kartavyamaasti
na mameha
na kincid-eva
Sthaatavyam-ity-atimanaa
bhuvi samsthitosmi
Samshantayaa
satata-supta-dhiyaiva
vrtyaa
Kaaryam
karomi na
ca kincid-aham
karomi
(Yogavaasishtha
Ramayana 2.10.44)
Harih
Om Tat Sat. Harih O—M.
* * *
