Mind the mind by Chaitanya Charan Das

1. MIND the
MIND
How we defeat ourselves – and
how we can stop doing so

2. Self-defeating behavior
If we are not self-aware, we
hit self-goals
Eg. Mice and fish have
excuses, we don’t.

3. Self-defeating behavior
Most distressing self-defeat:
1 million people commit suicide every
year
“We have guided missiles &
misguided men” - Martin Luther King
Jr

4. MIND the MIND
Bhagavad-gita 6.5 & 6.6:
Our mind has self-sabotaging
programs, like viruses in a
software

5. MIND: How we defeat ourselves
M - Magnifies problems
I - Imagines pleasures
N - Neglect opportunities
D - Denies reality

6. Magnifies problems
Delusional parasitosis
Eg Woman – frog in the
abdomen
Worry is the interest we pay on
loans we haven’t yet taken

7. Imagines Pleasure
Pavlovian response
Eg Dogs salivating on hearing
bell

8. Neglects opportunities
We are present everywhere
except in the present
The future will be brighter if
we brighten the present

9. Denies reality
Duryodhana, “I don’t see even the
slightest fault in whatever I have
done.”
The wound denied is the wound
worsened.

10. How to stop defeating ourselves
M – Meditate
I – Illuminate (your inner world)
N – Navigate (your inner pitfalls)
D – Do it with others

11. Meditate
The calm within empowers us to cope
with the storm without
Eg Boat – anchor
Let spiritual sound empower you

12. Illuminate (your inner terrain)
Let spiritual wisdom illumine your
inner world
Science can make things better;
spirituality can make people better

13. Navigate (your inner journals)
When in doubt, get it out – remove
mental congestion
Journal to explore and evaluate your
thoughts and feelings

14. Do it with others
Our desires are not just linear, but also
triangular
Eg Soccer mania among Indians
Let spiritual association be the
stimulant for your self-empowerment