Discipline

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: One of the qualities of a mature person is self-discipline. But I am pondering today on two things. Firstly, what is it? Secondly, how do we cultivate it?

From observation, the amount of it that individual jivas have varies greatly. If we were to use sitting perfectly still as an example, in a random group of 20 people, I am guessing the range in time would be somewhere from 2 seconds to 10 minutes. I think beyond 10 minutes, we'd probably have to get 100 people in the sample. Of course, if we selected only those of us on HDF, it would be no random sample eat all.

What are all the things it involves? Some examples are speech, eating, punctuality, and limiting television. I'm sure there are more.

Ideas about this?

Aum Namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

I am very happy you posted this. I'd like to see the responses from the HDF community.
I see discipline as self-control, as yama. More can be said later on this matter as others post their ideas.

Yet one way of building this discipline ( that I have found) is asking yourself a simple question: Look at your behaviors, look at your goals. Does your behavior (actions) match your goals ? What a simple ~test~ of alignment! It is by aligning ones behaviors to one's goals that offers self-control; your intent ( not your whims) is the driver.
One is not thrown off track by distractions. It is the distractions , and the chasing thereof, that keeps one undisciplined. Discipline ( to me) does not mean being rigid; it is all about remaining one-pointed.

praṇām

[saidevo]

namaste everyone.

I agree with EM and Yajvan. EM emphasizes stilling the mind by reducing its external indulgences. Yajvan is more for alignment of behaviours to goals.

• Goals of almost everyone of us are of two kinds: worldly and spiritual. If our worldly goals are aligned with dharma, then we are safe in not creating much negative karma. If our spiritual goals are aligned with the type of sAdhana--accomplishments we can make, then we are safe. In either case it would then be easy to align behaviour to goals.

• Worldly goals are fulfilled once we have the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter, plus the means to cater to our family. Of the variables here, considering the rising costs, shelter has the priority: where we live in a rented apartment, we need to save to buy our own in a surrounding congenial to our spiritual growth. Food and clothing are bound to become expensive with time, but we can restrict the clothes at some point of time, and restrict the food to the most essential for a healthy body. Family is an undefined variable, since its scope varies with the individual. In addition, we have to cater to our family on all the three essentials: food, clothing and shelter.

• Another important worldly goal is education, both we acquire for ourselves and give our children. The factors involved in education are the aims and ambitions towards steady, life-long occupations that can cater to our three basic essentials of worldly life as well as to our spiritual goals (as early as possible in life).

• For spiritual goals, most of us are interested in doing something in the three paths: karma, bhakti and yoga. Aligning to dharma takes care of our karma. Seeking God for guidelines to our worldly life aligns us with bhakti, and the karma--rituals and pujas we perform here vary with our worldly and spiritual aims. Seeking the Self aligns us in the path of yoga. The spirituals goals get refined with shravana--listening to satsangha--company of wise men, manana--our own reading the spiritual texts we seek to read and contemplate to understand them better, and (only then) nididhyAsanA--profound meditation.

The manas--mind being the means of defining and aligning to all our goals, it helps to listen to our manasAkShi--conscience.

[NayaSurya]

I thought about this a lot before coming to add to these very wise comments.

A few evenings ago I sat looking at a nurse and told her not to leave the remote for the television. She was stunned by this, not a request she had ever gotten from someone. But, she seemed to take it in stride, surprised but acceptable. Then, when my first meal came, and I hadn't eaten since the day prior so I was grateful to have but then upon seeing it, I did decline she became very weird with me. I had to tell her..."please...no meat."

The Pollyanna in me is always at odds with making such waves. I hate to be a burden upon another...and so to tell her these things was very hard but I had no choice.

Turning down christian chaplains...checking the Hindu box on the forms.
All bring a flurry of awkward moments with people who would have never said a thing to you had it not been divulged.

Discipline is such a dynamic thing you know? So interdependant upon so many things we may not even consider. Such as our own tendency to accept what is given and try not to put another out or make them feel awkward.

Every single meal which came to my room had "no meat" on the card...and yet every single time some cut up animal was upon my plate...and other things such as gelatin...which I do understand the cafeteria was not understanding of the grip which animal products have our diets in.

Every single time that meal came to my room a lesson occured for me. As if Karma itself was saying...."So Lanie....how committed are you?"

Everytime I sent the meal away. So awkward to do this for countless of nurses as the shift was always changed and the nurse new to me.

There is a level of boldness...."Yes, this path is correct and I can not hide it any longer...even if this makes me look SO derned crazy to everyone around me."

Or maybe it's just loss of concern what this exterior realm will do to us. Or both...probably both of those things and a thousand more.

E.M. is one of those bright souls who has been so long upon this road that to him it's not even an issue...he is what he is.

But, for some of us hiding in the ambiguity of the ignorance of the ones around us...to finally strike the step full out in front of the community. It's where discipline comes in heavily.

I am who I am...though I may come home and cringe all evening for the awkward moments this silly girl still yearns so desperately to avoid.

It's a work in progress, and the rudder is hard to steer in such muddy shallows. I keep my eyes to the horizon and steer towards deeper waters.


Time is always on our side.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

having meat arrive on a plate ( for me ) would be no different then looking at a bucket of bolts to feed on. Yet there are some people that still eat bolts . This happened to me on many occasions. Yet what is one to do ? For me, I just left it alone and ate the things on the plate most agreeable to me.




praṇām

[NayaSurya]

lol this would be true if it weren't for the fact in kentucky...the meat is not alone!

Everything on the plate is smothered in the gravy of the animal.

Chicken pot pie meal 1 (plate of chicken in clear gravy and vegetables covered in biscuit crust.)
Roastbeef and gravy on top of buttered toast was meal 2
chicken fried steak in sawmill gravy meal 3
Cheeseburger and steak fries meal 4 (the fries undoubtably fried in the same place as the burgers)

on and on....

even the green beans here are filled with ham pieces or bacon.

[Mana]

Namasté All

I have been saying for years that I will go to school when I am grown up enough. However; within my disorganised nature there seems to be some rhyme.

I lacked any mentor as a youth, consequently I have much catching up to do in this regard; I see fully the benefit of discipline and am slowly turning this ship, yet the momentum makes the helm and the turn very heavy.

I often wonder as to the effect and inspiration of an Ashram for this purpose. Yet I have been told that one must have discipline (Money seems to be required also) before entering. Kind of a catch 22 situation.
The presence of the sadguru, with whom there is a resonance, being of the essence.

I know that this is not an easy balance to strike.

That said, the tune to which I dance seems to lead me down a merry path, I put my faith in God, my heart, and wisdom for that.

praNAma

mana

[Mana]

Namasté NayaSurya

A pleasure to read your posts, nice to see you posting

yajavan, those bolts don't look appetising at all, not even the shiny ones!
The only edible thing would be soup after that lot!

praNAma

mana

[Mana]

Namaste Eastern Mind, saidevo,

I would say that although I am not particularly disciplined, I have adopted yama and Niyama, fairly naturally as it is the only thing which stops the rolling of the boat, and keeps me sane. I do need to work on keeping quiet ...

Sadhana is a spontaneous thing for me, although, I see now that where it arrives spontaneously and rides me, I can turn this into my horse rather than being ridden, by practising sadhana regularly; smoothly as it were.

I play the guitar to meditate, although I pass long periods without doing this, when I do, I can become engrossed in it; passing up to 4 hours or more without breaking. I do need to work on this, again I am trying to make it so.

Getting the reigns on this horse is not easy; I might add that, this is with all of your help; that I am coming about!

praNAma

mana

[Ganeshprasad]

Pranam

to use the old adage, practice make perfect, seemingly difficult task can only be achieved through total dedication.

Arjun having heard the Lord describe the practice of yoga, describes it as difficult as catching the wind.

Arjuna said: O Krishna, You have said that yoga of meditation is characterized by the equanimity (of mind), but, due to restlessness of mind I do not perceive the steady state of mind. (6.33)

Because the mind, indeed, is very unsteady, turbulent, powerful, and obstinate, O Krishna. I think restraining the mind is as difficult as restraining the wind. (6.34)

The Supreme Lord said: Undoubtedly, O Arjuna, the mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is subdued by Abhyaasa (or constant vigorous spiritual practice with perseverance), and Vairaagya (or detachment), O Arjuna. (6.35)

One whose mind is not subdued yoga is difficult.But he whose mind is controlled and who strives by right means is assured of success.That is my opinion (6.36)

Jai Shree Krishna