In Bhagavad-gita 17.16, Krsna says that satisfaction is one of the austerities of the mind.
There are plenty of circumstances while traveling to analyze the fluctuations of the mind. A friend of mine once said, “When you’re home, you get what you want. When traveling, you get what you get.”
Moving from place to place requires adjusting to new environments and situations and gives ample opportunity to practice satisfaction of the mind.
Noteworthy is that satisfaction is not dependent on our external environment. Rather, it comes as a result of practice.
The word satisfy comes from the Latin words, “satis,” which means, “enough” + “facere,” which means, “make.” Satisfaction: “make enough.”
Centuries ago, Lao Tzu, the famous Chinese philosopher said: “He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”
Watching a little baby during one of our flights, I witnessed how her moods changed frequently, her peaceful smiling quickly changing to red-faced crying and then back to smiling a while later.
Seeing her, I imagined her to be a personification of my own mind, always oscillating, accepting one thing and a minute later rejecting the same thing.
In Bhagavad-gita 2.55 Krsna calls this tendency of the of the mind, manah-gatah, “mental concoction.” Or more literally, manah-gatah means, “the mind goes.”
Observe your mind for a while, watching where it goes and how it changes.
To “identify with something” means to take it on. But since you are not the mind, you are not obligated to identify yourself with the thoughts and moods that constantly float though it.
When thoughts of dissatisfaction float by observe them and let them go by like passing clouds.
Instead, attach yourself to Krsna’s words in Bhagavad-gita like these: “My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me.” (Bg 12.16) “He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions. (Bg 4.22)
Hare Krishna!
Vaisesika das
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