The Power of Thoughts

One day, a yogi and his disciple arrived to the big city. They had no money with them, but they
needed food and a place to stay. The disciple was sure that they were going to beg for their food, and
sleep in the park at night.

"There is a big park not far from here. We can sleep there at night", said the disciple.
"In the open air?" Asked the yogi.
"Yes", responded the student.

The yogi smiled and said: "No, tonight we are going to sleep in a hotel and eat there too".

The student was amazed. "How?"

"Come and sit down", said the yogi.

They both sat down on the ground and the yogi said:
"When you focus your mind intently on any subject, it comes to pass."

The yogi closed his eyes and started to meditate with full concentration. After about ten minutes he
got up and started to walk, with his disciple following him. They walked through several streets and
alleys, until they arrived to a hotel.

"Come, let's enter inside", the yogi said to his disciple.

They just set foot in the entrance, when a well-dressed man approached them.

"I am the manager of this hotel. You look like traveling swamis and I believe you have no money.
Would you like to work in the kitchen, and in return I'll give you food and a place to stay?"

"Fine", responded the yogi.

The disciple was perplexed and asked the yogi: "Did you use any magic? How did you do that?"

The yogi smiled and said, "I wanted to show you how the power of thoughts works. When you think
with full and strong concentration about something that you want to happen, and your mind does not
resist the subject of your thought, your thought materializes."

"The secret is concentrating, visualizing, seeing details, having faith and projecting mental and
emotional energy into the mental scene. These are the general prerequisites. When your mind is
empty from thoughts, and only one single thought is allowed to enter, it gains a very great power.
One should be very careful with what he thinks. A concentrated thought is powerful, and exerts a very
strong influence."

The disciple looked at his teacher and said: "I see that I have to sharpen my concentration in order to
be able to use this power."

"Yes, this is the first step", responded the yogi.

The Tiger

A teacher and his student were walking from one village to another, when they
suddenly heard a roar behind them. Turning their gaze in the direction of the
roar they saw a big tiger following them. The first thing the student wanted to do
was to run away, but as he has been studying and practicing self-discipline, he
was able to halt himself, waiting to see what his teacher was going to do.

"What shall we do Master?" Asked the student.

The teacher looked at the student and answered in a calm voice:

"There are several options. We can fill our minds with paralyzing fear so that we cannot move, and let
the tiger do with us whatever pleases it. We can faint. We can run away, but then it will run after us.
We can fight with it, but physically it is stronger than us."

"We can pray to god to save us. We can choose to influence the tiger with the power of our mind, if
our concentration is strong enough. We can send it love. We can also concentrate and meditate on our
inner power, and on the fact that we are one with the entire universe, including the tiger, and in this
way influence its soul."

"Which option do you choose?"

"You are the Master. You tell me what to do. We haven't much time", responded the student.

The master turned his gaze fearlessly towards the tiger, emptied his mind from all thoughts, and
entered samadhi (a kind of trance). In his consciousness he embraced everything in the universe
including the tiger. In this deep meditation the consciousness of the teacher became one with
consciousness of the tiger.

Meanwhile the student started to shiver with fear, as the tiger was already quite close, ready to make
a leap at them. He was amazed at how his teacher could stay so calm and detached in the face of
danger.

Meanwhile the teacher continued to meditate without fear. After a little while, the tiger gradually
lowered its head and tail and went away.

The student asked his teacher in astonishment, "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just cleared all thoughts from my mind and united myself in spirit with the tiger. We
became united in peace on the spiritual level. The tiger sensed the inner calmness, peace, and unity
and felt no threat or need to express violence, and so walked away."

"When the mind is silent and calm, its peace is automatically transmitted to everything and everyone
around, influencing them deeply", concluded the teacher.
The Elephant and the Fly
A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that
his mind was in constant unrest.

He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind?
What can one do to still the mind?"

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said:

"I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came,
flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came
again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly:
"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly
in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

The elephant stopped eating and said:

"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I
am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and
control my attention, and not the other way around."

Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He
looked at his teacher and said:
"I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant
unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, " The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is.
Control your attention, and you control your mind".
The Mind and the Stormy Ocean
By Remez Sasson

Swamiananda and his disciple Ranga were strolling on the beach by the
ocean. It was a cold day and the wind was blowing strongly over the ocean,
raising very high waves.

After walking for some time, Swamiananda stopped, looked at his disciple
and asked:
"What does the choppy ocean remind you?"

"It reminds me of my mind. Of my rushing and restless thoughts", answered Ranga.

"Yes, the stormy ocean is like the mind, and the waves are the thoughts. The mind is neutral like the
water. It is neither good, nor bad. The wind is causing the waves, as desires and fears produce
thoughts", said Swamiananda.

"I wouldn't want to be on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, in a storm like this", said Ranga.

"You are there all the time." Responded Swamiananda and continued, "Most people are on a
rudderless boat in the middle of a choppy ocean, even if they do not realize it. The mind of most
people is very restless. Thoughts of all kinds come and go incessantly, agitating the mind like the
ocean's waves."

"Yes", Ranga interrupted him, "You don't have to tell me. This is the reason I am with you. I want to
calm down the waves of my mind."

Swamiananda looked at Ranga for a while, smiled and said:

"You don't calm the ocean by holding the water and not letting it move. What is necessary is to stop
the wind. The wind is made of your thoughts, desires and fears. Don't let them rule your life. Learn to
control them by controlling your attention, and then the ocean of your mind becomes calm."

"And how do I do that?"

"Suppose it is possible for the ocean to disregard the wind, what would happen then?" asked
Swamiananda.

"The waves would cease. But no one can stop the wind."

Swamiananda looked at him with a mysterious smile and said:

"Why not? The wind, the ocean, and thoughts are all within the mind. When you can control the mind,
you can control everything within it. But first you have to control your mind, which means you have to
control your attention."

"Yes master", said Ranga, " this is what I am trying to do. You say whoever controls his mind can also
control the wind. Can you do that?"

"First learn to calm down the ocean of your mind, and then find out if you can calm down the ocean. It
is better to learn to control the mind, than enjoying mental tricks. When you calm your mind, you can
calm down everything."
The Swamis and the Mysterious Light
By Remez Sasson

A long time ago, there were two swamis who lived in two neighboring caves. They spent most of their
time in deep meditation, except the time they ate or were visited by devotees. The people who came
to visit them revered the two swamis, and enjoyed listening to them and being in their proximity.
They sought their company, since they always felt more peaceful and happy when near them, and also
for a long time after they went away.

One cave was dark, as caves usually are, but in the other one there was sometimes a peculiar golden
light illuminating the cave. It was not strong, but enough to be noticed and to mildly illuminate the
cave. The phenomenon of the light bewildered the visitors, but they could not come to an agreement
about the causes of the light. Both swamis were rather silent most of the time, and did not want to
discuss the phenomenon of the light.

The company of the swamis aroused calmness and peace in the visitors. Their minds slowed their
incessant chatter, and they experienced a pleasant inner peace and inner happiness. The visitors
admired both swamis, but believed that the one living in the illuminated cave possessed supernatural
powers and was more advanced. He certainly appeared to them as a mysterious person.

One day a great sage was passing by a near village, and being recognized by the villagers, one of
them approached him and said:
"Great master, we have a question to ask. There is a mystery which you might solve for us."
"I will be glad to help you, if I can", answered the sage.

"There are two swamis living here on the hill...", the villager started to recount.
"Yes, I know", answered the sage, "and you inquire about the light in the cave."

"Yes, great master, that is true. It is something that has been a riddle for us. Can you please tell us
also, if the swami in the lighted cave is more advanced, and if he really possess supernatural powers?"

"Pay attention to your inner self and not to outer phenomena. The outside world always changes, but
inner self is constant. When in the presence of a teacher, listen to what he says and be aware of the
influence of his words on you. Watch yourself, and see whether under his influence you become
calmer and more peaceful, and your thoughts, at least for a while, slow down their mad race."

"Yes most revered master", said one of the devotees, "but please enlightens us on the mysterious
light."

The sage sat down, and started to explain: "Sometimes, when one works intensively on the spiritual
path, and concentrates and meditates a lot, various phenomena may occur around him, such as lights,
sounds or visions. This is not supernatural. The mind has a creative power, and when concentrated,
can produce various phenomena even unintentionally."

"It does not mean that one is more advanced than the other. Not all minds produce these things.
Some do, and some don't."

"Some of the people who produce these lights may be aware of the light, and some may not. It
depends on their psychic sensitivity. So it is also with the people who watch them. Not all see this
light. In any case, it has nothing to do with whether one swami is more advanced or less advanced
than the other one."

"Thank you great master, you have solved for us this great mystery", exclaimed the devotees of the
swamis, who were standing by, deeply relieved and happy to understand the mystery that has been
troubling them for a long time.