Control your Mind

This is story of a prince who sacrificed all his riches and surrendered his life towards Gautam Budha. The prince enjoyed all the luxuries of life and had all comforts but still he was not happy. He came under Gautam Budha's sharan begged for shelter and requested Mahatma to make him his disciple.
Gautam Budha agreed and told him that he has to lead a life of a Bhikshu. He has to go to people's door and beg for food and he has to sleep on the floor in the open space. The prince politely agreed.
Mahatma told him to take bhiksha from only one house. In that house a rich and young lady used to stay. She was also a disciple of Mahatma.
First day when the prince went to the rich lady's house for bhiksha, she opened the door and called him inside. She gave him delicious food to eat. He relished the food and thanked the lady. When he was about to leave, she asked him "before coming here you were thinking in your mind that in bhiksha you should get rich food to eat and all that you wanted to eat I have cooked for you."
The prince agreed and left. He was thinking how could she read his mind. Anyway he touched Gautam Budha's feet and narrated everything to him. Next day again the Mahatma told him to go to the same lady's house for Bhiksha. The prince in his mind was feeling happy. He took pot and on the way was remembering his prince hood days. How he would get tasty and rich food.His wife would sit beside him. How much he was attached to his children. He slept on comfortable bed, everything was so easy. His parents and other family members would love him and now he has nothing. This way he was lost in his thoughts and reached the lady's house.

The lady opened the door for him. She offered him nice food and after that requested him to sleep on the comfortable bed in her house. After he got up from sleep, she said"I know you are missing your good old days which you have sacrificed. While on your way you thinking about rich food, comfortable bed, your family. Is it right." The prince felt ashamed that this lady can read his mind and whatever he thinks of eating, she cooks accordingly. She provides him all the possible comforts he thinks in his mind. Anyway he thanked her for all that she gave and left her house.

After that he went straight to Mahatma and requested him that next day onwards he will not go to the lady's house as she can read his mind.

Mahatma Budha insisted that he should take bhiksha from her house only. He should learn to control his mind. Gautam Budha said "now since you know that the lady has power to read your mind, try to control your mind. If you practice everyday to control your mind your desires will minimise. Your ego will be under control and the attachment(moha) towards family and the comforts you enjoyed those days will reduce. You will then learn to become a perfect disciple. Your mind is still with your rich old days. If you are serious and want to tread on my path, learn to sacrifice not the outside world but the thoughts within, the desires within. It is easy to sacrifice the outside world like money, family, friends, comforts, riches everything that we touch and feel through our senses but when you introspect within you know how much dirt is accumulated in you. You cannot live in peace. Once you have mastered the art of controlling your mind and have created the habit of introspecting within then only you can become a true saint. Short term sacrifice will not help, sacrifice from within can make you strong and you can win over anybody.