A Golden Opportunity from God

This morning, at half-past five, I went out to walk. I went straight on 150th Street until the Grand Central Service Road and made a left turn. Then I crossed Main Street and was heading towards Queens Boulevard. My one-mile mark is on that side.

It took me forty minutes to walk one mile. Then, coming back, it took me another forty minutes. Forty minutes, forty minutes! It was not the cold weather. The weather did not bother me, but my right leg was bothering me.

Now I am telling you the secret: I did not use my mind. If I had used my mind, I would have been disappointed, disgusted and what not. I used my heart. I said, "I could have done a mile in twenty minutes, or at least in half an hour. But here is the golden opportunity God gave me to meditate longer."

So, this is how I was able to maintain my happiness. Sometimes I was even chanting "Supreme" out loud in the street. Nobody was there at that hour. Nobody could hear me.

Usually, when I walk alone, the whole world tells me something, but this time there was no incident, nothing. The most important thing was that I took the divine attitude and said, "I am so happy that I am able to meditate longer. I am so grateful to God."

Always try to change your attitude. The mind has to be brought under control. When I lived on Utrecht Avenue in Brooklyn, I had to take three subway trains to go to work at the Indian Consulate. It took me such a long time. I used to sit near the conductor. From there I used to watch the train, and I was so happy that it was taking such a long time. It was a great opportunity to meditate! Then again, when I used to live across from Central Park, it took me only five minutes to get to work. It was within walking distance and I was so happy that I had the time to do the needful at home.

Always try to control the mind. Try to see everything as an opportunity. If you are supposed to get up at six o'clock and for some reason you cannot get up, do not curse yourself. Only say, "Is my world going to collapse? No." Absolutely in no way allow the mind to create frustration or disappointment. Whenever you get up — at ten, eleven or even two o'clock — feel that your body needed this rest desperately. You could not get up because your body demanded it. You can say that for two months you were on the Christmas trip and you are still suffering from tiredness.

Always think that you are not a lazy person. Whichever way you can convince the mind, that is the best way to keep yourself happy. First, control the mind. Otherwise, this mind will ruin your whole day. It will constantly remind you, "Why could you not get up at six o'clock?" So what if you could not get up on time for one day? Create every reasonable excuse: you were tired, you had a stomach upset or you had a headache. Then give some unreasonable reasons. In this way, you can shut the mind up. Otherwise, I see that many of you are allowing the mind to ruin your whole day.

The last few days I have been very, very sick. Usually at 3:15 in the morning I start my exercises. I take stretching exercises for an hour and a half. Then, at 4:00 or 5:30, I start weightlifting. Now I cannot do that because my body is sick. Shall I be unhappy? Why, why, why? Unhappiness does not work. If you do not create happiness for yourself, nobody will do it for you. You have to create happiness for yourself by controlling the mind. Just tell the mind, "You shut up! It is my life, not your life. Mind your own business. I will do whatever I want." This is the message you always have to tell the mind.

If you keep that kind of strength in your heart to control the mind, you will see that every day you will get happiness from what you do — and from what you do not do. But once you surrender to the mind, then finished! The whole day you will feel miserable: why you could not do this, why you did that and so forth. It is between you and your heart. Your heart wanted you to do something, and you did it. Your heart did not want you to do something, and you did not do it

In that way, always keep the heart to the fore. If I had kept my mind to the fore today, I would have started thinking, "When did I ever take forty minutes to walk a mile, unless I was very badly injured?" But I took forty minutes, and I was quite happy. I came home happy, and then I practised so many songs. If I had come home in a miserable frame of mind, would I have practised songs? No, no, no.

Divine ones, always keep yourself happy by bringing the light from within to the fore and then saying, "My mind, I am controlling you, which means I am illumining you so that you do not bother me."

13 February 1999 New York