Avoiding The Formation Of A Curse
Yes, there is power in positive thinking, but there is equal and opposite power in negative thinking.
Photo courtesy HS Productions
For most of us, the word curse brings fantastical images of black magic, witches’ cauldrons, and a little “eye of newt and toe of frog” to mind. But although we may be tempted to believe they are merely fantasy, curses can, in fact, be a very real manifestation of negative thoughts.
Knowing that our thoughts shape our reality, many of us focus on using the power of positive thinking and acts of love to create harmony, happiness, and success in our lives. However, we cannot ignore the existence of the negative alongside the positive in this world. If we are not mindful of our negative thinking and the poisons of the mind that constantly invade our thoughts, we stand the chance of allowing those thoughts to grow strong enough to actualize harm on ourselves or others. Yes, there is power in positive thinking, but there is equal and opposite power in negative thinking.
Reality Is The Manifestation Of Thoughts
We all exist as beings of thought. Although we are living as humans in a physical body, our existence and personality are expressed from deep within through our mind and our thoughts, from what we sometimes call our soul or spiritual entity. Our thoughts are the expression of our potential, and how we wield them determines our experience and future trajectory.
Because all thought is energy, all of us emanate thought energy every second of every day. You have felt the effects of others’ negative thought energy if you have ever come away feeling drained and depleted from an outing in a disgruntled crowd or a conversation with someone who is unhappy or angry. Conversely, the energy in a loving home makes us feel uplifted and embraced when we enter its space, and a community celebration can make us feel positively euphoric.
Whether a thought is actually materialized, however, depends on how much concentrated focus it is given. Methodologies like the power of positive thinking, visualization, the law of attraction, and even the golden rule have taught us that concentrated focus on positive thoughts, words, and actions will bring happiness, wealth, and prosperity to our life and to others. While this is true, we must be equally mindful of the pernicious power of the negative thoughts that crop up in our minds, and weed them out before they can become a curse on us or the people around us.
Protecting Against The Poisons Of The Mind
Imagine what would happen if we reversed the power of positive thinking to wish unhappiness on others using negative thoughts, words, and actions. Doesn’t it stand to reason that our negative thoughts would be as powerful as our positive thoughts?
In Buddhist teachings, the three poisons of mind that are most apt to create, sustain, and perpetuate negative thoughts, words, and actions are anger, greed, and ignorance. Jealousy and pride fall within those categories, as well. If harbored and stoked, any of these poisons can amass enough energy to wreak havoc in a very tangible way, cursing both the person harboring the poison and the object of his or her wrath.
How do we protect against the potential destruction of these poisons, then? Let’s take one of the most common poisons of the mind — jealousy — as an example.
Why are we jealous of others? The answer is very simple. We envy those whom we would like to be. Whatever it is we wish — to be smart, good-looking, athletic, successful, happily married, etc. — when we meet someone with those gifts or achievements, it is difficult to be glad for their blessing and not feel the pangs of envy.
How To Avoid The Formation Of A Curse
This is the point at which we have a choice to make. On the one hand, we can choose the enlightened path; we can recognize our envious thoughts for the lustful poison they are, and consciously nurture positive thoughts and a generous attitude toward that person. On the other hand, we can nurse our envy and allow jealousy to fester and consume us.
At what point does that consumption transform itself into a curse? A curse arises from intense thought and a will to bring misfortune and unhappiness on someone. If you obsess on jealous thoughts to the point that you begin wishing harm on the object of your jealousy, your thoughts will take on a powerfully concentrated negative energy. The momentary pang of envy that you could have plucked from your mind will have mutated into a curse. Of course, because you have chosen to fill your mind with poison, you will regret the choice at some point.
It is impossible to completely avoid negative thoughts; they are part of the human condition. However, although we can’t control when or how emotions arise, we can control how we respond to them. Awareness is key. Once we recognize the poison entering mind, we can opt not to feed it, and choose instead to apply its antidote. Rather than succumb to anger, we can cultivate loving kindness. Rather than fall prey to jealousy, we can nurture a generosity of spirit.
Think of all the negative energy you may have emitted or are sending out even now to others around you. If strong enough, and perhaps without you even realizing it, your thoughts may become a curse, which are not a figment of the imagination. Be mindful of your thoughts, and cultivate as much as possible wholesome, loving, positive thinking.
Yoichi Utebi is a world lecturer for Happy Science and a producer on The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins, a new film from Japan about three young high school students who summon the divine protectress, Master Salt, to help a friend decipher the mysterious incidents that have plagued her recently. The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins will be released in limited theatres in North America from October 21.
