In the Kathopanishad, the Lord of Death, Yama, instructs the young seeker, Nachiketa, on the right choice-making. Which is the right path to walk in the journey of life? One is good, Shreyah, and the other is pleasant, Preyah. They lead to different destinations. Both present themselves in front of everyone. The wise man, using his discrimination, chooses the good and reaches the goal of freedom. The ignorant one, due to avarice and attachment, prefers the pleasant and thus remains in bondage, explains the Lord. Right choice-making is indeed the key to fulfilment in this life and hereafter. The first step is where we fail, to make a choice in favour of the seemingly unpleasant and then stick to it. (Think of the simple example of an early morning walk!). Shreyah leads to enduring happiness whereas Preyah gives only momentary comfort. For the sake of a pleasant present, we compromise a blissful future.
Infinite are the choices we make, though often unconcsciously. Even when a single thought arises in the mind, a choice is made - a choice to ignore or to entertain that particular thought. Can we then guide ourselves on to the Shreyah path? Yes, if only we choose to be aware of our thoughts.
Thinking is actually everything. Thoughts lead to action and actions shape one's destiny. "As we think, so we are", goes the Upanishadic dictum. The subtle body (mind and intellect), using the software of vasanas (unmanifest, latent tendencies) and sensory inputs, incessantly issues out thoughts, except in deep sleep. Even much of our conscious thoughts turn out to be either idle or negative. A big chunk of our thought energy, which is the most potent of all known powers, thus gets dissipated. Conserving this wasted energy and redirecting it consciously to useful purposes, spiritual or secular, would mean controlling and directing our thoughts. The Vedantic seers recognised the extremely difficult nature of this thought-management task, three aspects of which were self-evident:
--to be aware of one's thinking;
--the need to eliminate idle and negative thinking; and
--to redeploy the potent mental power in the right direction.
The sages found that it was not possible to eliminate idle and negative thoughts, except by way of replacing them with positive ones. Attempts to stop thinking do not work because gaps in the unceasing march of the thought current tend to be filled by a sudden rush of thoughts from all sides, just as an atmospheric depression attracts fast air currents from surrounding areas. In both cases, the outcome is turbulence. The sages discovered that while thought is everything, there is also a 'super-thought', so to say, which is distinct from thought itself and because of which we become aware of our thoughts. This awareness or consciousness or sakshi (witness) is none other than our core, the inner self, the real 'I-ness' in us.
This consciousness principle, which enlivens the living world of the Jeevatma is the same as the Paramatma, the Supreme. The God and the world, the Creator and His Creation have never been separate. In fact, we are always in union with the Eternal, though we do not know it due to incorrect identification. We think we are our senses, body, mind and intellect, and not the Infinite that we really are, which enlivens our inert body and illumines our inert thoughts. Hence the Masters teach us to shift our attention, our thoughts, from the lower aspects (body, mind and intellect) to the highest principle of our being, i.e., our Godhood and to keep focusing on it. By constant remembrance of Him alone we accomplish simultaneously all the three aspects of the thought-management task which we set out to do earlier. This is the basic principle behind all spiritual practices.
The young Nachiketa was no ordinary seeker. He had already mastered the thought-management technique before he went to meet the Lord of Death. He took no time in making his choice and stuck to the pursuit of Shreyah. From Yama he wanted only one thing. He wanted to know, "What happens to the soul after death?" Nachiketa's mind was not only highly discriminating, but also pure and focused, because of which the Lord was immensely pleased. He imparted to him the Supreme Knowledge.
For us, 'mindful' mortals, it is a different story. Almost every moment we are confronted with the Shreyah-Preyah paradigm. To be or not to be? Remember the wise and daring Nachiketa next time when such a choice presents itself, and discarding the pleasant go for the good.
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