Man is constantly afflicted with some source of worry or other. He is never free from anxiety. Why? Because he is identifying himself with the body. How did he acquire this body? Through his past activities and deeds. What were they caused by? By the twin pulls of love and hate. How did they originate? They were born out of the entanglement in duality, in the opposites. And, why does he get snared by them? Ignorance of the Truth, the ONE.
The mind has as its warp and woof, desire or thirst for something or other, getting some gain or avoiding some loss. Desire arises from attachment, often the consequence of delusion. Desire distorts and denigrates the mind. It keeps the mind incessantly agitated. No plain of water can be calm when stones are dropping on it and if there is a perpetual shower of desires, the mind too will be pitifully restless.
Indeed, more than physical ailments, mental diseases are growing limitlessly. The most common source of illness among people today is tension. What is the cause of tension? It is indulgence in excesses of various kinds. Mental sickness caused by tension and worry gives us so many bodily ailments. Most diseases have their origin in the mind. Everything has a psychological basis. When a person feels that something is wrong with him, he develops an illness. Man today is afflicted with discontent. As one set of desires are satisfied, other desires go on cropping up. If desires are reduced, contentment will grow.
Excessive thinking, worrying, and studying is the main cause for man’s illness. Some students are absorbed in studies all the time, because of which they lose their health. There is a limit to everything. The Greek philosopher Aristotle conducted extensive research on the digestive system of man, and as a result of too much thinking, his health deteriorated, and ultimately he died of digestive problems. Constant investigations into cardiac ailments made the heart specialist, Dr. Herin, a heart patient, and ultimately led to his death. Excessive activity in any field is harmful to health. Do not spend much thought on the body; some people worry always about health, and they are never satisfied with the care they bestow on the body.
Bear in mind the limitations of the body and act accordingly. The main cause of your illness is psychological. This is nothing but illusion and delusion. We start imagining that a disease that is present in another person may also be present in us. 80% of the diseases are psychological. If you check your pulse rate under anxiety, you will find it abnormal.
Evil thoughts cause ill-health. Anxiety, fear and tension also contribute their share. All these results from greed, greed to have more of things, of power and of fame. Greed results in sorrow and despair. The rich man is not contented in spite of the accumulation of wealth. Worry causes hurry and both together bring about ill-health.
It is not only unbridled passion that damages the health of man. Living on ill-gotten money also causes ill-health to some extent. Living on earnings obtained by unjust means causes many unknown diseases to take root in us. It is said:
As is the food, so is the mind;
As is the mind, so are the thoughts;
As are the thoughts, so is the conduct;
As is the conduct, so is the health.
