First, Seek Mind Control

Buddha taught:

1. First, seek mind control
2. Learn the essential nature of this world of life and death
3. Make good use of this life
4. Ever radiating thoughts of goodwill and compassion

It should be self evident, that if you don’t have your thinking straight, you won’t get anything else right. That is why the Buddhist system starts with Perfect Thought.

Buddha taught that a person, any person, each person’s mind may make them a Buddha or a beast.  We have the choice to make; create either one of the extreme results of Buddha or beast or anything in between for our lives.

Seek mind control is about taking charge of your mental activities.  This is the step that allows you to proactively decide to implement the rest of the system.

You have to learn to understand and truly appreciate the essential nature of this world of life and death to understand the urgency with which you must implement the system.  One of my favorite movies is the old Harrison Ford movie “Blade Runner”.  At the end of the movie he is driving off to space with his robot girlfriend who by the nature of her programming has a definite and certain end to her “life” but they don’t know what it is.  The Harrison Ford character properly points out the fact that this is true for all of us.

Meditating on the absolute certainty that this life has a definite end point and we don’t know when it is and therefore must always be prepared for it ignites the urgency to “Make good use of this life”.

Buddha’s commandment to accomplish the goal of making good use of this life is to be ever radiating thoughts of goodwill and compassion.

What methods do you utilize to achieve mind control?