The Power Of Accurate Thinking

“As we cannot see anything in the absence of the sun, so also we cannot see anything including our own self, without the factual presence of the Lord. Without Him all our knowledge is covered by illusion.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.11.9 Purport)

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“You hear a lot about the need to think positively. It is probably something they go over in professional counseling sessions. Not that I have ever been to one or felt the need. To me, that is for people who lack meaningful friendships in life. If you have good friends, you should be able to share concerns, doubts, fears, and the like in a healthy manner.

“I am talking more about finding success, for reaching goals. They say that you should always think about the good, focus on the positive aspects to the situation. You can still make honest assessments, but the idea is to avoid getting bogged down by mistakes. Do not dwell on the negative for too long; otherwise you will not move forward.

“Is this sort of what bhakti-yoga teaches, in the implementation of devotional service that is vishno-smaranam? We are supposed to remember Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Focus on His lila, His forms, His heroic deeds, and His names. God is the Supreme Pure. He is as positive as any concept could be.

“At the same time, there is criticism with this approach. If we focus too much on the positive, it is like we are fooling ourselves. We are not grounded in reality. We are more vulnerable to fairytales, to mythology, to false hope. Is there a balance that we can apply? Is it okay to focus on only one thing or one person for an entire lifetime?”

The truth is that absent this connection to transcendence, to God the person, every person is living on a hope and a prayer. They are not grounded in reality, as they identify with the body. They hanker and lament based on the needs of that body, which is always changing. Moreover, it is assured that the body will be completely relinquished at some point, in the manner that it was first accepted, at the time of birth.

श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च
रसनं घ्राणम् एव च
अधिष्ठाय मनश् चायं
विषयान् उपसेवते

śrotraṁ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṁ ca
rasanaṁ ghrāṇam eva ca
adhiṣṭhāya manaś cāyaṁ
viṣayān upasevate

“The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.9)

Bhakti-yoga is not necessarily positive thinking. It is accurate thinking. There is so much power in this kind of thinking that through remembrance alone a person can transcend birth and death. That which the jnanis, the yogis, and the karmis have been seeking for many lifetimes over can arrive in the palm of the hand. It is like shrinking the vast material ocean to the size of a print left by the hoof of a calf.

राम नाम कलि कामतरु सकल सुम:न्गल कन्द
सुमिरत करतल सिद्धि सब पग पग परमानन्द

rāma nāma kali kāmataru sakala suma:ngala kanda
sumirata karatala siddhi saba paga paga paramānanda

“Shri Rama’s holy name is like a desire tree in Kali Yuga and is the root of all auspiciousness. Whoever remembers it gets all perfections in the palm of their hand and supreme bliss at every step.” (Dohavali, 28)

If we do not know exactly what to remember, if we are still new to the game, we can at least hold on to the holy name. This name is identical to the person it represents. This is the meaning to Absolute. God is everywhere. His influence is in the tree, the clouds, the mountains, the heart of the individual, and also the entire cosmic manifestation. No space lacks His presence.

We simply have to see this influence. This is the meaning to accurate thinking. I can try to force myself to think positively, but this artificial approach is rife with vulnerabilities. Whereas if I can focus on Vishnu with a solid foundation of knowledge, as passed down in the parampara system, then I can continue in that thinking without being deterred.

सूत उवाच
आत्मारामाश्च मुनयो निर्ग्रन्था अप्युरुक्रमे
कुर्वन्त्यहैतुकीं भक्तिमित्थम्भूतगुणो हरि:

sūta uvāca
ātmārāmāś ca munayo
nirgranthā apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim
ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ

“All different varieties of atmaramas [those who take pleasure in atma, or spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.7.10)

It is described that liberated souls who are completely satisfied in the self, atmarama, still take pleasure in hearing Bhagavata Purana. To simply hear that sacred text is to always keep in mind the Supreme Lord. It is the best way to pass the time, to train the mind, to focus the mind, and to find pleasure to last into the infinite future.

In Closing:

Plunged into ocean of grief,
How now to find relief?

Told that should positively think,
But not more into illusion sink?

Truth that to accurately view,
Body ever-changing and renew.

That only Vishnu the highest of all,
All bliss in His glories to recall.