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The purpose of Mauna, or silence, is inner observation. It is a time to contemplate the purpose of your life, how to achieve it, and what the obstacles are. According to Patañjali, there are two kinds of thoughts: kliṣṭa and akliṣṭa. Kliṣṭa refers to negative thoughts, the ones that cause trouble and disturbances. These are the thoughts that create difficulties in your life, regardless of the field—be it family, social, professional, or spiritual life. Akliṣṭa refers to positive thoughts. The obstacle is all this negative thinking. Therefore, we should strive to overcome the negative vṛttis (mental modifications) through the positive ones. The principle is that mano mantra jagata—everything is created out of the mind. The cosmic world is created by the cosmic mind, and your personal world, your life situation, is created through your own thinking, your own mind. If you think you are very happy, content, satisfied, and that everyone loves you and you have a comfortable life, then it will be so. But if you think you are lonely, that no one likes you, and that life is full of troubles, then that will also be true. It will be like that because you are thinking like that. Therefore, Patañjali always returns to the human thinking process. This thinking of ours, even trees can feel it, animals can feel it. Only one animal cannot feel. You know which one it is. All other animals are capable of feeling what you are thinking and feeling. For example, if you meet a dog that is known to be very dangerous and biting, and you approach it with good, positive, loving thoughts, that dog will not do anything to you. If you approach with fear and negative thoughts—thinking, "My God, it's a terrible dog, it will bite me"—then it will be a terrible dog and it will bite you. So, our own thinking, our own mind, influences both our inner life and our outer life. These vṛttis can be analyzed and purified. And that process is facilitated through Mauna. When you keep Mauna, you are physically silent, but mentally you may not yet be fully silent. However, you have the time to think things over. Observing silence develops your mental willpower, gives clarity, provides answers to your problems, shows you the way out of your difficulties, and supports your motivation. Mauna develops mental willpower, shows you the way, and helps cultivate motivation. It helps you become mentally strong, to endure, and grants you inner motivation and a pure inner vision. Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Summer seminar