Remedies for failure of will-power
Remedies for failure of will-power :
A situation may, however, arise when we discover that after doing all these to the best of our supposed ability, our will-power is not yet sufficiently strong. What should we do in such a situation? We should stop, think and analyze the whole situation. And we will most certainly discover that the failure of the will is taking place in a subtle way through a wrong thought process. It is thought that gets translated into action. If the thought is wrong how can the action be right? Therefore to strengthen the will-power to the expected degree we should work on the thought process.
How to work on the thought process or control thought? This by itself is a major subject for discussion. For our present purpose it will be sufficient to know that working on the thought process here means prevention of wrong movements of thought.
In one sermon Buddha specially instructs on thought control. In the conclusion of that sermon, summarizing his precepts, the Buddha said…
Remember, Bhikkhu, the only way to become victorious over wrong thoughts is to review from time to time the phases of one's mind, to reflect over them, to root out all that is evil and cultivate all that is good.
When at last a Bhikku has become victorious over his wrong thoughts...he becomes the master of his mind, conquering desire and thus ending evil for all time.
One who has become victorious over wrong thoughts cannot but have that will-power which will never fail. Now, when we proceed to practice the precept... root out all that is evil and cultivate all that is good, we find that it is something more than what we can do. What should we do when we discover our utter inner helplessness and shameful weakness? If we realize our true weakness, we should then humbly do the easiest thing. We should pray to God for will-power. It is an infallible method.
There are problems of both fulfilled and unfulfilled prayer. But in regard to the prayer for will-power we have a definite imperative of Sri Ramakrishna. Among the few things Sri Ramakrishna has definitively asked us to pray to God for will-power is one. His precept in this regard is that we should earnestly pray to God for will-power, so that we may be able to do what is right and desist from doing what is wrong so that we may be able to devote ourselves to the practice of spiritual disciplines. Moreover he has asked us and this is very important to also pray that our entire will with all its power may be united with God's will.
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Remedies for failure of will-power :
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