Teachings
Purity of Mind - part 3
How to Grow in Purity of Mind
Japa, or repetition of the divine name
For japa to be effective, we should cultivate strong faith in the purifying power of the divine name, and repeat it with yearning and a prayerful attitude. Says Sri Ramakrishna:
“One should have such burning faith in God that one can say: ‘What? I have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner any more? How can I be in bondage any more?’ ”
“God is our Father and Mother. Tell Him, ‘O Lord, I have committed sins, but I won’t repeat them.’ Chant His name and purify your body and mind. Purify your tongue by singing God’s holy name.”
“There is no doubt about the sanctity of God’s name. But can a mere name achieve anything, without the yearning love of the devotee behind it? One should feel great restlessness of soul for the vision of God.”
“Chant the name of God, and with it pray to Him that you may have love for Him. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.”
Factors That Influence Purity of Mind
We saw that reminding ourselves of our divine Self and repeating God’s name are the best means to gain purity of mind. Along with these disciplines we must consider some important factors that influence purity of mind.
Purity of food: The Chandogya Upanishad (7.26.2) explains the role of food in effecting purity of mind: “When the food is pure the mind becomes pure. When the mind is pure the memory becomes firm. When the memory is firm all ties are loosened.” According to Sri Ramanuja, there are three kinds of defects in food. First is the kind of food itself. Says Swami Vivekananda, “All exciting food should be avoided, as meat, for instance....Eating meat is only allowable for people who do very hard work, and who are not going to be Bhaktas; but if you are going to be Bhaktas, you should avoid meat....Any food that has been standing for days, till its condition is changed, any food whose natural juices have been almost dried up, any food that is malodorous, should be avoided.” Second is the person who brings the food. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, “It is supposed that a man’s character emanates from him, as it were, like a physical force, and whatever he touches is affected by it. So we must take care who touches our food when it is cooked. A wicked or immoral person must not touch it.” Third are other instrumental causes like dirt and dust in food.