Cleansing the Mind

The world is verily the mind; therefore the latter should be purified with all effort. As man’s mind is, so he becomes; this is the eternal secret!

––Maitri Upanishad

Wisdom fills not the unsteady mind of the man of ruffled serenity; he is ignorant of the true teaching.

Fear there is not for him whose mind is not burning with desires, and which, having risen above likes and dislikes, is serene. He is awakened.

––Dhammapada

ANCIENT and honorable China was wise in spiritual matters and gave to the world great sages and enlightened teachers. It is, therefore, both refreshing and stimulating to go back to the treasures of her old scriptures and drink of her Wisdom. To be able to delight in that Wisdom is already a step forward on the path of enlightenment, and such delight brings serenity to the harassed mind and contentment to the anguished heart. Thus, calmed in mind and confident in heart, we return to our duties and our problems better equipped to fulfill our mission as human Souls.

Wisdom is spiritual knowledge and teaches divine ethics. It deals with fundamentals. It was the venerable Confucius who enjoined "Wu Pen" ––Attend to the Fundamentals. So much of our time is spent and our energy frittered away in matters of no consequence, in things inessential, trivial, and irrelevant, while we neglect the things that really matter, the basic things, what Confucius calls "the Fundamentals."

© "The Theosophical Movement" (August, 2000) published by Theosophy Company (India) Private Limited, Theosophy Hall, 40, New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020. Website: www.teosofia.com. Reprinted with permission.

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