By Dr. Manijeh Motaghy, April 10, 2025

Have you ever swam in a river with murky,  green, cloudy water? As soon as you walk or jump in you feel good, even excited, but quickly you realize you can’t see through it and wonder what danger might be belowthe surface. What if something grabbed or bit you? No, but what if?

You swim, float and try not to think about it, but that sense of not knowing, that fear and anxiety is still there.

In contrast, have you ever swam or dipped into a clear running stream, where you can see everything? The big rocks and little pebbles, how the stream finds a way over, under, through, and around obstacles on its way. You come alive even by watching this gushing flow.

Swimming in this sheer stream, you feel utterly fresh, rejuvenated, cool and calm. A lasting smile turns into spontaneous laughter and exhilaration. You feel blessed for touching its purity and being one with it. You sink into the silent awe of its generous, abundant, nourishing qualities.

Even the sun rays hitting the stream are crisper and more energizing than on the murky river. There’s no fear or anxiety. You know everything is perfect!

This is how our minds feel.

On its own, the mind is pure and clear. It is joyous, one with the universe, and feels fine. Everything is right.

Then, it becomes impure with the types of thoughts, choices, emotions, intentions, and actions that make it murky. Jealousy, envy, greed, judgement, ill will, tension, deceitfulness, regret, restlessness, anger, confusion, fogginess, and so on, muddy the mind. One can’t see below the surface, the causes of their unhappiness.

They live with fear and constantly try to find a way to feel good. Temporary solutions muddy the mind even more. One thinks: only if I succeed in this project or that acquisition, I’ll get it right. Or when I have that husband, or the baby, I will be happy. Only if such matters played out my way… that I must do what I can, twist the truth, step on someone else’s rights, take that which is not offered, and alike.

On and on, the mind goes, creating more mud and poisoning one’s own body to poor health. And a whole society lives in this murkiness, with no effective resolution.

Without the ability to recognize and clear these mental pollutants, one continues living in the murk and going from one dissatisfaction and fear to another, causing pain and suffering for oneself and others.

Cleaning Mental Pollutants

When the mind is regularly cleansed from what pollutes it, it feels like a fresh pure stream, flowing with joy and ease. There’s no confusion, no fear and worry, no tension and clinging, no restlessness and doubt. Everything is clear, calm, and right. You know you are in the right place and must continue swimming in this clear clean stream and not allow it to become like the murky lake.

This cleansing comes about differently for different people. Some finally come to realization after having gone through ample suffering and begin their mental cleansing. Others may have learned cleansing practices through religious sermons and activities. Others grew up experiencing moral standards and logical objective and truthful behaviors. In either case, there are several components that need cleansing and reprogramming. Some people have some of these qualities cleaner than others.

One of these components is our thoughts, the ways we think and perceive, to become unbiased, truthful, and wise. Another is the intentions behind the thought, which lead our thoughts to choices and actions. Intention is sometimes hidden to its owner. They may not realize or deny any polluting intentions, for example the intention to fulfill a desire, when it can be harmful. The third component to cleanse is the heart and emotions.

For example, unconditional goodwill feels like the pure nourishing stream. Ill will in contrast, feels like the murky, yaky water. It’s painful to the person who holds on to ill will. There are other types of heart qualities to cleanse. The fourth component is attention and awareness. Without clear attention and connected awareness, one cannot even recognize the good from the bad, the pure from impure, or happiness from suffering.

Taking Simple Steps

This purification process can feel daunting at first, hence most people suffice with living, feeding, and drinking from the polluted mental and societal environments. But it is not that bad or impossible to accomplish. One can begin with simple small steps.

Take steps, for example.

Just pay attention to one footstep. Stand first, keep your eyes open, feel your body in space, your shoulders, back, arms, legs, and feet. Begin to lift your step slowly. Notice how it’s separating from the ground. Notice the difference between being attached to the ground and separate from the ground. As you move the other foot, you may feel off balance. It’s because you’re too focused and not letting your brain just move you, as it’s predicting what needs to happen next. You’re telling your brain to move at your aware command.

This is called walking meditation. Do this slow attentive walking for a few rounds of going 10 to 15 steps one way on a straight line; stopping for a few moments to relax and let go, and turning around for another 10 to 15 steps.

All the while, be curious, feel, and notice the changes that occur. From landing to lifting. From moving to stopping. From leg movement to arm movement. There’s a lot of activities happening, that you’d ordinarily be oblivious to. This alone, cleanses some of the murky pollutants off your mind. Try and see what happens.

Chances are, you become awakened to things you’ve not known before. Some call this the point of downloading. Downloading the truths of life, and accessing the intelligence hidden by the murk. You begin to see things as they are, not as you’ve come to relate to them and habitually.

Commitment Counts

While there are countless exercises and practices that help adjust our lives, they must be done before we can see their benefit.. It takes genuine desire and passion, a yearning for that clean, pure state of mind and heart. It takes effort, dedication, protection, and patience. And of course the right guidance and a map of the journey, the path, and how to overcome obstacles on the way.

It is well worth it; one of the most profitable investments you’ll ever make for your happiness and well-being.

You may take a retreat day to do this cleansing. Here’s an upcoming opportunity on Sunday, June 1st.

https://deepskyblue-gnat-427102.hostingersite.com/event/mindfulness-and-joy-day-retreat/

On the plane to Miami and silent retreat in Canada.

For more lessons and directions to cleanse the mind and heart pre-order Dr. Motaghy’s book, It’s Not Easy to Be Human and pick from an array of MLO lessons.