“Don’t get involved with intricacies of the mind. It will keep you busy for a lifetime.”
–advice Rupert Spira gave to a retreatant.

Although this advice was not given to me, the power of this teaching cannot be denied. The mind yanks us this way and that, begging for attention at every turn. It thrives on involvement, and once attention is captured, doesn’t let go. There is no pleasing the mind; all we end up with is a tug of war. It searches for difficulties, differences, and discrepancies. It categorizes, and calculates, and above all, separates.

When we are using the capacities of the mind for practical matters, it’s a useful tool. When we get wrapped up in psychological machinations–where thoughts become entwined with feelings which stem from our early patterning–the only result will be a deepening of suffering.

Leave it alone.

© Amrita Skye Blaine, 2013
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