A tree that has roots deep in the ground cannot be destroyed when its branches or leaves are cut off. Only when you uproot the tree will it be destroyed. Likewise, when evil qualities like hatred and envy have struck deep roots in the tree of life, they cannot be got rid of by striking at some branches. By suppressing bad thoughts intermittently, these evils cannot be eradicated. Since the mind is made up of these thoughts, only when we make the effort to uproot the mind altogether can we achieve real peace. As long as there is the ocean, there will be the waves. When the ocean ceases to exist, the waves vanish too. Similarly, in the ocean of the mind, the waves of the sankalpas (thoughts) continue to appear. Each sankalpa has to be removed. Every bad thought must be rooted out the moment it arises in the mind. The war against bad thoughts is like the war against enemy hordes who attempt to get behind a fort through a subterranean tunnel. As each one of the enemy emerges from the tunnel, he should be struck down. So too, each bad thought that tries to enter the heart must be struck down right away. – Divine Discourse, Jul 31, 1986