Children, rare are those who have not made mistakes knowingly or unknowingly in life. Most people brood over the mistakes they made and feel bad about it. It is futile to continue feeling troubled over past actions.
What is over is over. If we continue brooding over them, we will lose whatever reserves of strength we have left. Instead, we must strongly resolve, “I will not repeat my mistakes again!” The pure efforts we put forth afterwards will cleanse the mind.
This is what is needed. The mind’s purity is revealed by the desire to think noble thoughts and do good deeds, and by the efforts made in that direction. There is no sin that cannot be washed away by the tears of remorse.
However, once we know what is wrong, we must not do it again. The mind must gird itself to walk the right path. If a young child throws a toy at his mother, she will smile lovingly, gather him into her arms and kiss him. But if he does the same thing after he has grown up, she will not tolerate it.
Similarly, God will forgive the sins we committed unknowingly, but He will not forgive the sins we commit after we have understood what is right and wrong. Therefore, we must try not to repeat our mistakes. If we make a mistake while writing with a pencil, we can erase it. But we can only do so once or twice. If we keep erasing, the paper will tear.
The greatest sin is knowingly repeating the same mistake. We must avoid this at all costs. Do not think, “I have sinned many times. My mind isn’t pure enough to pray. I’ll start praying after my mind has been purified.”
We will never be able to swim in the ocean if we wait for its waves to subside. Can you imagine a doctor telling a patient to consult him only after he has been healed? We go to a doctor to cure our illness. Similarly, God must cleanse our hearts. Only by taking refuge in Him can the mind be purified.
We need not remain sad, thinking about the kind of life we used to lead. The past is like cancelled check. We need not continue lamenting over our past mistakes and failures. We still have with us invaluable capital—life. Hence, we must think about the great profits we stand to gain. Optimism lends vitality to life, even amidst the greatest sorrows.
It does not really matter whether you are a believer, a nonbeliever, or a sceptic. You can lead a happy and successful life, if you have faith in yourself. You do not have to believe in Amma, or in a God who resides up above in the sky on a golden throne. It is enough if you believe in yourself.
If you don’t have faith in yourself, then there is not much to gain even if you believe in God. Faith in God is to strengthen your faith in you, the faith in your own Self. This is, in other words, called Self-confidence, confidence in your own Self. If that is not there you cannot succeed in life, whatever your field may be.
Self-confidence is nothing but mental balance, courage and control over your own mind to confront the problems of life. You cannot escape from the problems of life; they are inevitable, unavoidable. We must never lose our optimistic faith. God’s grace will certainly protect us.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian.
- AmmaSpeak Mata Amritanandamayi