Mindful action for mental peace

We have heard of criminals who perpetrate a series or chain of violent crimes and disrupt the harmony of a healthy society.A walk down the annals of history records the insatiable ambition in one of the most powerful kings of Magadha, way back in the fourth century BC. Kunika, who came to be known as Ajatashatru, imprisoned his father, king Bimbisara and usurped the throne that he was entitled to.His conscience bothered him endlessly. Instead of repenting, he chose the path of violence and waged many wars and expanded his kingdom.All the same, he suffered from penury of mental peace amidst abundance of affluence and authority. He craved for the calm that he never knew in his lifetime. His well-wishers acquainted him with the ascetic Gautama Buddha who had renounced his royal status in search of Truth.The traumatised tyrant sceptically sought solace in the Buddha. He was amazed to find the elusive solution to his conundrum in a personality that was diametrically opposite to that of his own.His constant interaction with the wise guide made him realise that he was chasing a white elephant in an unbecoming manner. He went on a guilt trip and repented for the unnecessary loss of life and property and the sorrows that he had heaped on the people.Historical records say that he reconciled and made peace with his soul at the end of his life.We are aware that history repeats itself. Now, a similar new order of disorders has descended on the civilians of the earth.  More and more people are binge eating, drinking, watching, playing, smoking, cleaning, exercising, dieting among other things either to achieve a set goal or to beat the stress that is trampling on their psyche. A lot of time, money and resources are being washed down the drain mindlessly in the name of these indulgences.Psychologists and medicos are concerned that this habit may express itself as an ailment of both the body and the mind if it is not arrested at an early stage. They are developing psychotherapy regimes of different intensities to quell the fatal side effects of such behavioural patterns. But, is prevention not better than cure? If each one of us is mindful about all that we do, mental peace will not evade us.

Source: Deccan Herald