The Misdirected Mind and the Harm It Can Create

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The Dhammapada provides the
spiritual seeker with a deep

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wisdom that forces us to reflect
and gain understanding.

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The Mother has taken up a
particular verse about the harm

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caused by a mind that is not
tightly focused and under

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control.
With some consideration, we can

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understand the deeper intent.
When an individual focuses on

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defeating or harming an enemy,
that action is tightly

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concentrated and directed, thus
limiting most of the harm to the

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enemy.
The fact that an enemy is

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acknowledged also implies that
the enemy knows about the

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animosity and will take
appropriate measures in defense.

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Thus, the two antagonists may
injure one another or may

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neutralize one another, but the
scope and harm is more or less

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circumscribed within the limits
of their focus.

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The same can be said about a
hater acting against another

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hater.
In both of these examples, the

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scope, focus, and intensity are
all tightly controlled and

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limited for the most part to
each other.

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We turn then to the other part
of the aphorism that the quote

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harm caused by a misdirected
mind is even greater still.

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End Quote.
A misdirected mind, very much

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unmanaged and uncontrolled, is
not restricted to creating

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issues for an enemy or a mutual
hater, but can go out to loved

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ones, friends or others in the
community and cause substantial

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issues of pain and suffering,
confusion and misunderstanding,

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all of which can spread and
continue inflicting pain.

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Just as it is said that one
should monitor one's speech

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carefully to not cause undue
pain to others and to make it

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all so truthful and based in a
balanced and complete

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understanding so as to not
create disharmony or disruptions

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needlessly.
So the mind, which both sends

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out vibrations without the use
of speech as well as through

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speech or the written word,
needs to be similarly understood

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and managed.
We cannot foresee where these

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thoughts will wind up and what
effects they will have.

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The thought form so created will
have their impact, even if not

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consciously directed or
intended.

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We already recognize the
negative impact that even

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thoughtless comments can have on
someone, particularly if that

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individual is seeking for
acceptance and developing of

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individual self worth.
How many young children have

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been negatively impacted through
their whole lives by a parent

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telling them that they are
failures or incompetent, rather

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than working to find ways for
the child to thrive within its

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own sphere of interest and
capacity?

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How many people with unique
capacities and talents have been

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discouraged by stray remarks
from family or peers from

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developing those capacities?
The effects of the unfocused or

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misdirected mind are
wide-ranging.

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Another generally unappreciated
aspect is that a misdirected

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mind may cause harm to oneself,
which we frequently observe when

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people tell themselves that they
are weak, incompetent, ugly, old

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or other such self demeaning
ideas that in fact lead to

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harming their mental, emotional,
vital and physical health and

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well-being.
A misdirected mind can also lead

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to waste and loss of time and
focus and all of the

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consequences that flow from
that.

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We see many instances where
someone concentrates on social

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media or playing video games and
winds up unable to make their

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way within their social and
economic setting later in their

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lives, whereas had they been
gently guided and thereby

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directed their minds towards
positive and productive affairs,

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they would reduce their later
chances of suffering from

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failure.
How much friction is created by

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minds focused on short term
annoyances or inconveniences

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rather than on the bigger issues
of life?

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Much of modern society purposely
works to create distraction, and

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a mind that is carried away by
those distractions tends to

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become trapped in relatively
meaningless pursuits or

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disputes, while not using their
time to create a life of meaning

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and real value to themselves and
others.

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The use of misdirection is a
major element of societal

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control.
This becomes a mechanism to

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gather the financial wealth of
the people so ensnared, as well

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as subordinate them, in many
cases against their own true

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interests, to political or
religious control and

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domination.
For the spiritual seeker, of

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course, the stakes are even
higher.

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Losing focus on the real
spiritual development and

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misplacing the time and
attention on seeking after fame,

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wealth, sex, power, et cetera,
has been the downfall of many

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seekers overtime, the Damapata
states.

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Quote whatever an enemy may do
to an enemy.

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Whatever a hater may do to a
hater.

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The harm caused by a misdirected
mind is even greater still.

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End Quote.
The mother comments quote an

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I'll directed I'll.
Controlled thought does more

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harm than an enemy can do to an
enemy or a hater to a hater.

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That is to say, even those who
have the best intentions in the

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world, if they do not have a
wise control over their thought,

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will do more harm to themselves
and to those whom they love than

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an enemy can do to an enemy or a
hater to a hater.

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End Quote.
Reference Srioro Bindu and the

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Mother.
Powers within, Chapter 2.

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Power of Thought, page 12.