The Distracted Mind | Obstacle or Opportunity?
3/31/20261 hr 2 min
Every time your mind wanders during meditation is a great opportunity. The wandering mind can be exactly where the real yoga begins. In this episode Raghunath welcomes back Kaustubha, fresh off a pilgrimage to Vrindavan, India — unpacking his bags and his insights in equal measure, starting with a nugget from William James, the father of American psychology. James called it the very root of character, will, and judgment: the ability to bring back wandering attention, over and over again. The Bhagavad Gita agrees — and so does a striking passage from the Srimad Bhagavatam, an ancient Sanskrit text on consciousness and...
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First 90 secondsKaustubha Das· Host0:00
But here we go, right? Th-this idea that, that, uh, William James, who's someone who's not just, um, absorbed in studying the mind, but like is considered like the father of modern psychology. So someone with deep insights in how the mind works. And he's recognizing something that we were never taught, uh, that was taught in the Bhagavad Gita, right? What-- "Yato yato niścalati manaś-" What is it?
Raghunath· Host0:23
Chanchalam astiram.
Kaustubha Das· Host0:25
"Chanchalam astiram tataḥ tato niyamyaitād ātmānaṁ eva śamāyeth." That wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must, you know, niyama, right? Just like in the, you know, yama, niyama. That you have to regulate it. You have to regulate. You have to bring it back and place it where you want it. Why? Well, because your-- What does he say? He was saying that your judgment, your character, your will- Mm-hmm ... are dependent on you flexing that muscle.
Raghunath· Host0:52
Right.
Kaustubha Das· Host0:53
Rather than just letting it wander wherever it goes. And that's kinda like how we were raised. It, it just goes where it goes. You don't have to bring it back. Just try to put something in front of it that, that's entertaining, [chuckles] is kinda like what we- Yeah ... what, what we were taught, right?
Raghunath· Host1:09
[singing] Live