Powers of the Mind | Swami Vivekananda

 

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powers of the mind take up one idea make

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that one idea your life think of it

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dream of it live on that idea let the

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brain muscles nerves every part of your

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body be full of that idea and just leave

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every other idea alone this is the way

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to success if we really want to be

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blessed and make others blessed we must

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go deeper

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[Music]

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all the great prophets Saints and seers

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of the world what did they do in one

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span of life they lived the whole life

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of humanity traversed the whole length

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of time that it takes ordinary humanity

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to come to perfection in one life they

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perfect themselves they have no thought

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for anything else never live a moment

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for any other idea and thus the way is

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shortened for them this is what is meant

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by concentration intensifying the power

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of assimilation thus shortening the time

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[Music]

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the more this power of concentration the

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more knowledge is acquired because this

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is the one and only method of acquiring

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knowledge even the lowest shoe black if

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he gives more concentration will black

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shoes better the cook with concentration

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will cook a meal all the better in

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making money or in worshipping God or in

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doing anything the stronger the power of

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concentration the better will that thing

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be done this is the one call the one

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knock which opens the gates of nature

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and lets out floods of light

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[Music]

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how has all the knowledge in the world

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been gained but by the concentration of

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the powers of the mind the world is

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ready to give up its secrets if he only

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know how to knock how to give it the

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necessary blow the strength and force of

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the blow come through concentration

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there is no limit to the power of the

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human mind the more concentrated it is

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the more power is brought to bear on one

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point that is the secret

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[Music]

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no force can be created it can only be

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directed

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therefore we must learn to control the

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grand powers that are already in our

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hands and by willpower make them

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spiritual instead of merely animal

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thus it is clearly seen that chastity is

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the cornerstone of all morality and of

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all religion

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[Music]

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free.we who cannot for a moment govern

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our own minds nay cannot hold our minds

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on a subject focus it on a point to the

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exclusion of everything else for a

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moment yet we call ourselves free think

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of it the mind uncontrolled and unguided

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will drag us down down forever renders

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killaz and the mind controlled and

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guided will save us free us

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[Music]

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the main difference between men and the

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animals is the difference in their power

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of concentration all success in any line

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of work is the result of this the

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difference in their power of

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concentration also constitutes the

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difference between man and man compare

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the lowest with the highest man the

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difference is in the degree of

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concentration

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[Music]

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90% of thought force is wasted by the

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ordinary human being and therefore he is

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constantly committing blunders the train

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man or mind never makes a mistake

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[Music]

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what work do you expect from men of

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little hearts nothing in the world you

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must have an iron will if you would

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cross the ocean you must be strong

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enough to pierce mountains

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[Music]

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good and evil thoughts are each a potent

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power and they fill the universe as

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vibration continues so thought remains

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in the form of thought until translated

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into action

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for example force is latent in the man's

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arm until he strikes a blow when he

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translates it into activity we are the

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heirs of good and evil thought if we

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make ourselves pure and the instruments

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of good thoughts these will enter us the

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good soul will not be receptive to evil

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thoughts

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[Music]

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in the history of mankind you will find

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that there come the messengers and that

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from their very birth their mission is

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found and formed the whole plan is there

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laid down and you see them swerving not

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one inch from that because they come

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with a mission they come with a message

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when they speak each word is direct it

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bursts like a bombshell what is in the

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word unless it has the power behind what

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matters it what language you speak and

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how you arrange your language what

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matters it whether you speak correct

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grammar or with fine rhetoric what

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matters it whether your language is

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ornamental or not the question is

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whether or not you have anything to give

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it is a question of giving and taking

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and not listening have you anything to

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give that is the first question if you

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have then give

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[Music]

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whatever you do devote your whole mind

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heart and soul to it I once met a great

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sannyasin who cleansed his brass cooking

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utensils making them shine like gold

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with as much care and attention as he

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bestowed on his worship and meditation

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[Music]

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how to attain purity living this life

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shall we all go to the forest caves

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what good would it do if the mind is not

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under control it is no use living in a

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cave because the same mind will bring

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all disturbances there we will find 20

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Devils in the cave because all the

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Devils are in the mind if the mind is

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under control we can have the cave

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anywhere wherever we are it is our own

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mental attitude which makes the world

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what it is for us our thoughts make

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things beautiful our thoughts make

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things ugly the whole world is in our

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own minds learn to see things in the

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proper light