Story: Show Me Your Mind

Once there was a great guru. At one darshan (being in the presence of the yogi master) the guru called upon one disciple and said: “Show me your mind”.

The room was full of people from all around the globe.

The simple disciple felt nervous, shy and a bit intimidated. So he kept quiet. Besides, he pondered, “What on earth am I going to say?”

The guru changed his inquiry, “Do you have a mind?”

The disciple replied, “Yes.”

“OK, then show it to me.”

The disciple merely shook his head.

The guru inquired: “Do you have a mind?”

This time the disciple replied, “No.”

There was mild & sympathetic laughter all around. All were watching with great interest.

“Really, you do not have a mind?”

“I do.”

“Okay, so once again we have established that you have a mind – then show it to me.”

The disciple remained quiet.

The guru said, “This brother is correct. He has a mind but he cannot show it to me. He can feel his own mind but he is incapable of showing it to anyone else.”

Then the guru came to his main point.

“Same is the case with spirituality and inner realization and the consciousness that pervades every pore of this universe. You yourself can feel it but you cannot show it to anyone else. Each and every person has to discover it for his or herself. There is no other way.”

May we all take a moment each day to feel that inner connection. The distractions of life often divert us from this inner truth. And no material transaction can give us the peace that lies within. It cannot be shown to us from without. Just we all have to take it upon ourselves to experience it first-hand. That is what our yoga practice is all about. To sit still, contemplate, open up the doors and windows of the mind, and tap into the inner peace inherent to all.