Unintentional negative thoughts, when they come true, are very harmful to me and sometimes loved ones. I really want to control them and don’t want to harm anyone. I am tired of the negative thoughts which I don’t want but they appear in my mind and at times, come true.
—SSing, India
Dear Friend in God,
Thoughts are powerful, as you imply in your note. This is true. However, I have seen that far too many people see themselves and their own thoughts as the cause of harm to others. What if, instead of your negative thoughts being the causative agent of harm, that instead, you are simply perceiving the possibility of harm coming to a person owing to that person’s OWN karma. Your perception may simply be an intuitive acknowledgement of existing potential rather than the CAUSE. I think it is important that you dissolve the link between your thoughts and “bad things” that happen to other people. Very few humans have that much mental power.
Now, of course, it would be also a good thing to re-direct negative thoughts: YES! The best remedy for that is to develop the habit of GOOD thoughts; AND to develop the habit that as soon as a negative thought presents itself in your mind to immediately re-direct it into a positive one!
And as good as all of that is simply this: develop LOVE FOR GOD! Your moment by moment loving mindfulness and prayerfulness will do far more to eradicate a subconscious habit of negativity than anything else. However, I do recommend both approaches: re-training the mind and subconscious AND offering one’s heart’s love to God continually and repeatedly throughout the day.
Paramhansa Yogananda wrote in his now-famous story, Autobiography of a Yogi, that “Thoughts are universally, not individually, rooted.” This means many things but including that your thoughts are NOT your own. Thoughts of anger or negativity exist IN THE ETHER and it is only the vibration of your own subconscious by habit and vibration that magnetizes those thoughts to appear in your conscious mind. Change your thoughts and you will change your life!
Blessings and Joy to you!
Nayaswami Hriman
Seattle WA USA
www.Hrimananda.org
