The Importance of Self-Control
This Month's Reflection on Healing
Dear friends,
Also in the book “Health and Order of Body and Mind”, Hazrat Inayat Khan emphasized the great importance of self-control:
“Self-control is the most necessary thing to be learned; a person may have great spirituality, illumination and piety, but in the absence of self-control this is nothing. Self-control also is the only way of happiness and peace. Often we hear or read that persons of great repute in the world for their spirituality and mysticism do something that astonishes us very much, or make a quite childish mistake. It is want of self-control that makes them commit a mistake, against which they themselves have spoken and written many times.
Repose and control of the body are taught by postures and positions. After this comes control of the thoughts, which is the second step. First let the mind hold whatever thought interests it, any thought of love, of goodwill – whatever interests it. When you catch the mind jumping from one thing to another, bring it back and hold it. You must say: I am greater than my mind, my will is greater than my mind, and I will make my mind obey my will.
Then comes mastery of the feelings, of the heart. There must be no feeling of revenge, of unkindness, of bitterness against anyone in the heart. When such a feeling comes, one must say: this is rust coming into my heart. When all such feelings are cleared off the heart, it becomes like a mirror. A mirror without rust reflects all that is before it; then everything divine is reflected in the heart”.
In spiritual healing it is also very important for the participants in the circle to be “empty” in order to become a pure instrument to the Divine Healer."
Sufi Teachings (Vol.: VIII The Art of Being Revised, page 41/42)
With loving greetings from my heart,
Sattva.
