So first accept the limitations of the mind. You accept the body limitations; you know that you cannot fly – nobody tries. But the mind is invisible. You don’t know what is happening to this person’s mind, what is happening to that person’s mind. You are confined to your mind, one to hers, and the other to his – and nobody knows what is happening to the other.

In fact everybody needs a small window in the head so people can look in! Then they will not be worried about such things because it is happening to everybody. Then you simply accept that this is just natural. The blood goes on moving in the body, the breathing goes on moving in and out; blood circulates, breathing circulates, thinking circulates – nothing is wrong in it!

So second thing: become unconcerned. Soon you will see it is just like the barking of the dogs there. Far away in the night the dogs of the mind go on barking and you are unconcerned. And the more unconcerned you are, the bigger the distance becomes. One day you come to realize that the distance between you and your mind is greater than the distance between you and the farthest away galaxy. Because the galaxy is still at a certain distance from you, it can be measured. But from the consciousness, the thought is so far away that it cannot be measured. Even in light years it cannot be measured, because the difference is not of distance; it is of different planes.

It is just as the difference between you and other human beings is not very much, but between you and a tree it is very much; and then between you and a rock it is tremendous.

Mind and consciousness are diametrically opposite poles, but this has to be realized by and by. The first step is to accept the limitations of the mind, don’t expect the impossible; and secondly, become unconcerned, forget about it.

And feel blessed that the mind is still making noise, the clock is still tick-tocking. There is nothing to worry about, just a distance has to be felt – and it is there. It is only a question of feeling it. You understand me? Try it!

*

I work as a psychologist, a mental health counselor, in hospitals. I am thinking also of doing the work privately.

Start working privately and you can be more helpful. By and by introduce meditation wherever you are and whatsoever you do. Many mental patients can be helped through meditation. In fact western psychology has not proved of much help. So with psychiatry, side by side start helping patients to meditate.

If a mental patient thinks he can do something about his illness himself, that very idea helps tremendously. If he feels that he cannot do anything – that he just has to remain helplessly dependent on others, on drugs, on psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, treatments, electric shock and a thousand and one things – by and by he loses confidence.