What Is the Most Important Thing?

We have two kinds of agents working together: the body and the mind. Most of the time, they operate in parallel. The body may be engaged in one activity while the mind is focused on something else. For example, the body may be cutting vegetables while the mind is thinking of a song. Or the body may be walking while the mind is somewhere else entirely.

Sometimes, the body and mind focus on the same task, especially in situations of urgency or importance, such as saving a life in a disaster zone. However, this is not the usual case. There are a few people for whom such alignment has become common, but even they notice moments when the body and mind do not work in sync.

The body is always involved in some kind of task. Even when it seems idle, it continues functions like breathing. The mind, however, is more free and tends to drift toward unrelated or random thoughts. The best way to prevent this is to keep the mind engaged with some form of activity. Examples include solving a math puzzle, learning a verse or poem, or repeating a meaningful sentence, which can be called a mantra.

Some minds may enjoy these tasks, while others may not. People are generally more drawn to images and videos than to words. So thinking of relevant images or mental videos can also help guide the mind away from distraction. Still, one of the most effective methods to focus the mind is the chanting of the Lord’s name. Many people have experienced and continue to experience its benefits.

Chanting a divine name helps prevent the mind from wandering. It is more effective than other methods because it requires very little effort. It can be done aloud, softly, or silently in the mind. The tongue plays a key role here, acting as a bridge between body and mind, because the mind thinks in words. When we are speaking, it is usually hard to think of something unrelated. This way, chanting either quiets the mind or brings it into the present moment.

Why chant the name of the Lord and not just any random word? Because it is hard to stay connected to a meaningless word for long. We naturally seek reassurance from our surroundings about the value of what we are doing. Therefore, it is easier to choose names that are already being chanted by others, especially by those who are focused and have achieved what we also hope to achieve.

It helps to ask the mind regularly: Are you chanting the name or not? Have you found something more important than chanting? The mind might reply, Let me finish planning first and then I will chant. But most of these plans are vague and often never used. Only a few plans truly matter. While making such plans, we can train the mind to say the name once after each thought or word.

Chanting helps us move away from thoughts of the past and future and brings us into the present. The past no longer exists. The future is uncertain. The only reality we can act upon is the present. The present becomes powerful when the body and mind work together, and when the mind is not allowed to drift without purpose.