Steering the mind

Question: Only a part of my mind is under my control, the rest of it is out of control. When I want it go this way, it goes another way. Can you tell me how to control my mind?

Sadhguru 

So, only certain parts of your mind, seem to be in your control. Suppose you are driving a car. The steering and the drive shaft is in the front wheel, yes? So all you have control over are these two wheels. The rest of the car is actually not in your control. Still, these two wheels can take the car wherever you want.

When you are driving, are you aware that there is an explosion happening in the engine? An internal combustion engine means there is an explosion happening. The pistons are moving, the crank shaft is moving, then the drive shaft is moving, then the wheels’ axle is moving, then the wheels are moving, then the other wheel is moving, and so on. You are not aware of all this.

When you are driving, if you just take the steering wheel in your hands – not even with both the hands – just one hand, still the whole car goes where you want. It is the same with you. If you just take charge of your steering wheel, and just steer it properly, everything else goes with it.

If you try to take charge of all the parts of the car, you will go crazy. So, you don’t have to take the whole mind into your control. You don’t even know how many parts exist in the car. You are just controlling two wheels, everything else is following it. Similarly with your mind, similarly with your spiritual process, you don’t have to take grasp of everything. If you try to take every cell in your body, every atom in your body in one direction, you will go crazy. You will not take anything anywhere.

When you approach the subjective dimensions of life intellectually, this is what happens. You are trying to take charge of everything. That is not necessary. You just take the steering wheel in your hands and keep it steady. It will go where you want. It will not go anywhere else. So how much of your mind, how many drops are there, how much is in your control is not relevant. That one drop, the right drop is in your hands, that is enough. The rest of it anyway follows. It cannot go anywhere else.

So, if you are just looking for enlightenment, you don’t bother about all these things, you simply drive just the way that man who taught you how to drive. Similarly, if you just want to go to a place which you call as liberation or enlightenment, or freedom, or whatever you call it – different people are calling it different things, blissfulness, peacefulness –  if you want to get there, you just take a few driving lessons, that’s all. You don’t worry about all the complexities of creation.

If your intention is to just reach a certain destination, just go by the instruction, you don’t worry about this and that. But if your intention is not just about reaching the destination, you also want to create a bigger possibility, then you have to know many, many things. Driving a car and manufacturing a car are two very different things.