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The Mind of the Future

Swami Muktidharma Saraswati (New Zealand)

A millennium has ended and with it passed the old and entered the new. It has been an era filled with materialism and many have gone away from the inner spirit. With the new millennium, a powerful shift is beginning to touch a head-oriented society and give way to a new generation that is able to hear the notes of the heart's song. In order to hear this song, we must become aware of the noisy mind that has thus far limited our true spiritual capacity.

For silencing the noise of a busy mind, there is the practice of antar mouna, or inner silence. Inner silence describes the total stillness of the mind, a mind that has ceased oscillating. This incredible state is compared to a tranquil lake, which is so still that it is able to reflect the full moon on its surface. The oscillating mind is compared to a restless river, which is unable to reflect the moon. The full moon represents our own soul. When the mind is still, we can see the reflection of our soul.

In order to go beyond the materialism and negative attitudes of the past century, we can work with the mind to find stillness within and see the reflection of our soul. When the mind is silent, even the most violent external storm cannot disturb us. The practice of antar mouna is based on a process of separating our consciousness from the spell of the mind through the discipline of observation. We are trained to become an indifferent witness to the movements of the wild mind. This neutrality charged with passive awareness is one of the greatest ways to loosen the grip the mind has on our consciousness. A deep process of non-identification with the mind takes place, thus de-programming it.

The education or programming that we have received thus far teaches us to strive to become somebody or something, instead of just being. In this false process of becoming, we actually move far away from our own centre of being. All the so-called education has been based on ambitions and attachments, which is food for the ego. These ambitions create desires, and desires create bondage and misery.

The practice of antar mouna is a powerful tool that gradually tones down the thinking, noisy mind into a meditative one. Inner silence meditation belongs to the tantric tradition, which does not reject the mind but befriends it, and eventually uses the mind as a stepping stone in order to go beyond it. A meditative or silent mind is one which is connected with the heart. It is highly creative and makes our life a paradise. Humanity has suffered due to the noisy mind, but an increasing number of people are developing the awareness and desire to go beyond the limitations of the mind. The more silent our mind becomes, the more opportunities there are to use it in a powerful way to manifest positivity for ourselves and others. The meditative mind is the mind of the future.

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