Three powers of the mind

I was listening to this talk by Swami Sarvapriyananda about the three great powers of the mind. The one that stuck with me the most was the power of concentration. The mind is capable of intense concentration and focus but it's rarely trained to do so. I love his communication style. He seems to provide practical techniques that can be applied in daily life. 

The example from Mahabharata resonated with me. Duryodhana, the evil cousin of Arjuna is asked by Lord Krishna to change. Duryodhana says, I know what's right and wrong but I'm not able to control my impulses. Arjuna, on the other hand, asks how he can change. This is what we need to do in our daily lives. Constantly find out how to do the right thing. Everyday life distracts us from these things. One need not become a saint to strive to do the right thing. In fact, Swami Vivekananda says, "What use are scriptures if they only help the monk and not the common man?".

The enemy is the anger and passions within us. Krishna says to Arjuna, "Do not yield to them. You have the power to choose".

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