The Stillness Beyond The Mind

From a satsang with Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad, Spiritual Leader SWAHA Shiv Shakti Mandir of Marion Oaks, Florida

On a serene morning, during one of the Buddha’s contemplative journeys with his disciples, a moment of profound teaching arose beside the banks of a still lake. The Buddha, weary from travel, requested water. A devoted disciple made his way to the lake, only to find its once-clear waters disturbed—muddied by the recent passage of a cart.

Returning to the Buddha, the devotee respectfully explained that the water was not fit for drinking. Yet the Buddha, calm and steadfast, urged him to return. Once more the disciple found the water agitated, its silt still unsettled. It was only upon the third visit that the disciple beheld a transformation—the waters, having been left undisturbed, had settled into perfect clarity. The lake now mirrored the sky and its water was pure.

With a simple incident, the Buddha revealed an eternal truth—the nature of the human mind. The muddied water symbolises a mind stirred by agitation, overwhelmed by restlessness and reaction. But in stillness, the impurities naturally settle. So too, when we refrain from engaging every thought and impulse, clarity dawns on its own.

The Buddha’s wisdom transcends time and tradition, echoing through the ages with unchanging relevance. He taught that we need not wrestle with every passing thought, for thoughts are like fleeting guests—appearing and vanishing. The sage merely observes, neither resisting nor indulging, remaining rooted in awareness.

In harmony with the teachings of the Amrita Bindu Upanishad, this sacred story reminds us that the mind is both the source of bondage and the instrument of liberation. When entangled in materialistic craving, the mind becomes a chain; yet when free from attachment, it becomes the key to transcendence.

The teaching calls us to the stillness within—to the discipline of detachment, the power of discernment and the path of self-mastery. In a world clouded by noise and constant motion, the Buddha beckons us inward, into the sanctuary of silence where wisdom shines and truth is seen clearly.

Let us honour the Tathagata not only through remembrance, but by walking the path he illuminated—one of mindfulness, compassion and liberation through the stillness of the awakened mind.