Whenever we battle against a temptation, we often define boundaries to protect ourselves, as the Bhagavad Gita (3.41) recommends. But there exists inside us an inner enemy, our own mind, which can slyly get us to redefine our boundaries. Thereby, it can get us to go on a slippery slope from where we fall uncontrollably into the clutches of that temptation. For example, a recovering alcoholic may resolve never to go to a bar for hanging out with friends, but their mind may say, “You can go there and take a non-alcoholic beverage.” If they go, soon they may find themselves in a full blown relapse.

To protect ourselves, we need to anticipate possible situations that our mind might use as excuses for redefining our boundaries and plan proactively how we can deal with those situations. To summarize, just defining boundaries won’t protect us against temptation: we need to ensure that our mind doesn’t stealthily redefine those boundaries.

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03.41 Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.