The mind that is still…

One of Lao Tzu’s sayings:

To the mind that is still, the whole Universe surrenders…

In order for a mind to be still, a mind must be non-rushed. In order to be non-rushed, a mind must stay:

1. Non-Judgmental
2. Fear-Free (In the Present)

Non Judgmental Mind

A mind that is constantly judging can never be still. It is important to view each person and each situation without jumping to any conclusion

Fear Free Mind

A mind that is fearful is constantly planning.  Why does one constantly think of the future? Because one is afraid. Our own mortality puts this fear in us. Some quotes on the notion of fear in Buddhist thought:

• Charlotte Joko Beck writes Fear takes the form of constantly thinking, speculating, analyzing, fantasizing.
• Getting your mind into the present is an act of courage – more than anything else (as eloquently described in this article).
• The Buddha said ‘The whole secret to life is overcoming fear’.

Most of our life is actually squandered…(so says Buddhism)

When one is in a state of mindfulness (unrushed, non-judgmental, still mind), one realizes that one is being guided to all the right decisions, saying all the right things etc. Not just in terms of what one should do – but also what one should NOT do. In fact, the Universe seems to befalling into place to make the right things happen for the mindful person. Perhaps, this falling into place is what Lao Tzu was referring to in his To the mind that is still, the whole Universe surrenders…

So then, what about all the actions performed when we were not in the unrushed, mindful state? As per Buddhism, these all amount to wasted effort. They all include some level of judgmental thought – and action that arises from those judgmental thoughts. So – apparently, most of our adult lives are spent in this wasteful mode. We spend most of our lives on auto-pilot without truly experiencing the moment.

Summary

A still mind results in meaningful actions. All actions that are carried out by a rushed mind, are wasteful and amount to little in the scheme of the Universe. To maintain a still mind, one must eliminate two things : fear and judging.