Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind.

The proverb urges a reversal of the usual relationship between awareness and mental activity. In Zen-influenced practice, “mind” often refers to the stream of thoughts, emotions, and habitual reactions that can carry a person away from direct experience. To be “master” of mind is not to suppress thinking, but to cultivate mindful attention so thoughts are seen as events arising and passing rather than commands that must be obeyed. The saying points toward freedom from compulsive rumination and reactivity: when one can observe the mind clearly, choices become less driven by fear, craving, or ego, and more aligned with clarity and compassion.