Why Does My Mind Become Anxious?
Look, it is not only your mind that becomes anxious; the minds of most people do. The mind does not want to lose itself, it does not want to dissolve, and it does not want to bow down.Generally, this is the very nature of the mind. It wants to preserve its existence, even if it has to endure immense restlessness and suffering because of it.
However, when such a situation arises—when external circumstances become such that a person begins to realize that the mind’s existence is about to come to an end—the mind starts to struggle.
It generates countless thoughts to protect itself, invents new arguments and mental tendencies, and tries in every possible way to preserve its own existence.
When the world itself begins to destroy the mind, that situation becomes extremely painful. A person experiences many kinds of suffering.
Even after enduring so much pain, the mind continues to exist because the root cause of suffering has still not come to an end.
But when the fire of the true realization of the ego (Self-realization) burns the mind, its ignorance is reduced to ashes. In the same way, becoming free from worldly bondage is Spiritual liberation
This is freedom from the slavery of the mind; it is the end of ignorance. As long as the mind keeps identifying itself with the body and the world, it remains in bondage. But the moment this illusion comes to an end, the door to liberation opens.
The mind does not truly belong in the world. It may certainly provide a little happiness, but even that happiness lasts only as long as inner suffering remains temporarily forgotten.
In reality, that suffering does not disappear; it is merely suppressed. Ignoring it does not eliminate it. To recognize inner suffering in its true form, to understand its cause, and for it to come to a complete end—that is to attain Supreme Bliss.
How Does a Mind Centered on the Ego Become Anxious?
Generally, a mind that remains anxious is structured in such a way that ego stands at its center. Ego means, “I am this body, and this body has a special identity.” This very belief is ego.However, if reality is seen as it truly is, there is nothing special about it. Just as it is, so is the body of its neighbor. The body is merely a part of nature; there is no independent “I” in it when seen through true knowledge.
The mind becomes anxious when it fails to obtain the worldly object to which it wants to cling, the enjoyment that it considers itself to be the enjoyer of, or when someone else begins to obtain it.
Then thoughts arise within it such as, “What belongs to me has been obtained by someone else,” or “What was mine is moving away from me.” These very thoughts give rise to inner unrest and anxiety.
Now reflect on what lies at its center. At the center is the body, the identity of the body, and the notion of “mine” associated with it. If the center itself is like this, how can the mind not become anxious?
You have placed at the center of your life the very thing that gives birth to restlessness, mental instability, sorrow, anxiety, and stress. All these disturbances arise from it, and the mind remains constantly engaged in protecting it.
Does the Anxiety of the Mind Ever Come to an End?
Mental anxiety is a disease of the mind that keeps returning again and again. The reason is the same: when the object of enjoyment begins to move away from the enjoyer, when the object of mental attachment is not being obtained, or when it starts slipping away, the mind becomes anxious.Then attachment changes its form. Just as a chameleon changes its color, that very attachment and possessiveness later transform into sorrow, anger, fear, jealousy, insecurity, and many other mental disturbances.
These may appear to be different from one another, but their root cause is the same. One and the same thing merely keeps changing its colors.
There is also a remedy.
If you wish to live life in the right way, why is meditation essential in your life?
Because unless you know your mind, understand its nature, and recognize its illusion, you cannot become free from it.
Meditation is not a way of suppressing the mind; it is a way of understanding it. Only when the mind is seen as it truly is does the possibility of going beyond it arise.
When your mind begins moving toward sorrow, you are generally not even aware that you are heading toward suffering.
Such is the nature of illusion. Just as moths do not know that the fire will destroy them and, out of ignorance, they leap into it, in the same way human beings, because of their ignorance, are repeatedly drawn toward the very things that eventually become the cause of their suffering.
As long as this ignorance does not come to an end, the anxiety of the mind also does not come to an end. That is why, without Self-knowledge (knowing one’s true Self), a permanent end to the restlessness of the mind is not possible.
