When one is really free from thoughts he becomes free from the mind as both are one and the same thing. One comes to see and understand the illusiveness of the mind. When the clouds hide the sun, it is still there, beyond the clouds. Our Essence, our inner Self, is always here. We only need to remove the sheets and covers that envelope it in order to experience peace and calmness. These sheets and covers are our thoughts, ideas, habits and beliefs. I do not mean to tell you that you have to stop using your mind. You need it in order to carry on your life. I mean that it has to be under the control of the Self. It should be your servant to serve you right, and not your master.
Advice for Attaining Serenity of Mind
You don’t have to feel uncomfortable with words such as Self, Inner Self Essence, Universal Consciousness etc. They may now seem to you meaningless “high” words, but they are not. They symbolize something very real, not hazy concepts. Concentration and meditation make these words meaningful. Advancing on the spiritual path is not something hazy, imaginative and unpractical as some may imagine. By personal experience you will come to really know what I mean.
Everyone can learn a new language, but not everyone can reach the same level of expertise. Everyone can engage in bodybuilding, painting or writing, but each will reach a different level. It depends on the inner aptitude, the earnestness, and the time devoted to this activity. Yet, everyone can benefit from these activities. So it is with training towards freedom from thoughts.
Try to calm your mind when you feel agitated. Take a step back in your mind and watch it. This has the tendency to calm and relax the mind. Develop concentration power and meditate. All these actions calm the mind and make it serene.
Following the suggestions and using the techniques mentioned above will start you on a marvelous journey. Practice, read articles and books on the subject and persevere in your training. One day you may meet someone who may teach you personally, as the saying goes: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”
Try to watch your thoughts during the day, as if they are not yours, without being sucked into them. Become conscious of the fact that you are watching your thoughts. Then this awareness of watching will increase.
You will have to remind yourself incessantly to practice watching your thoughts, as your mind will probably make you forget. Do not give up and you will succeed. If you practice as often as you can, you will be on the way to success. It may take some time, but the effort is more than worthwhile.
You can also increase your peace of mind by developing the power of concentration, by meditation, by physical exercise and by correct breathing.
The important thing is, practice, practice, and practice. Remember!
You are not your mind!
You are not your thoughts!
You are not your ideas!
You are not your beliefs!
They may be yours, but they are not you.
They are instruments you use, do not let them control you.
What remains after they are rejected is You, the real I.
When thoughts cease, you still exist. There is no vacuum, When the emptiness of no thoughts is reached, you begin to feel your existence, your being. This emptiness is filled with something great, wonderful, powerful and sweet. You start living in Peace. You sail on the water of the calm mind. This is Pure Existence.
When you realize this state you are free from thoughts.
Then you are really free.
In this state nothing can influence you. You stop acting instinctively on the prompt of each passing thought. You become a completely conscious being, alive, strong, beyond everything.
You stay in this world. Your life continues, but you are beyond.
True peace of mind is the gate to Enlightenment.
Think of serenity of mind as a feasible possibility. Calm your mind by autosuggestions, meditation and concentration, and start enjoying peace of mind.
我们享受到内心的宁静，并感到快乐和心满意足时，往往是生活之河平稳地向前流淌之时：拥有一份满意的工作、良好的人际关系、健康的身体和优越的经济条件。当我们没有焦虑和压力，也不繁忙时，便会平静下来。
但是，日常生活并不总是如此。我们总会为一些事情焦虑、紧张和不安，无法平静下来。尽管如此，我们仍然可以享受到宁静，而忽略外在的条件。内心的宁静是一种心理状态，并不受外在条件的约束。为什么一定要等到“合适”的环境呢？为什么要让内心的平静取决于外在的条件呢？
一个人可能贫穷，也可能富有；可能健康，也可能患病；可能自由，也可能受约束。但内心的平静和安宁每个人都能得到。不管是奴隶，还是自由人，都可能享受到内心的平静。
在这个世界上，内心的平静似有似无。如果摆脱外在条件的束缚，此时此刻你就能感受到。即使在最艰难的条件下，你仍然可以拥有内心的安宁和平静。当然，首先你要接受一些培训。
思索会让内心平静
我们会产生想法，并会去思考这些想法。我们可以选择忽视它们，去体验内心真正的自由。或者，我们选择用更多的关注去浇灌它们，促使其成长。
当你必须思考时，只选择积极、快乐和乐观的想法。要去思考和想象你真正的渴望，并相信他们迟早会实现。永远记住，生活是由你的思想决定的。
当心灵静默时，你就会拥有一种内心的幸福和外在的快乐。
如果心灵的需要得不到满足，仍能保持静默，这就是一笔巨大的资本和优势。
要使心灵平静，实际上是要从难以抗拒的不断思考中解脱出来。人人都可以做到，只是要经过适当的训练，只读这篇文章并不能让你的内心平静下来。当你懂得了内心平静的价值，就会真正渴望成功，并在追求过程中克服一切阻碍。尽管这是一种内在的能量，但获取它的方式与其他实际目标一样，必须努力和坚持。
大多数人都沉迷在自己的思考中，很少有人能摆脱它，获得身心自由。从我们清晨醒来的那一刻起，脑子里一直在思考，直到晚上入睡为止。思考是人类根深蒂固的习惯，但这种习惯仍然可以改变。
要改变或戒掉一种习惯，我们必须有意识地采取相反方式的行动。不管我们是在学习什么新的技能，都要努力学习，直到它转化成第二天性，变得随心所欲。控制心灵也是如此。
真正控制心灵，并不是仅仅在一种思考上集中注意力，忽视其他思考的能力，而是一种完全净化思考并使其静默的能力。印度有一位伟大的智者说过：“心灵只是各种思想的综合，停止思考，表露心灵。”
当一个人真正摆脱了思想的束缚，心灵也就不再受禁锢，才能认清并懂得心灵的幻觉，因为两者是合二为一并且本质相同的东西。当乌云蔽日时，太阳还在，只不过被云遮住了。我们的本质，内心的真我也一直存在，只是需要除去包裹和封套，才能体会到平静和安宁。这些包裹和封套就是我们的思想、观念、习惯和信仰。我并不是让你停止思考，你需要思考来延续自己的生命。我的意思是，你必须控制自己的思考，它必须是你的仆人，为你服务，而不是你的主人。
达到心灵平静的忠告
你不必对这些诸如自我、内在本质、普遍意识等词语反感，现在，它们对于你来说，也许是些“高深莫测”的词语，其实不是。它们象征着一些非常实际的东西，而不是一些朦胧的概念。集中精力和冥思苦想会让它们意味深长。精神之路的探索并不是某些人想象中的那些模糊、虚幻和不切实际的东西。通过亲身经历，你就会明白我的意思。