Why Does the Mind Wander? - Part 1
Questioner: Why does the mind wander when we sit to study? How to control the mind?
Acharya Prashant: What’s your name?
Questioner: Aman.
Acharya Prashant: Aman is asking, “How to control the mind.” What he is saying is we sit down to study, right? And the mind wanders here and there. That’s what you mean, Aman? He is saying, “How to control the mind.”
Aman, over the last one and a half, two hours; have you been listening to what I am saying, yes? When you were listening, actually listening, in those moments when you were listening did you need to control the mind? Was it still wandering, when you were listening, when you were lost in listening? If you still needed to control then how would you listen?
The mind does not wander here and there; it is just that when it is not immersed in the present moment then it goes to the past and future. Simple. When it is not present here then it goes there, there, anywhere. Right now, as of now, you are sitting here, there are two factors, remember two variables: one, the present moment; second, this space. Both time and space. When are you here? ‘Right now’. Where are you? ‘Right here.’ When are you here? ‘Right now,’ Where are you? ‘Right here.’ And Where are you now? ‘Right here.’
If you are not ‘right here’, ‘right now’, then obviously the mind will fly away. It has to do something; its nature is to do something. It can either be ‘right here’, and if you don’t bring it ‘right here’, then it will fly away. Either to the past and future or some other place in space.
So, the real question then is, what is meant by being here? Why does the mind fly away?
It is your nature to be here because you are anyway present here. But you allow ten things to come to your mind. You put yourselves in a situation where the mind is likely to fly away.
Let me give an example, a very direct example; Aman, if you are sitting with people on the left side and right side, who are constantly whispering things into your ear then what will happen to your mind? What will happen to your mind? And what are they whispering, are they whispering something about the present moment? They are talking about what is happening in a particular shopping mall, What is going to happen in the evening, other places, other times that’s what the inputs that are coming to you. If those inputs are constantly coming to you, obviously your mind is receiving them and it will fly away.
If you are not sitting in a way that is not comfortable to you, will your mind remain here? If your mobile phone is on vibrator mode and it’s constantly vibrating in your pocket, and reminding you of somebody who is calling you. Will your mind remain here? Tell me, would it remain here?
So, don’t ask how to stay here. You are here, but you give yourselves conditions that make you fly away. The mind is not saying I want to fly away. You are giving it conditions.
If somebody from home is constantly calling you, will you not be reminded of home? If somebody is constantly calling you, will you not be reminded of that person? Will you not start thinking of that person? Will you or will you not?
Now, let me ask you why your phone is not fully silent then? You sit down to study, when you asked your question first, Aman, your question was about studying; that, “I sit down to study and I find, I cannot sit down and study for long.” How many of you face this problem? That, “We sit down to study but we are soon distracted.” Studies are wonderful, every single act that we do at any point in time is wonderful. But when you are sitting down to study, just ensure that you have taken care to insulate yourself from influences.
You sit down to study and somebody knocks on the door and he says, "it’s a wonderful evening, let’s go out." You have to insulate yourself from such people. You are sitting down for study and you are facing down the window and outside the window, there are so many girls roaming. Now you complain, “I can’t study.” Now, why are you sitting like this? If you really want to study, why are you allowing all the images to come to your eye? The image will come to the eye; from the eye, it will go to the mind. And, what will the mind do? The mind will start thinking and fascinating. Now here the book is open and the mind is (makes funny sound) gone.
Understand the functioning of the mind. The mind keeps receiving inputs and the moment it receives input it starts flying (makes a hand gesture of flying), yes? When you are sitting over here enough care was taken so that your mind doesn’t start flying. I have to ensure you have to remain in the present moment. In between, I had to ask you to write down something, correct. I have to flip languages often. I have tried to take care that you don’t fly away. Otherwise, you will. Similarly, take care of the mind.
You are sitting to study and you have not taken a bath for ten days, and the back is aching, and you are scratching it. And what will happen? Now, constantly a thought is coming into the mind and there is a great, wonderful smell that is arising from the body. And it's coming into the nose. So hands are busy, the nose is busy; how will you study? That’s what happens, simple things. These simple things make or break the entire day. You are studying and what have you done; you have eaten so much. Now, what is the stomach doing? making all kinds of sounds. And wonderful sounds are coming from the stomach, from the mouth, from all kinds of places. How will you study? Now you are sitting to study and your laptop is open, and the internet is on, and all those wonderful websites and ten tabs are open. And what are you doing intermittently, "let me see something." Why have you kept that laptop open? Why have you kept that laptop open?
At IIT, the reading room used to be open the entire night. And those who wanted to study, they would leave their hostel rooms and would sit in the reading room all night. There is a particular environment that you want to give to your mind, knowing fully well that it has a tendency to fly. So, you would sit there. And there was this tea shop that would be open and after every two-three hours, there would be a small cup of tea and fine, good. We knew full well if we sat in the hostel and all kinds of things were happening in the hostel; somebody wants to celebrate his birthday for the third time in the same month. And now, you know, one person is running absolutely nude and ten people are after him; celebrating his birthday. How can you study? You also want to run. I don’t know whether hostels have changed now, I don’t know what’s like in your hostel. But in my hostel, it used to be like this.
Whenever we used to feel a little down, it used to be somebody’s birthday. Sometimes three times in the same week. Today it's his birthday, I know, “no, I don’t have mine”, no, it’s today only, I have inquired. And now there is boom-a-boom. Go to the reading room, if you want to study. Switch off your mobile, shut down the laptop. Take a bath, don’t eat too much, have a good sleep, brush your teeth; these things count, they actually do, yes.
