After reading my last post, a friend sent me a SMS saying, “Yes, mind is my biggest foe.”
Before one gets me wrong let me clarify that mind is the only assistance we have for coming out of misery and experience joy of liberation. For this one should again carefully read my post titled as “Asakti in Paramatma liberates”.
It is the mind through which one experiences the bondage, suffocation and suffering. It is the mind which reaches the conclusion that any effort in the external world cannot take one to a state of lasting happiness. It is the mind which then tries to find and finds a way out. It is the mind alone which then puts one onto the path so found and leads one to attain a state of completeness (not limited by the capacity of the body and mind), i.e., fulfillment..
Mind has to be treated as an innocent child full of energy and vigor. It has to be affectionately tackled. With freedom and love it will do your bidding and excel. Tackled with force, it will revolt, become perverted and complex and take one deeper into suffering. Bhagawat says, “Jab mann idhar udhar bhag jaye to use bahal fusala kar vaps le aao (when mind strays away from the spiritual practice, cajole it and bring it back to the practice).
Now one may wonder who is to tackle and whom? Can the mind persuade or control itself? Is there something other than the mind to guide it? In this connection, scriptures refer to four aspects of our being, namely, Mann, Chitt, Buddhi and Ahamkaar. These (aspects of mind) get activated in the presence of consciousness (Atma or Paramatma). Mann and Chitt are often used interchangeably.
Mann or Chitt aspect of our being is the one which in association with sense perceptions [Ras (taste), Dhwani (sound), Roop (sight), Sparsh (touch) and Gandh (smell)] develops craving (moha) or aversion (raag and dwesh) for the persons and things in the manifest world and thereby becomes attached to them. When things do not go as per its preferences or prejudices, it is thrown into anger, fear, guilt, depression etc. And this is what suffering is.
Buddhi (an aspect of mind only) is something like a processor in a computer. Based on the software application (value system received from external sources), it can analyse the information and give an output (decision). A person borne in a Hindu family has one set of value system and his preferences and prejudices will be shaped by that. A person indoctrinated by terrorists will find a cause to bring about destruction and sacrifice his life for that.
Buddhi is part of body and is jad (not conscious). The scriptures proclaim, “Buddhi mein kabhi gyana shakti nahin hai (Balkand 7-36, Adhyatma Ramayan)”. But coming in contact with consciousness (atma), some consciousness manifests in it. And consciousness coming in contact with boddhi aquires the sense of Karta and bhokta, i.e., Ahamkaar. It is said –
“The way when water and fire come contact each other, water becomes hot and fire becomes a little cold (less intense); same way when jad (buddhi) comes in contact with chetan (atma), chetna manifests in buddhi and as atma comes in contact with jad-buddhi, jadata (sense of doership and bhoktritwa) manifests in atma (Balkand 7-37, Adhyatma Ramayan).”
When universal consciousness (paramatama) having come in contact with budhhi feels itself as Karta and Bhokta, it feels limited by the capacity of body and mind and is called a “jeeva”. This ‘jeeva’ feels as if it were an entity separate from everything and everyone around. This feeling of separateness and being limited is what is referred to as “ahamkaar”.
But being reflection of parmatama (infinite) in buddhi, ahamkaar or jeeva aspires to become infinite and being associated with buddhi (limited) can never succeed in doing so. And this is the whole struggle! This manifests in feeling of inadequacy, insecurity, lack of purpose, hollowness or emptiness within. Osho says, “jeevan ki ekmatra samasya, bheetar ka khalipan (only problem in life is emptiness within)”.
Not knowing this, out of ignorance, ‘jeeva’ tries to feel itself bigger and bigger with the help of acquisitions in the external world. One tries to achieve excellence in any aspect connected with body (sports, beauty, figure etc.) and mind (relationships, knowledge in various fields like literature, science, management etc.). One wishes and tries to excel (do better than others) in one’s field of activity – try to become bigger and bigger politician, businessman, scientist, dancer, painter etc. But feeling of emptiness does not leave one, whatever one’s attainments are. It is an effort in the wrong place as the emptiness is within and cannot be filled with things and relationships outside. Further this effort to surpass others gives rise to competition and triggers emotions like jealousy, depression, anxiety, violence etc.
In due course, experiencing suffering and failure to succeed in attaining completeness (being infinite) through efforts in the external world, buddhi comes to understand the futility of this effort. This lead mann to vairagya and opens itself to other possibilities. Then from the one’s who know (saints) and scriptures, one finds the path for inner exploration and experiences the self (infinite) – ahamkaar is dissolved in consciousness (paramatama).
Mind (of which Buddhi is an aspect) is thus a friend which helps one to achieve vairagya (takes it beyond its preferences and prejudices), decide to follow the path of inner exploration and take one to a stage from where, with grace of guru, one can experience what is beyond it (buddhi). It is something like a computer connected to worldwide web (www) through internet. One can then download other applications from the web (existential intelligence) and is not limited by the installed applications (information stored in the brain and its processing).
Before one gets me wrong let me clarify that mind is the only assistance we have for coming out of misery and experience joy of liberation. For this one should again carefully read my post titled as “Asakti in Paramatma liberates”.
It is the mind through which one experiences the bondage, suffocation and suffering. It is the mind which reaches the conclusion that any effort in the external world cannot take one to a state of lasting happiness. It is the mind which then tries to find and finds a way out. It is the mind alone which then puts one onto the path so found and leads one to attain a state of completeness (not limited by the capacity of the body and mind), i.e., fulfillment..
Mind has to be treated as an innocent child full of energy and vigor. It has to be affectionately tackled. With freedom and love it will do your bidding and excel. Tackled with force, it will revolt, become perverted and complex and take one deeper into suffering. Bhagawat says, “Jab mann idhar udhar bhag jaye to use bahal fusala kar vaps le aao (when mind strays away from the spiritual practice, cajole it and bring it back to the practice).
Now one may wonder who is to tackle and whom? Can the mind persuade or control itself? Is there something other than the mind to guide it? In this connection, scriptures refer to four aspects of our being, namely, Mann, Chitt, Buddhi and Ahamkaar. These (aspects of mind) get activated in the presence of consciousness (Atma or Paramatma). Mann and Chitt are often used interchangeably.
Mann or Chitt aspect of our being is the one which in association with sense perceptions [Ras (taste), Dhwani (sound), Roop (sight), Sparsh (touch) and Gandh (smell)] develops craving (moha) or aversion (raag and dwesh) for the persons and things in the manifest world and thereby becomes attached to them. When things do not go as per its preferences or prejudices, it is thrown into anger, fear, guilt, depression etc. And this is what suffering is.
Buddhi (an aspect of mind only) is something like a processor in a computer. Based on the software application (value system received from external sources), it can analyse the information and give an output (decision). A person borne in a Hindu family has one set of value system and his preferences and prejudices will be shaped by that. A person indoctrinated by terrorists will find a cause to bring about destruction and sacrifice his life for that.
Buddhi is part of body and is jad (not conscious). The scriptures proclaim, “Buddhi mein kabhi gyana shakti nahin hai (Balkand 7-36, Adhyatma Ramayan)”. But coming in contact with consciousness (atma), some consciousness manifests in it. And consciousness coming in contact with boddhi aquires the sense of Karta and bhokta, i.e., Ahamkaar. It is said –
“The way when water and fire come contact each other, water becomes hot and fire becomes a little cold (less intense); same way when jad (buddhi) comes in contact with chetan (atma), chetna manifests in buddhi and as atma comes in contact with jad-buddhi, jadata (sense of doership and bhoktritwa) manifests in atma (Balkand 7-37, Adhyatma Ramayan).”
When universal consciousness (paramatama) having come in contact with budhhi feels itself as Karta and Bhokta, it feels limited by the capacity of body and mind and is called a “jeeva”. This ‘jeeva’ feels as if it were an entity separate from everything and everyone around. This feeling of separateness and being limited is what is referred to as “ahamkaar”.
But being reflection of parmatama (infinite) in buddhi, ahamkaar or jeeva aspires to become infinite and being associated with buddhi (limited) can never succeed in doing so. And this is the whole struggle! This manifests in feeling of inadequacy, insecurity, lack of purpose, hollowness or emptiness within. Osho says, “jeevan ki ekmatra samasya, bheetar ka khalipan (only problem in life is emptiness within)”.
Not knowing this, out of ignorance, ‘jeeva’ tries to feel itself bigger and bigger with the help of acquisitions in the external world. One tries to achieve excellence in any aspect connected with body (sports, beauty, figure etc.) and mind (relationships, knowledge in various fields like literature, science, management etc.). One wishes and tries to excel (do better than others) in one’s field of activity – try to become bigger and bigger politician, businessman, scientist, dancer, painter etc. But feeling of emptiness does not leave one, whatever one’s attainments are. It is an effort in the wrong place as the emptiness is within and cannot be filled with things and relationships outside. Further this effort to surpass others gives rise to competition and triggers emotions like jealousy, depression, anxiety, violence etc.
In due course, experiencing suffering and failure to succeed in attaining completeness (being infinite) through efforts in the external world, buddhi comes to understand the futility of this effort. This lead mann to vairagya and opens itself to other possibilities. Then from the one’s who know (saints) and scriptures, one finds the path for inner exploration and experiences the self (infinite) – ahamkaar is dissolved in consciousness (paramatama).
Mind (of which Buddhi is an aspect) is thus a friend which helps one to achieve vairagya (takes it beyond its preferences and prejudices), decide to follow the path of inner exploration and take one to a stage from where, with grace of guru, one can experience what is beyond it (buddhi). It is something like a computer connected to worldwide web (www) through internet. One can then download other applications from the web (existential intelligence) and is not limited by the installed applications (information stored in the brain and its processing).
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