Aim for a sattvic mind

Sri Saradamma

When I first came to Swamy my mind was very rajasic. I was always getting angry with him. When he tested me by doubting my devotion, my first reaction was always anger. Although my devotion never wavered, I never meekly accepted his criticism. Slowly, over the years that I was with him, he ground my ego and the rajas was slowly replaced by sattva. There is nothing one can do for devotees whose minds are wholly immersed in tamas because it is almost impossible to transform a tamasic mind into a sattvic mind without having rajas as an intermediate stage. If the tamasic element is not strong, devotion and meditation can eliminate it, but even for this rajas is needed.

Sitting for many hours in meditation is not necessarily good. Sometimes excessive meditation just dulls the mind and leaves it in a permanent state of tamas. A thought-free state is not necessarily good either because there is a tamasic thought-free state in which there is no peace or bliss, only a semi-conscious stupor. No progress is being made when one is in this state.

When one meditates with closed eyes the mind often wanders and has many thoughts; or it grows dull and tamasic. If one keeps the eyes open during meditation there are fewer thoughts. It is not necessary to meditate all day. Half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening is good enough, providing that you can keep the mind still, quiet and sattvic. If you find that you cannot get out of a tamasic state when you meditate you should do japa or think constantly of the Guru's form.