A few years ago I found a nice book by Dr. Joseph Murphy who seems to be from one of the research universities in India. The book was called "The Miracle of Mind Dynamics", and the mind is exactly the subject of the book. There is indeed a law given in this book too - we might want to call it the second Murphy's law - and looked at in one way, it is similar to the other Murphy's law too, but there's a qualitative difference. It tells you how things can go wrong, but also tells you how to get things right.
The common Murphy's law suggests that if something can go wrong, it will. This Murphy's law suggests that what you think is of utmost importance - in fact, it determines most of the course of your life! What's more, Dr. Murphy does not put this across as a matter of belief - he says that it is something he has studied over decades and puts it as a researched opinion of his, which he has been publicizing through his books and lectures all over the world. In his opinion, the sub-conscious mind networks with subtle forces across the universe to give power to whatever we deeply believe. A lot of us might believe that a deep-rooted fear of accidents can sub-consciously cause accidents, but many of us would perhaps not be so open to the idea that deeply accepting wealth as one of God's numerous gifts (to be used with responsibility) can make us wealthy or that believing in God's almighty restorative power deeply from within can cure us of diseases. By Dr. Murphy's logic, if the belief was that deep, the sub-conscious would start networking with the subtler forces of nature to make it happen, and so, there is no "mystery" about it.
The book mentions several examples where the power of belief, when harnessed properly, ultimately generated desired results. In one case, a businessman who had not been walking for over five years due to various medical problems left his crutches within four months and started walking again. In another case, someone who had lost his wealth opened his mind to the idea that wealth too, was a gift of God (like nature's snowflakes) and started mentally opening up to the idea that wealth was "good". Over time, he became very successful and attracted a lot of wealth and happiness too.
This logic has implications for many things we normally do in our daily lives. While I can't claim to remember all here, I can list some that immediately come to mind.
1. For people with spiritual aspirations (monks and others), it won't do to simply have the body engaged in holy activities and the mind elsewhere. Dr. Murphy reminds us here of an old story in which a monk whose mind was always full of hatred for a woman who lived nearby and had an occupation which wasn't considered noble ultimately found himself outside of heaven, while the woman who lived nearby found herself in heaven after her worldly life because her mind was always on the monks next door who reminded her, every moment, of God and his greatness. Shankaracharya was another great proponent of the idea that the mind plays an overwhelmingly important role in the attainment of self-realization, and that mere physical prayer - or, outward discipline - would not be enough. Dr. Murphy's logic implies the same - and this is his researched opinion, not just his belief.
2. Since there is something called a subtler realm, it is better, according to Dr. Murphy, to give loving and warm wishes to our departed loved ones for their journey ahead. The subtle body can feel the pain and suffering of its near and dear ones and it is not a great idea to pull it back to the world by constantly grieving. Rather, good wishes with a calm heart would tend to calm the subtle body of the departed too, and would perhaps leave it in a better "state of mind" for its journeys ahead.
3. Nothing comes without a price, agrees Dr. Murphy, but what exactly do we mean by this "price"? In the context of healing through faith, Dr. Murphy says that the price one has to pay is simply the cultivation of faith and deep belief in God's complete power over all forces of nature. The price is not suffering taken somewhere else. The feeling that the price of God's miracles is typically to suffer pains elsewhere is incorrect and perhaps a result of ignorance on part of people. This does not mean that Dr. Murphy wants people to get pulled into the nexus of desire and unending want, but it does mean that by themselves, desires are not "wrong" or "right". What is important is that we do not start going against God's laws in trying to get what we want.
4. What we think is immensely important - not only on the spiritual scale but also on the worldly. Before giving in to weakness, think twice. Before giving up faith, think twice. Think always on the positive side - i.e. think of health rather than of a damaged organ. Your sub-conscious will help you get health, wealth, material desire, success or whatever you deeply keep inside your mind, but if it finds fear of accidents or depressing thoughts of failure in there, then it might network with other forces of nature to bring about exactly those other things - those which you wanted to avoid like a nightmare, but which you strengthened in your heart and mind by dwelling upon too much.
Sadanand Tutakne
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