By Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Mental turmoil can be overwhelming. Read to see what Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says on how to overcome mental turmoil and repair your emotions.
Life is found to be caught up in storms so very often. And you are not yourself when you are in a storm. You don’t know what to do. At those moments all your spiritual practices, concepts, ideas, and ideals fall apart. Your devotion, your love, and all the beautiful things you cherish in your life, simply don’t seem to be there or mean anything. You are under the influence of a big storm. A whirlwind rises in you and throws you off balance.
A story about mental turmoil
There is a story about Lord Buddha.
One disciple came to Buddha and said, ‘My mind is full of turmoil. I feel so guilty, I feel so bad, I feel so this and that,’ and he named a lot of emotions and problems. And Buddha just told him to go and get some water from a pond. So he went there and saw the pond was so muddy. He said, ‘Lord the water is so muddy, I can’t get it.’
Buddha smiled and said, “Why don’t you try again?” So this man went back and again found the water muddy. A little while later, Buddha told him again to go get some water.
The disciple said, "But it was all muddy."
Buddha said, "No, go and get the water."
So when Buddha insisted, he had no other choice but to just go.
By that time the water had settled and it was clear. He brought the glass of water and gave it to Buddha. Buddha looked at the disciple and smiled, and the disciple got the answer.
So when your mind is muddled, just give it some time and it will settle, it will become clear.
Conflict and turmoil are part of nature
The world is made up of five elements and they are all in conflict; conflict is their nature. Fire and water are never friendly; fire evaporates water, and water extinguishes fire. Similarly, air can put out a fire and it is only because of air that fire can exist. However, that same fire can split air too. And Earth is affected by all three elements: fire, water, and air.
Similarly, there is conflict all over the world. Inside you, the heart and mind conflict. The heart is compassionate but the mind is logical and reasons everything. When the mind says, "This is the right thing to do", the heart doesn’t want to do it. When the heart wants to do something, the mind says, "This is no good".
The fight between the mind and the heart—between likes and dislikes—bothers you. These are storms that get created inside you that don’t let your mind be at peace.
Worry, conflict, sadness, unhappiness, all these emotions pose a great challenge for meditation to happen and do not let you be at peace. When you are peaceful and happy for a few moments, something comes up and it destroys your peace.
There cannot be an ocean without waves. Every event touches life somewhere on its surface. It creates movement. Take all that comes with both your hands. Don’t say that it is impossible or not possible for you. This thought of something not being possible means that you are resisting. This is making the storms stay for long periods. Stand there with your arms open. Say, ‘Whatever storms come, let them, I’m here.’ You grow out of them. You become bigger.
Tell yourself, “Come what may, there is nothing that can destroy me. It may be excruciatingly painful, but it doesn’t matter. It still cannot destroy or kill me. I am here. I am much, much bigger than all these emotions, commotions, or waves. They all rise inside me, in me, and in no way can they destroy me. I will let them be.”
So when a storm arises, just be with it. Do not try to get rid of the storm. Be with it; go into it. And, of course, you have your meditation and spiritual practices to help purify your whole system. It’s such a blessing.
There are lots of reasons why mental anguish happens
There are a hundred and one reasons for you to be miserable, and if you’re not intelligent, your mind makes up a thousand and one reasons to be unhappy. Sometimes you are unhappy because there is conflict, and sometimes you are unhappy just because you have lost your peace of mind. This continues throughout life.
In meditation, a million things can come up, but if you raise your head above all these conflicts and be unmindful of them, not questioning why they have come, makes you go deep in your meditation. By thinking, why are these bad thoughts coming, you are being part of the conflict, and this makes you weak. Let them come and go. Stay in the frame of mind that you have nothing to do with them. This is the strategy to win over inner conflict.
How to overcome inner turmoil
The term "great warrior" refers to someone with valor and is usually used for people who fight battles and attain victory over their enemies. However, one who sits still and follows the path of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence totally, is also referred to as a great warrior.
In the word Mahaveer, veer means warrior, and the word “warrior” comes from the Sanskrit root Veera. Mahaveer (a great warrior) is a title given not only to people who fight and win but also to people who are in deep meditation.
There is turmoil in the inner world (referring to the mind) as much as there is turmoil in the outer world. There are more conflicts inside you than what you find outside in the world. When you can win over the turmoil inside, be still and keep smiling, then you are a great warrior.
When inner conflicts arise, this strategy is there to remind you that you are much more powerful and much bigger than the conflict. Then you rise above it, flying above the clouds, piercing through them, and reaching the clear sky.
Sit still in your inner space, unmindful of any conflict, thought, or emotion. If they come, let them come and go, and when you think, "I don’t care about how I feel", then that will give you strength.
Be like a warrior to overcome your mental distress
You have to stand up against inner conflict and fight it. The world doesn’t care how you feel–the world is only interested in what you have done and what you are doing. One day you may feel good and another day you may not feel so good. Feelings go up and down, but the world will only ask you, "What good have you done, and how have you contributed to the world?"
Repairing emotional pain
Trying to correct the emotions brings to mind an ancient Indian saying: suppose you have a wound and you go on scratching the wound, it’s not going to get better. Every time you scratch it you make it worse.
This is exactly what you’re doing; you try to get rid of this thing or that thing or feel better about yourself, love yourself or not love yourself. Instead, the best way to overcome mental and emotional turmoil is to do yoga, meditate, and everything else gets taken care of.
Try this guided meditation for transforming emotions.
When nothing helps your mental turmoil
What do you do when nothing is helpful? You sit, close your eyes and try to meditate. But the mind is all over the place. You feel as though you are in a burning furnace, and you don’t know how to put the fire out. And the more effort you make to cool it down and put it out, the more the fire burns the more the restlessness and agitation increase.
You are yourself only between the storms. How many storms rise in your life, and how frequently do they rise? The less frequent they are, the more you are yourself. At those moments you are happy; you are settled. You are calm.
Just think of those moments of intense restlessness, agitation, and feverishness. The breath becomes heavier. The body becomes unbearable. You are not at all aware of the mind. But that is not what you are. You get a glimpse of the clearness of yourself between two storms. But life seems to be like the ocean – wave after wave lashing you one after another.
This is the only problem. This is the only basic problem in the universe. There is no other problem. You can attach it to one thousand causes or reasons, but the problem is how to free your life from this storm that has gripped it.
The first thing to do is to become aware of this. At that moment, the storm will subside. First, stop regretting things. For no reason, there is turmoil in the mind. When your mind cools down and you experience that inner cool, soft and delicate aspect of yourself, there is a big relief.
No one storm can be there all the time. It is impossible. It comes and subsides.
Your mind is like a wind–a whirlwind, subsiding and cooling down. That is your true nature. That is love.
Turning turmoil into love
You have been resisting restlessness all this time. Now if you see that it is there, let it be there. It is a part of nature. The storm is also part of nature. Stop resisting the storm. Take it, gulp it down in its totality; go deep into it and you will see it is nothing. It is just created out of yourself, your mind, and your consciousness. In that aspect of you, you are your Self.
Know that there is a power, some power, someone who is really caring for you.
Not just someone, there is only One in the whole universe. That One in the universe is caring and taking care of you. Then you can relax, rest, and be peaceful.
*******************************************************************************************************
Editor’s note
Mental health and wellness through meditation
Millions around the world have benefitted from SKY Breath Meditation, a program created by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which improves physical and mental health. SKY practitioners have reported more optimism, joy, and life satisfaction while experiencing less stress, better sleep, healthier blood pressure, and improved immunity. Researchers have also found SKY reduces both clinical and non-clinical depression and anxiety, as well as being helpful in overcoming trauma and addictive behaviors.
Click on the image below to attend a free introduction to SKY Breath Meditation, and learn why millions worldwide use SKY for their mental health and wellness!
If you suffer from severe psychological distress or have other symptoms of psychological turmoil or fear of committing suicide, please seek the help of your physician.
******************************************************************************************************
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Art of Living, is a world-renowned spiritual leader, peacemaker, and master of meditation. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
