What do the three white stripes on his forehead mean?
I belong to Shaivism, the oldest group of Hinduism, and the three lines are sacred ashes. The first represents the ego.
Does everyone have one?
Yes, having no ego is impossible. The goal is to cultivate it in a positive way, to be kind, generous, compassionate. The second line is karma: everything I think, everything I say, everything I do has a consequence.
And the third?
The deception We often forget who and what is important in our lives, we get distracted, we deceive ourselves. And the point is the focus.
What did he learn in the monastery?
If you understand how your mind works, you can use it to live a fantastic life.
How does the mind work?
Imagine the mind as a vast space with different regions. One region is happiness, another sadness, anger, sex, fear... There are many areas within the mind. And the mind does not move.
What is it that jumps from one topic to another?
Consciousness, imagine it as a ball of light that moves and illuminates different areas of the mind. When it lights up an area I am aware of that part. The goal is not to control the mind, but to control where consciousness goes within the mind.
can we choose
If someone says to me: "Your clothes are ugly", I can choose whether my consciousness goes to the area of anger or to the area of gratitude and joy and decide to go buy new clothes.
How can I control consciousness?
Developing two qualities: concentration and willpower, which is a mental muscle. When the ball of light goes somewhere I don't want it to go, I use willpower to bring it to the place in my mind where I want it to be.
But the circumstances, the shocks...
I can be in the room of happiness and someone is taking me to the area of unhappiness. And I, with willpower and concentration, can stay in the zone of happiness. And I would like to add something about ADHD.
Did you suffer from it as a child?
I had a hard time concentrating. Adults told me to “concentrate”, but no one taught me how to do it. In the monastery my teacher taught me about it and the dispersion ended.
Does it teach me to concentrate?
I'm talking to Ima, the ball goes the other way and I make it come back. And I practice it over and over again. Remember: the mind does not move, it is the consciousness that moves through the mind.
This concept is key.
Yes. I suggest finding "non-negotiable and recurring" things. What is non-negotiable for me? I talk to my wife every day, and every time we talk I keep my ball of light on her. If he leaves, I make him come back.
A good practice.
People are very easily distracted, and by virtue of being distracted they become masters of distraction.
Do you need to practice and practice concentration?
Every day we spend time with the people we love. If I'm with my daughter, but I can't concentrate, how can I experience my daughter?, listen to what she's telling me or what she's not telling me?
This is important.
We must learn to concentrate in order to have richer experiences and be happier.
Happy to concentrate?
Could you tell me, Ima, a person you love a lot in your life?
Yes, my daughter.
You go out to lunch with her; if you are focused, if you give her your full attention, you will feel joy, fullness, and you will make your daughter happy.
No matter how hard they focus, many people are dissatisfied with their jobs.
You have to spend time with yourself, five minutes a day reflecting and asking yourself questions: what do I want? What and who makes me happy? However, we allow the environment to tell us what to do: meditate, do yoga... People are unhappy because they don't know what they want in life.
Sometimes we don't have answers.
Then you need help, someone to ask you the right questions. The education system does not give priority to this aspect. Our children grow up without understanding what they want in life. We say to them "go out and explore the world". It's the worst advice.
Because?
Consuming information without drawing conclusions is pure nonsense. Concentration helps you see who and what is important and focus on it. The consequence is realization.
What else?
When you start something and finish it, you develop willpower. We can practice it in a simple way. If you drink coffee, wash the cup and put it away, finish what you started. The answer is in the simple things in life. Train yourself in this.
