Abandoning Notions

This is the 15th Canto and there are some really wonderful expressions in it:

"If your mind offends you with feverish ideas of passion, do not dwell on them but brush them off, like dust that has collected on your clothing." 15.2

"When the passions are hunted there is suffering, but no peace in their conversion. Losing them brings great grief, but acquiring them no satisfaction." 15.9

"Whatever it is that a man continually thinks about, his mind, through habit, will develop a leaning towards it. Therefore you must give up what is unwholesome and concentrate on the wholesome, since this will work both for your best interest in this world and for your attainment of the ultimate goal." 15.19

"To obtain gold, a dirt-washer discards first the large bits of grit, and then, to refine it further, he discards also the tiny bits of grit. After this cleansing, he retains particles of gold. To obtain liberation, a man of focused mind will likewise abandon first gross faults, and then, to further refine his mind, he abandons also subtle faults. After this cleansing, he retains the constiuents of dharma." 15.66