How to control our negative emotions and how to control our mind. The nature of our mind is it always likes to render in negative emotions and negative thoughts. negative thoughts like anger desire or lust or then jealousy maybe resentment. these are the negative thoughts that our mind likes to rendering. so how can we control it. Our great teacher Supreme Buddha introduced us a gradual training where you can practice this controlling of negative emotions or negative thoughts in your mind. so without any further do I'm going to introduce them to you.
So first and foremost before getting into these steps there is there is one thing that you have to practice and there's one thing that you have to master and that is awareness. if you are not aware of what you are thinking if you are not mindful about what you're thinking then you cannot control it. so you have to totally understand and you have to totally be aware of what you're thinking? okay so whenever you find? when you whenever you become aware of what you're thinking? then you will have that power to control it.
SHIFT YOUR THOUGHT PATTERN
So here comes the first step Buddha says whenever you become aware of your mind is wondering in negative thoughts like anger or lustful thoughts or or resentment or jealousy. The first thing is to shift your thought pattern to something wholesome. there are some wholesome thoughts in your mind which makes you peaceful maybe like thinking of something that you have done in the past like maybe you help someone. whenever you think that thought your mind becomes happy and peaceful so what you're gonna do is whenever you become aware of your negative thoughts we're going to shift our thought pattern to something that is wholesome something that makes us peaceful. so that is the first thing that Buddha says shift your your thoughts to holes and thoughts if that first step did not work out, then what you have to do go for the next step.
THINK ABOUT THE DISADVANTAGES
The next step what is that Buddha says think about the disadvantages of thinking negative emotions. right if you are constantly having angry thoughts then you have to think these thoughts are hurting myself and others. if I take actions according to these thoughts it will hurt myself and the others. remember, it may be a little thought of ange, but if it grow up what will happen it will be destructive. so what do you have to do? think about the drawbacks or disadvantages of thinking these negative thoughts. then whenever you see these disadvantages your mind will tend to stay away from these negative thoughts. most of the time we are not aware of these disadvantages. okay so what you have to do think? if I keep on thinking these negative thoughts it is not going to help me it will disrupt my peacefulness. right that is the second step that buddha said.
PAY NO MIND PAY NO ATTENTION
Then as the third step Buddha says pay no mind pay no attention. If the Second Step did not work out go for the third step to not to pay any attention to that thought. right see whenever we give so much attention to something. maybe a thought it grows again and again. it grows more right for an example if you became angry with someone and if you keep thinking about him again and again and becoming angry that anger will grow more and more. so what do you have to do? we have to let the thought be a thought without paying much attention right when you just stay away from giving attention then it will fade away from your mind it's something like this have you seen little babies when they fall down they start to cry. right if the parent or the mother or father see that it is not a big deal of falling if mother or father did not give any attention to that baby. what does he/she do? he/she just don't care about that he/she will stop crying. same thing goes with our mind if we did not pay any attention to that thought. right if he did not care about that thought and just let it go and let it pass away from our mind then it will fade away that is one way of doing that. if the third step did not work for you then the Buddha says go for the fourth step.
RELAX YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS
The fourth step to relax your thought process right now remember. when you think negative thoughts your mind becomes so much busy so much rough and distracted. so what you're going to do is you're thinking why am I thinking these distractive thoughts these are negative thoughts that are making me so much busy and making me distracted. so what are you going to do? you're relaxing your thought process to something very soft and subtle maybe like loving kindness maybe like compassion right maybe like gratefulness. when you think those thoughts when you think more positive thoughts your mind or your thought process becomes so much relaxed and then if the fourth step did not work for you then it comes the final step this is something that we have to do with the great care I do not recommend for everyone to do this this should be done with a great experience and a good practice.
CRUSH YOUR THOUGHTS WITH AWARENESS
The Final step is crush your thought with awareness. right you have to be totally aware of your thinking pattern and have a good determination to your mind that I'm not going to think these negative thoughts. right but this should not be done by everyone right some may be not good at this right if you keep on becoming aware and if you keep on forcing this mind it will grow more and more these negative thoughts. so if all those four steps did not work for you then you have to go for the final step. right so it is much better to practice these four thoughts before doing the final one okay so practice these things when you practice you will feel and you will understand that your negative emotions are fading away little by little. remember this is not going to happen overnight it will take a long long time to do this but you have to keep on practicing keep on doing it make it a habit and then you will become a master of it so practice this practice and make your mind a place where free from negative thoughts.
