Question: How can the physical mind be perfected?

Sri Chinmoy: If you are extremely wise, you will consider your physical mind as something out of the undivine, unlit past. When you think of what you did even ten years ago, you will shudder. If you feel that you don't want to keep any connection with your old life that existed only a few years ago, why should you want to keep a connection with something from two hundred or more years ago? If you have that kind of feeling, you will not pay any attention to the physical mind.

The physical mind is nothing but a monkey. If you want amusement from the monkey and spend some time with it, then you curse yourself for having wasted your precious time. But if you are wise, you don't pay any attention to the monkey, because you don't want to waste your time. If you pay attention to a monkey, it does all kinds of tricks. But if you don't pay attention to the monkey, it will go away in silence. It will be beneath its dignity even to bother you. If you look at a child, immediately it plays all kinds of tricks; but if you don't pay attention, immediately the child stops.

So, do not pay any attention to the physical mind. Think that only the heart exists. If you concentrate on your fingers, you find that you can concentrate successfully on only one finger at a time. Otherwise, if you try to focus your attention on two fingers, your concentration will be distracted. When you focus your concentration on the heart, you will not focus on the mind. Then, when you have established oneness with the heart, when you play tug-of-war with the mind, the side that has double strength will win. When you become one with your heart, you and your heart become like one against the mind. At that time you can challenge the physical mind and win. Then you can transform the mind. But when you remain alone and fight with your physical mind, you will not win. It is like a naughty boy. When you challenge him, he will bite you. But if you are strong, you can challenge him and he will not hurt you. Until your inner strength dawns, however, think that the physical mind does not exist and avoid it as much as possible. This is what you must do if you want to have perfection in the physical mind.