Why does the mind resist change? Without inner change, there is no lasting transformation

Through identification with thoughts, we make substantial investments in the mind. It grows as time passes, and as we have new experiences. With any investment, we expect good and stable returns. The mind is no exception. The gains we expect are primarily related to happiness, from which we hope to derive peace and contentment. Just as we save money for the future, we also keep in our memory thoughts and experiences that bring us joy. They become part of the mind’s wealth. Having spent so much of our valuable time and effort accumulating them, we hesitate to give them up easily. Just as we like to cling onto external possessions, we hold onto the mind and all its contents. We may change everything on the outside, but unless we change our habit of holding onto thoughts and experiences, there cannot be lasting inner transformation.

Inner transformation is not an accumulation of knowledge or changing how we think. These are related to the mind. Real change comes about when we can be near the mind, and all its complexities yet remain inwardly free. It is like carrying an oasis of silence within while we are in the midst of a busy marketplace.

The first step in inner transformation is the acceptance that all our mental possessions can be discarded. We are afraid that if we give up our mental possessions, we may be at a disadvantage in the world. This fear makes us hold onto thoughts and memories. Paradoxically, we try to cling to thoughts which by their very nature, are the very embodiments of change. Once thoughts disappear, we continue to keep their contents in our memory.



The mind and body are temporary, but instrumental parts of the changeless inner being. When we are in thoughtless awareness, there is conservation of the mind’s energies, and this sharpens the mind. When we want to use the mind, it remains available to us, ready to act. When the mind and body are no longer a disturbance, we are in paradise. Even the mind will enjoy its newfound rest and freedom from having to work for our happiness.



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