Don’t Get Carried Away by Them

As human beings, we are all driven by our instincts and desires. It's natural to get carried away by them, but it's important to remember that these emotions are not who we are. They are simply a part of us, and it's up to us to learn how to control them.

According to the Yogis, the instinctive mind is the lowest of the mind principles. This is the part of the mind we have in common with the lower animals. It's the part of our mind that is responsible for our survival instincts. It is the part of the mind in charge of conducting the intelligent work of every cell, organ and part of the body, without our conscious knowledge.

All feelings of hunger, thirst, sexual desires, physical love, revenge, hatred, envy, malice are part of it. And while this part of the mind is necessary for our survival, we have to learn how to control it. If we allow our instincts to rule our lives, we may find ourselves making impulsive decisions that are not in our best interest.

The key to mastering the Instinctive Mind is to recognize it as a tool. The simplest way to do this is through meditation. Now, there’s different techniques for that, which I won’t get into here. I am just referring to the practice of being present in the moment and observing our thoughts and emotions without judgment. By observing our thoughts and emotions in this way, we can begin to see them for what they are – holding on to the ones who serve us and letting go the ones that do not serve us.

Taking control of our passions and desires is about becoming the master of our own mind. It’s about first recognizing we are NOT our mind. We are NOT our thoughts and emotions. We have to learn to observe them and use them as we would use any other tool. By doing so, we can begin to make conscious choices about how we want to live our lives, rather than simply reacting to our instincts.

All of these instincts have served a purpose in our evolution, do not despise them, do not fear them. Just put them aside or subordinate them to higher things as you advance along the path.