Swami Vivekananda often used the metaphor of a mirror to explain the relationship between the mind and the Atman (Self). This teaching was often shared with disciples who struggled to control their thoughts and emotions.
The Question of Reflection
Vivekananda said that the highest spiritual truth, the Atman (God), is always present within us as pure bliss and knowledge. But we fail to experience it because of the impurities in our mind.
He gave the analogy:
If you want to see your own reflection perfectly, which is easier: to polish the image you are trying to see, or to polish the mirror?
The obvious answer is to polish the mirror. The Atman (the reflection we want to see) is already perfect and needs no polishing. The mind is the mirror.
The Nature of Impurity
He taught that impurity is not only gross wrongdoing, but also selfishness and distraction – the subtle dirt of the ego that coats the mirror of the mind.
Purity means making the mind calm, steady, and selfless.
The Teaching
If you focus on making the mind pure and steady (polishing the mirror), the reflection of the Atman will automatically shine. There is no need to worry about the Atman itself, which is eternally pure.
The Source of Light
He emphasized that the mind has no light of its own. It is illuminated by the Atman, just as the moon is illuminated by the sun.
All the knowledge you perceive, all the bliss you experience, is only a reflection of the Atman shining through a tiny opening in the mind. When that opening becomes larger and cleaner, the full light of God is revealed.
Vedik Mind 