Behaviour is Your Real Book

3 months ago By Yogi Anoop

How Appropriate is Reading Books?

Look, reading books is not bad; one should definitely read books. You can read any book – the Ramayana, Mahabharata, or other spiritual texts.

Pay attention, for example: we all read the Ramayana. Almost every household has a copy of the Ramayana, and it is read regularly. Yet, disputes over land and property are also commonly seen in these homes. Most of the time, we read books just for mental relaxation because we often watch videos, which focus our eyes on the screen and tire our brain. Since a video is constantly playing, our eyes experience more strain, but a book remains still, causing very little strain on the eyes.

When we read something, our brain feels more satisfied. However, writing brings even greater satisfaction than reading. This is because, while writing, the pace of the mind and eyes slows down even more compared to reading. The pace of watching is very fast, but reading is much slower, and writing is even slower than that. This is why the body, mind, and brain experience much less fatigue.

But note, even more mental and inner satisfaction comes when the pace becomes even slower than writing – that is when we start applying what we have written. While applying, the mind and senses shift from gathering thoughts to practical implementation.

This can be understood with an example: Reading about Lord Ram, who is seen as an epitome of morality, brings a sense of calm. But if a person brings that same morality into their family life, they will experience practical satisfaction. The peace gained from reading is only temporary and fleeting, whereas the peace brought into our behavior becomes a practical experience. It is a real, lasting memory, which will surface naturally when needed. But verbal memory alone may not surface at the right moment.

This does not mean that books should not be read. The essence here is that we should strive to apply what we read in our behavior. Otherwise, we might develop a habit of just reading books without truly living what they teach.

Notice, when someone reads something, their mind calms down temporarily. In that fleeting moment of calmness, the mind gains the ability to make decisions. We don’t read books just for the sake of it, but to calm our minds and make the right decisions.

However, the problem is that while the mind becomes addicted to reading, it fails to develop the ability to apply what is read. This happens because the mind is satisfied with that temporary peace and doesn’t seek anything beyond it.

People read the Ramayana daily and even write “Ram Ram.” But it can take years to implement just one sentence from it into behavior. Think about how you can read something every day. Even if you do read, it will only be a few lines, after which the mind will want to implement them. As behavior increases, reading naturally decreases because now, instead of reading words, you start reading the events happening in the present. Since these events don’t happen as fast as the words in a book, the mind is forced to understand them deeply.

Remember, you can finish reading a book in a few days, but you cannot finish understanding the events of real life as they unfold at their own pace. You have to comprehend them as they happen, at their speed. You get a lot of time to understand them. It is said that sorrow moves so slowly that it seems like time doesn’t pass, because the pace of sorrow is so slow that we get plenty of time to understand it. This is why memories of sorrow linger longer in the brain compared to happiness, as it seems like the time of happiness passed too quickly.

finally “Behaviour is Your Real Book”

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