A petty mind ( 28 april 2006)

Petty Mind

A passionate mind is groping, seeking, breaking through, not accepting anytradition; it is not a decided mind, not a mind that has arrived, but it is a youngmind that is ever arriving.Now, how is such a mind to come into being? It must happen. Obviously, a petty mindcannot work at it. A petty mind trying to become passionate will merely reduceeverything to its own pettiness. It must happen, and it can only happen when themind sees its own pettiness and yet does not try to do anything about it.

Am Imaking myself clear? Probably not. But as I said earlier, any restricted mind,however eager it is, will still be petty, and surely that is obvious. A small mind,though it can go to the moon, though it can acquire a technique, though it cancleverly argue and defend, is still a small mind. So when the small mind says, "Imust be passionate in order to do something worthwhile," obviously its passion willbe very petty, will it not?—like getting angry about some petty injustice orthinking that the whole world is changing because of some petty, little reform donein a potty, little village by a potty, little mind. If the little mind sees allthat, then the very perception that it is small is enough, then its whole activity,undergoes a change.

The Book of Life - April 28