Is time sufficient for preparing for competitive exams
and also practising meditation?
(a) Yes.
(b) How long would
you meditate? 15-30 minutes twice a day at the most. Can’t you get this much time out of 24 hours?
(c) This question has
arisen because you have not understood or realized the importance of
meditation. You don’t ask a similar question about eating, sleeping, etc.
because you think they are indispensable and they must be done even while
preparing for examinations. Please note, meditation—rightly done—is far more
important than sleep or intake of food.
(d) Sometimes, in
business, we have to invest money to get greater returns. Meditation is like
investing time to get better returns. Good meditation regularly done will make
you calmer, sharper, improve your concentration and you will be able to make
better use of time.
A person with good
concentration can accomplish more in 10 minutes than one who lacks
concentration. Does the word ‘relative’ address this point also?
The
word relative can be applied in this case also. After all, as compared to one,
the other has better concentration. It is a question of degree. But this can be
altered by effort. Concentration can be improved by systematic practice. As a
matter of fact, time is not an absolute entity. It is relative. For example, if
the speed of the car is increased, we can cover the same distance in less time.
According to Romain Roland, the French writer, Sri Ramakrishna lived the 2000
years of human race within his short life span of 50 years—so intensely did
he live! It is very important to realize this relative aspect of time.
There
is also what is called a biological/physiological clock. We have divided the
day into 24 hours, and further into minutes and seconds and measure them with
the help of a watch or a clock. Our body system also gets conditioned by our
living habits. For example, we sleep at a particular time, eat at a fixed hour
and so on. This conditioning can also be altered by practice, so that we might
sleep less, and think or act more. The whole physiological clock can be made
to work faster.
Some people are fast
enough to complete their work in time, but a large number of people are slow
and take double the time. What should these people do for time management,
because there are only 24 hours in a day?
They
must do ‘Mind Management’. As a matter of fact, time management is largely a
matter of ‘mind management’. We are not
able to harness the tremendous energy and capabilities of our mind. There are,
of course, techniques of time management. But far more important is to
improve the capabilities of the mind.
Please tell us about
both time management and mind management.
(a)
Time management and mind management are interrelated, which will be clear as we
proceed. Take for example the first most important thing in time management:
Prevent wastage of time. Time is precious—more precious than money or, in
modern times, water. One moment past, will never return. Especially, the time
of the youth is most precious. This is the time when your mind is bright,
strong, and impressionable. If wasted, it will never come back, and you will
have to repent bitterly.
(b)
It is equally important to know what are the various ways in which we waste
time. These could be many: useless gossip, laziness, engaging in mental
reveries and empty imaginations; thinking too much of the past or having imaginations
about the future, aimless loitering, destructive activities, etc., etc. There
could be many more ways in which time is wasted. To know these is a part of
mind management.
In
religious texts, this prevention of wastage of time is given very great
importance. In Narada Bhakti Sutras it is said that a devotee must not waste
even half a moment uselessly (kshanârdhamapi vyartham na neyam).
Will it not make us
obsessed with time?
Yes,
quite right. That is another extreme—to be obsessed with time which causes
a lot of mental tension. There are people who are always busy, always in a
hurry; they don’t want to waste a single
moment. Such people become a prey to mental tension. In a book published a
few years ago, entitled Time, Space and Medicine, the author, a
doctor, has described that obsession with time can cause hypertension, heart
disease and mental tension. Such people always have a big list of what to do,
and a minute-to-minute time table, without which they feel uncomfortable. Such
people can’t relax, and hence suffer from anxiety.
This is a very
difficult situation: to make the best use of time, and at the same time not to
be obsessed with it. How can it be done?
That’s
why I said that mind management is far more important than time management. But
then, I was giving you hints about time management.
The
second principle of time management can be termed as ‘Fill up the blanks’. We
know, filling up of blanks as an exercise in learning languages. Now, in
day-to-day life we shall find a number of occasions when we are forced not to
do anything. Even though we might have prepared a tight time-table, we might
still have lot of time in between these items. For example, while waiting for
the bus, traveling in bus or train, the time between the end of one class
(period) and beginning of another class (period) in the college, etc.
By
these two methods, i.e., prevention of wastage of time and making use of in between
times, you will find that you have much more time at hand than you ever
imagined.
Are there any other
principles of Time Management?
Yes,
the third principle of time management is to make a daily, weekly, monthly and
yearly time-table as well as a list of works to do. However, be careful not to
be obsessed by these time-tables of works.
I do plan every time.
But sometimes there are obstructions which upset the plan. What can be done?
Things
do not always happen according to our wishes or plans. You must have the
capacity to alter a plan according to the situation. It is also important to
keep one’s cool and not get disturbed.
But how to keep one’s
cool?
Herein
lies the need for ‘Mind Manage-ment’, and the first principle of mind
management is this: to remain cool always. Sri Krishna had advised Arjuna to
fight—please note—fight keeping the mind cool and undisturbed by success or
failure. Swami Vivekananda has said: ‘The calmer we are, the less disturbed our
nerves, the more shall we love and better will our work be.’
Let
me tell you a story: Two enemy kings were engaged in lifelong war with each
other. In the decisive one-to-one battle, one of the kings felled his enemy and
was about to give the final lethal blow, when the fallen, prostrate, vanquished
king spat on the face of the striker. The striking king became red with rage,
but strangely, instead of inflicting multiple severe blows, stopped and
withdrew his spear. He asked the fallen enemy to get up and go in peace.
Why? Because, the victor king said, he had fought for so many years without
losing his temper. But at the final moment of the battle, he lost his cool and
got angry when the enemy spat on his face! This, he considered a defeat.
This,
of course, is an extreme example. But it highlights a very important value:
That keeping one’s cool is far more important than even success or failure of
one’s enterprise. Nay, this equipoise, which is called ‘samatva’ in the
Gita, is in itself a goal, or target to be achieved.
Ok. I also realize
the importance of remaining cool. But how to do it?
Once
you are convinced thoroughly about the importance of keeping one’s cool, you
will naturally strive for it.
Sometimes we may be
in a very important or a very urgent situation. In that case, how to keep
oneself cool?
Yes,
in extreme, urgent situations, you might initially lose your balance, as Arjuna
did on the battlefield, but gradually you will attain perfect undisturbed calm.
The
second important principle of ‘Mind Management’ is to have the right attitude
towards time itself!
Time is a sort of
tool in our hands. We are given specific time to use. This is what our attitude
is towards time. What else do you mean by our attitude towards time?
I
shall explain my idea through Swami Vivekananda’s example: Once, in America, he
was to deliver a talk in his own apartment at 4:00pm. People had assembled but
Swamiji was not to be found even five minutes before the talk. The person
incharge ran out to the street and found Swamiji coming from a distance in a
leisurely manner. He ran to Swamiji and asked him to hurry, because it was
already late. Swamiji did not hasten his pace but coolly said, ‘You live in
time; I live in eternity.’
What
was Swamiji’s attitude towards time? He considered himself the birthless,
deathless Atman beyond time and space. Hence he was never bound by time, never
in a hurry, and yet could lead an intense life.
What
I am trying to point out is that we must carefully rethink about our attitude
towards time, world and life as a whole.
What about our social activities and commitments? How to
decide which social activity is important and deserves priority?
As
I have already said, you must carefully rethink about your whole life. This
also means deciding and fixing one’s priorities. As students, acquisition of
knowledge and character building must be given top priority. All else like
social responsibility, meeting with friends and relatives, etc. must be given
secondary importance. Only social activities like service to the poor, which
will help in character building, expansion of heart and development of
sensitivity towards poor peoples’ suffering must be given importance. You may
also spend time with learned scholars and men of noble character. You must
manage time accordingly.
But
there are situations wherein we are compelled to spend time with others. How
should we maintain relationship with others, and yet manage time well?
You
are not obliged to spend time with or maintain relationship with those who are
a hindrance to your goal of character building and acquisition of knowledge.
Better avoid such evil company which does not allow healthy and fruitful
management of time. Initially, such distracters may oppose you, mock or insult
you; but later they will stop disturbing you and even admire you.
But,
as I said, by all means spend time in holy, noble and inspirational company.
This is a better way of managing time.
I am able to work
efficiently only if there is an urgency. How can I do it efficiently even if
there is no urgency? How should I inspire myself for studies?
Consider
every work you are doing as urgent and important. No work is small. Even
sweeping the room, washing clothes etc are as important as studies or
meditation. First of all impress this idea on your mind firmly. The greatness
of a person lies not in what great works he has done, but how efficiently and
dedicatedly he does the smallest work. Not only this; if you do every action
with full dedication and efficiency, your concentration will improve and it
will also help in your studies.
What is the exact
meaning of yogah karmasu kaushalam?
According
to the primary meaning as explained in the Bhagawad Gita, working in such a way
as not to be attached to work and its fruits, is meant by the phrase karmasu
kaushalam or dexterity in work. But there is also an implied meaning.
It is taken for granted that the work is done with fullest concentration,
highest efficiency and total dedication. In other words, karmasu
kaushalam means working with tremendous zeal as well as perfect
detachment.
We know that doing work with concentration and efficiency is
important. But what is the advantage of detachment?
If
you learn the art of detachment, you will not feel miserable, frustrated or
depressed when you fail in your endeavour, nor will you be over-elated in
success. You will be able to maintain equipoise, i.e., samatva. You
will remain cool and composed in every situation.
That is exactly what we want: Efficiency with perfect
calmness. How can that be attained?
By
‘Mind Management,’ some of the principles of which I have already explained.
Let me summarize them:
1.
Meditation: Do regular meditation. Make it a
daily routine and hold on to it for the
rest of your life. It will help you in concentration as well as detachment.
2.
Do
all your activities, even the apparently most insignificant ones with fullest
concentration.
3.
Have
a philosophical attitude towards life; and set your priorities clearly.
Although study is your primary aim, ponder about higher goals also like
character building, spiritual emancipation, service, etc.
