Question: What is the best way to control emotions?

Sri Chinmoy: If we use the term “control”, then we will encounter difficulties. In this world we cannot control anything; only we shall try to illumine everything. If we try to control unruly children, they disobey us more than they would have done otherwise. A child is naughty, mischievous. If the mother tries to control him, she does not succeed. Only if the mother can throw light into his daily needs or into his life of reality can she transform his life. What will happen then is that he will not find any satisfaction in his mischief; he will get joy only when he leads a better life.

In the spiritual life, when we try to control anything, that particular thing gets new strength, like elephant strength. When we try to control something, we focus attention on that particular object or subject. When we focus attention without the soul’s light, very often our opponent gets strength. If we pay attention to someone undesirable, he bothers us more than before. So we do not try to control anything; we try only to do the right thing. First things first. Instead of entering into the emotional life, we try to enter into the world of light.

Early in the morning, instead of entering into the vital or the emotional world, we try to enter into the soul. Then from the soul we get boundless strength. Since our goal is the light of the soul and not the life of indulgence, we shall always try to pay all attention to the soul’s need, to our life of aspiration. If our goal is situated to the north, we shall look only towards the north and not towards the south. If we cry for truth and light, automatically our need for pleasure-life and indulgence-life goes away from us. What we actually want is love, light and truth, so let us pay all attention to these things and ignore everything else that takes us away from our real life.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Sri Chinmoy speaks, part 4, Agni Press, 1976
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/scs_4