The Path of Analyzing and Controlling the Mind

 You may control a mad elephant; 

You may shut the mouth of the bear and the tiger; 

Ride the lion and play with the cobra; 

By alchemy you may earn your livelihood; 

You may wander through the universe incognito; 

Make vassals of the Gods; Be forever youthful; 

You may walk on water  or live in fire; 

But control of the mind is better and more difficult. 

Yogananda

I am committed to my path, I am.  But sometimes it seems more challenging than shutting the mouth of a bear.  I am still stuck on the step of confusion and chaos, it seems.  I am still stumbling and bumping my way through the proverbial, "Dark night of the soul," I have stubbed my toe many, many times! I am not giving up, though.  In fact, I am even more inspired than ever to keep going. Why? Because, taming the mind,  is all that makes sense to me right now. It seems to be the only true solution to the darkness...the only thing, I know in my heart, that will bring lasting light to the world.

I have always been fascinated by the human mind: other people's minds but mostly my own. Self-analysis was always kind of my thing, even before I consciously began this journey to awakening. 
Now I can see where that interest has taken me. It has led me to the opening of this path. It has shown me what the root cause of suffering was and where I have to go to be free of it.  Where do we go to be free of suffering?  To the mind , of course, and then beyond! Through  looking inward, and questioning why we think the way we do, act the way we do, feel and experience (or not experience) life the way we do, we help to create the beautiful  art of universal healing, of understanding and wisdom.  I want to be an artist! What about you?

Millions of people never analyze themselves. Mentally they are mechanical products of the factory of their environment, preoccupied with breakfast, lunch and supper and going here and there to be entertained. They don't know what or why they are seeking, nor why they never realize complete happiness or lasting satisfaction. By evading self-analysis people go on being robots. conditioned by their environments. True self-analysis is the greatest art of progress. 

Yogananda

All is well in my world. 

Paramahansa Yogananda (1936) Autobiography of a Yogi. Kindle edition.

You can get a free Ebook PDF copy of this book through https://www.freespiritualebooks.com/