The mental platform

I remember a common phrase that Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada used to say in regards to transcending the material. He wrote that we had to  "Get off the mental platform" in order to find true inner peace and enlightenment.

I didn't understand what he meant, until one day, while in the depths of depression, anxiety, and the automatic, loud, and unending conversation within my mind taking place as a consequence of deep emotional pain and frustration, I heard that phrase, "Get off the mental platform". I immediately felt an understanding of my mind and conceptualized my attempts to resolve this pattern through thought as if I were trying to untangle a ball of yarn without any reference point. I was only making it worse.

I turned my attention to my mantra but I quickly found that I couldn't focus. I couldn't change the thought process to something else. I was stuck. I jumped up and put on the track I am sharing at the end of this post. (please have a listen)

It is my grand-guru chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, a recording I can recall from my early childhood. I listened to the sound of his voice as he chanted slowly and just allowed myself to fall deeper into his deep calm and re-assuring mantra. I began to "get off the mental platform" I began to relax, unwind, and release. My breath became smoothe and deeper. The emotional pain began subsiding, and I soon found myself drifting off into a peaceful sleep, his voice still present, but my mind utterly peaceful.

Later on, I understood that often times psychologists recommend dealing with anxiety by doing just this, allowing the senses to take primary awareness away from thought, fear, and the tangled dialogue within. They suggest finding something to look at, something to hear, something to smell, something to touch so that your mind can get out of a cycle of perpetual and uncomfortable thinking. This can be difficult sometimes, especially when dealing with severe depression. This technique is a coping strategy, not a cure.

Getting off the mental platform is not an attempt to distract yourself from important things that really do matter, but it is a way of calming down when you are experiencing overwhelming mental activity, emotional pain, and/or painful memories.

Sometimes we get stuck there and find it really hard to wrangle our thoughts back into a helpful or stable state.

I have, at different times in my life, felt depressed, anxious, sad, lonely, and even worthless, but It was never thoughts that led me to feel better.  I've only ever made it out by various forms of meditation, breathing, cold showers, exercise, and if all else fails, my grand-gurus voice.

I hope this track also helps you calm down and find some inner peace when your mind is giving you a real handling.

Until next time.

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