The Misdirected Mind and the Harm It Can Create

The Dhammapada provides the spiritual seeker with a deep wisdom that forces us to reflect and gain understanding. The Mother has taken up a particular verse about the harm caused by a mind that is not tightly focused and under control. With some consideration we can understand the deeper intent.

When an individual focuses on defeating or harming an enemy, that action is tightly concentrated and directed, thus limiting most of the harm to the enemy. The fact that an enemy is acknowledged also implies that the enemy knows about the animosity and will take appropriate measures in defense. Thus, the two antagonists may injure one another, or may neutralize one another, but the scope and harm is more or less circumscribed within the limits of their focus. The same can be said about a hater acting against another hater. In both of these examples, the scope, focus and intensity are all tightly controlled and limited for the most part to each other.

We turn then to the other part of the aphorism, that the “harm caused by a misdirected mind is even greater still.” A misdirected mind, very much unmanaged and uncontrolled is not restricted to creating issues for an enemy or a mutual hater, but can go out to loved ones, friends, or others in the community and cause substantial issues of pain and suffering, confusion and misunderstanding, all of which can spread and continue inflicting pain. Just as it is said that one should monitor one’s speech carefully to not cause undue pain to others and to make it also truthful and based in a balanced and complete understanding so as to not create disharmony or disruptions needlessly, so the mind, which both sends out vibrations without the use of speech, as well as through speech or the written word, needs to be similarly understood and managed. We cannot foresee where these thoughts will wind up and what kind of effects they will have. The thought-forms so created will have their impact, even if not consciously directed or intended. We already recognise the negative impact that even thoughtless comments can have on someone, particularly if that individual is seeking for acceptance and developing of individual self-worth. How many young children have been negatively impacted through their whole lives by a parent telling them that they are failures or incompetent, rather than working to find ways for the child to thrive within its own sphere of interest and capacity. How many people with unique capacities and talents have been discouraged by stray remarks from family or peers from developing those capacities? The effects of the unfocused or misdirected mind are wide-ranging.

Another generally unappreciated aspect is that a misdirected mind may cause harm to oneself, which we frequently observe when people tell themselves that they are weak, incompetent, ugly, old or other such self-demeaning ideas that in fact lead to harming their mental, emotional, vital and physical health and well-being.

A misdirected mind can also lead to waste and loss of time and focus, and all of the consequences that flow from that. We see many instances where someone concentrates on social media or playing video games and winds up unable to make their way within their social and economic setting later in their lives; whereas, had they been gently guided, and thereby directed their minds towards positive and productive affairs, they would reduce their later chances of suffering from failure. How much friction is created by minds focused on short-term annoyances or inconveniences rather than on the bigger issues of life?

Much of modern society purposely works to create distraction and a mind that is carried away by those distractions tends to become trapped in relatively meaningless pursuits or disputes while not using their time to create a life of meaning and real value to themselves and others. The use of misdirection is a major element of societal control. This becomes a mechanism to gather the financial wealth of the people so ensnared, as well as subordinate them, in many cases against their own true interests, to political or religious control and domination.

For the spiritual seeker, of course, the stakes are even higher. Losing focus on the real spiritual development, and misplacing the time and attention on seeking after fame, wealth, sex, power, etc. has been the downfall of many seekers over time.

The Dhammapada states: “Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy, whatever a hater may do to a hater, the harm caused by a misdirected mind is even greater still.”

The Mother comments: “… an ill-directed, ill-controlled thought does more harm than an enemy can do to an enemy or a hater to a hater. That is to say, even those who have the best intentions in the world, if they do not have a wise control over their thought, will do more harm to themselves and to those whom they love than an enemy can do to an enemy or a hater to a hater.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter II Power of Thought, pg. 12