FOR MENTAL POWER

Our mind (citta) is the master, the chief, because everything starts within the mind.

A person with a healthy mind, complete with right thought, speech and action, can

remain unwavering in the face of adversities such as loss of possessions or status,

criticism and suffering. On the other hand, a person with a mind corrupted by bad

thoughts, speech and actions, even when enjoying good fortune, improved status,

praise and happiness, will still be depressed. Practising mindfulness of the

breathing is the way to develop and build the power of the mind, comprising faith

(saddhd), effort (viriya), mindfulness, concentration and wisdom.

Faith is believing in what is reasonable. It is a belief guided by wisdom, such

as believing in the four noble truths, believing that fthe debt of gratitude owed to

one’s parents is real, that good action brings good results and bad action brings

bad results, or that we can transcend suffering with dhamma practice.

Effort is the effort to refrain from bad actions, do what is right, and purify our

mind.

Mindfulness is recollection, the power to differentiate between beneficial and

detrimental things. With the guidance of mindfulness, we will know right from

wrong, choose to observe the five precepts, recognize our responsibility towards

our family, society, and country and do our utmost to fulfill our duty.

The foundation of mindfulness is the four bases for mindfulness (satipatthd

na), being aware that body (kayo), feeling (vedand), mind (citta) and phenomena

(dhamma) are not self, not me and not mine (anattfi). They are simply what they

are. Realizing their true nature, our mind will be free from attachment, peaceful,

unselfish and happy.

Concentration is the tranquility of a well-trained mind, which is capable of

performing both worldly and spiritual affairs.

Wisdom is the consummate wisdom that realizes the real truth, the highest

level of which is understanding the four noble truths.

If we possess all the mentioned elements, we can be happy under all

circumstances no matter how grave the situations may be, and can overcome