Importance of a well-directed mind

S. M. Wijayaratne
Kurunegala Daily News Corr.

The Buddha always admires the capability of his followers to see the life through wisdom. He says that wisdom is a sharp and powerful weapon that can be used to attack “Mara”. The Buddha, compassionately points it out to us in the following manner. “Knowing that this body is but a pot of clay, keeping the mind as firm as a fortified city, Mara should be attacked with the weapon of wisdom. One should protect his conquest without attachment.”

Man is a mysterious being with inconceivable potentialities. Latent in him are both saintly characteristics and criminal tendencies. They may rise to the surface at unexpected moments very strongly. How they originated we know not. We only know that they are dormant in man in varying degrees.

Within the powerful mind in this complex machinery of man are also found a store house of virtue and a rubbish heap of evil.

With the development of these respective characteristics, man may become either a blessing or a curse to humanity. Those who wish to be great, noble and serviceable, who wish to sublimate themselves and serve the humanity both by example and by precept and who wish to avail themselves of this golden opportunity as human beings, endeavour their best to remove the latent vices and to cultivate the dormant virtues.

To dig up precious gems, embedded in the earth, men spend enormous sums of money and make laborious efforts, and on many occasions even sacrifice their lives. But, to dig up valuable treasures latent in man, only persistent effort and enduring patience are necessary. Even the poorest man and woman can accomplish this task, for wealth is not an essential prerequisite to the accumulation of transcendental treasures.

The Buddha says, “whatever harm a thief may do to another thief, whatever harm a foe may do to another foe, an ill-directed mind can cause far greater harm to man.”

This shows how dangerous and harmful our own mind to us when it is ill-directed due to ignorance of wise teachings of the Most Compassionate One.

Again, the Fully-Awakened One shows us the immense benefits of the mind when it is well-directed through practising the noble teachings of the Buddha who had perfect wisdom. He points out it thus: “The service that a well-directed mind does to a man, neither mother nor father nor any other relative will ever do.”

These invaluable utterances by the Buddha have been enlightening us for over 2,500 years and hence it is high time for us to use our time and life to the maximum to reap the best results of this noble human life.

The Buddha always admires the capability of his followers to see the life through wisdom. He says that wisdom is a sharp and powerful weapon that can be used to attack “Mara”. The Buddha, compassionately points it out to us in the following manner.

“Knowing that this body is but a pot of clay, keeping the mind as firm as a fortified city, Mara should be attacked with the weapon of wisdom. One should protect his conquest without attachment.”

The Buddha very clearly shows us the impermanance of this physical body although we look after it with great affection and unlimited lust.

The Fully-Awakened One says “Like a useless piece of firewood cast aside, this body, devoid of consciousness, will lie on the ground in no time”.

The Buddha has shown us the way and indicated for us the path to be followed. When we accept Him as our teacher, our guide and, above all, our exemplar, it is because we have faith in Him. Because we accept the fact of His Enlightenment, has told us that life is a process of incessant change, of unceasing suffering and containing nothing that is changeless or immortal.

If we strive to see the Buddha through realising and practising.

His wisest and noblest teachings, we will doubtlessly be able to enjoy the bliss of Nibbana in this very life.

May all beings be happy.