Mind that Matters

Mind that Matters
As per modern science, brain is the most important part of the human body and functioning of its various parts have been identified. But science of Hinduism has also deeply probed into the mind. Mind is invisible to both the eye and the modern instruments of observations. It is not even made of the brain substances. Though it is an invisible substance, its activities can well be perceived. It is according to Hindu philosophy, a subtle and rarefied material.
 
Mind is a bundle of thought and Man is the product of the sum total of his thoughts. There is a world as long as there is mind. The world ceases to exist as a separate entity when the mind is annihilated. Thoughts are live vibrations. Each thought is a magnet and pulls in its like. Mind is full of energy. It is the author of all actions. The body is only the instrument. Lack of understanding of the inner structure of human is the cause of woes and suffering in domestic, social and political spheres.

Mind takes the form of the thing thought of. The whole universe has its existence due to the presence of the thought behind it. So, we say that in the mind both the external and the internal worlds are held and conditioned. The mind acts as a medium of communication between soul and matter. Man, who has the right mastery of the mind will have a mind full of peace. The mind has to be calmed and for that all sadhanas have to be performed systematically in the kriya manner and method.

The realization of the spiritual unity everywhere is affected by the cessation of all thoughts, or in other words, the utter annihilation of mind. The human in every one is to die, so that divine shall be revealed. This can be done through meditation, which neither means holding the mind in a negative dreamy state, nor on vague abstractions, but necessitates a continuous flow of thought towards the ideal, without any break and with a harmony between reason and emotion.

Genesis of Thoughts:
The mind constitutes the subtle body in every creature and does not die with the death of the body, but goes on along with the soul into another physical body & take re-birth to work and gather further experience through the medium of a subsequent body more suited to its purpose.

In subsequent birth, every child brings with it impressions from past lives in the form of tendencies, which can be classified partly as moral and good ones and others as evil or immoral. The latter are the kleshas (afflictions, poisons) which ought to be modified and sublimated. The problem that one has to face is how to change an undesirable trait of character or how to cultivate a good habit in place of a bad one.
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These tendencies create constant impulses in mind to trigger thoughts and in turn actions which may be negative or positive. The negative thoughts cause Kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada (over pride), matsara (jealousy), swartha (selfishness), adamber (hypocrisy), anyaaya (injustice), ahankara (false ego) etc. The positive thoughts cause truthfulness, self-control, purity, dominance over the senses, simplicity, devotion, service, generosity, equality, tranquility etc.
 
Impulses repeated from an idea. Ideas repeated become an act. Actions repeated become character and character repeated molds the very creator of habit. A word is a vehicle for the thought to express itself. A noble and God like character is not of accident or a chance, but is the natural results of continued effort in right thinking.
 
These negative thoughts and feelings close up the channels of the body and mar the life forces in their flow. If the mind is not properly trained, the gross body will suffer from innumerable diseases. These are devils which crush the mind and injure the body. Poison and secreting cells are developed by them. The free circulation of blood is disturbed.
 
World of Mind:
Though the mind seems to exist in the body or the world, in the real sense, the body and world exist in the mind. The real universe is the occasion of the reaction of the mind and the mind is a mixture of actions and reactions. We generally note that it breaks into two and one half of it stands alongside as the witness, while the ‘other half’ goes on functioning. We have to master the lower mind with the higher mind. To conquer the mind is to conquer the world, since the mind and world are but the observe and reverse of the one and the same thing.
 
Attributes of Mind:
Mind is like sea which is sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm and sometimes silent. Sometimes, it experiences tsunami. Ripples in the sea are like thoughts in mind. When no ripple, no thought.
The mind is collective essence of the five elements (prathivi, jal, vayu, akasha and agni – solid, liquid, gas, space and energy) and compound of three attributes - tamasic (lethargy, dullness), rajasic (activity) and sattvic (rhythm). Mind is the receptacle of senses & factory of thoughts. The three states, instinct, reason and superconscious, (i.e., the unconscious, conscious and superconscious states), belong to one and the same mind. A man works the predominance of one guna alone at a time. When one guna is in play, the other two are at rest. It is thus a man is sometimes found to be dull, sometimes active and sometimes well-balanced. The tamasic nature in man is to be combated and conquered by a rajasic nature and this, in turn by a sattvic nature. And this sattvic guna also is to be dissolved and transcended by us to be ever in perfect unity with the universal consciousness. It is of the highest importance to make the mind lose itself in the infinite.

Functions of Mind:
Mind has four functions – thinking or knowing (Manas), likes or dislikes based on past memories (Chitta), discrimination & decision-making (buddhi, intellect) and I-ness to control other functions (Ahamkara). A man’s will-power is his power to deliberately wish and decide how to act. Passion are strong feelings of likes and dislikes, which rush like an unexpected flood and excite men and women to certain actions, making them to lose control of mind and body. Passions arise from lust, desire, hope and delight in things out of hatred, disgust, fear and anger. Passions are blind. Through will force, the mind and senses can be curbed.
 
Heaven & Hell in Mind:
The strength of the body depends on that of the mind, whose strength, in turn, depends on that of the spirit (Atman). Happiness proceeds from neither woman nor wealth, but from mind. Later the soul is the enjoyer.

Anger, envy, jealousy, malice, worry etc., should not find lodgment in the mind. These are devils which crush the mind and injure the body. Poison and secreting cells are developed by them. The free circulation of blood of the body and mar the life forces in their flow. On the contrary, love, the divine treasure in one and all of us, finds no obstructing reactions anywhere and it expands our little life by remolding the human in each and fashioning every one of us into a child of light (the light of sacchidananda).

We make our heaven or hell on earth by our petty desires and demands and what we do here makes or mars our hereafter. The mind that pursues the steps of its own whims, fancies and caprices is caught in its own cocoon of desires.

Vacuum cleaning of Mind:

1. Mind is a garden which may be intelligently cultivated or may be allowed to wander aimlessly. If no useful seed is put into it, useless weeds fall therein. Don’t imagine that any of the thought can be kept ineffectual. Thoughts crystalize into habits and solidify into circumstances. Good thoughts bear good fruits and bad thoughts bear bad fruits. Circumstances do not make you but they reveal you. Don’t be bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations. Exclude doubts and fears that distract the straight line of effort. Whatever comes only test you, to measure your strength, to try your mettle. It comes only to lift you up and discipline your soul to be tranquil. Quicken your energy for the realization of self. Make your heart ever bolder and yet kindlier and gentler.
2. Extirpate every sickly, bitter and impure thought from your mind and wash away every sinful stain from your soul. Live as finely and beautifully in private as in open glare of the world’s noon. Shake off and unload the useless baggage of cumbersome thoughts. Censor every thought of faulty nature and avoid its reactions. Constantly practice right thinking and prove to be a mirror reflecting the illumination of soul sunshine.
3. Control of mind means really abandoning desires. The monkey-like mind will always be restless, desiring something or other. By killing all desires, ruthlessly, one controls the mind, freeing it from the surging emotions and bubbling thoughts and can attain one-pointedness of mind.
4. Keep the sharp eyes of viveka and vichara (thoughts) wide open. At times, the man becomes poisoned in the course of his vyavahara. We can prevent the rise of evil, negative thoughts and further strengthen the good ones. The result will be that the negative thoughts will sink deeply into our subconscious mind and from this plane of consciousness still exert a strong influence on our endurance. If by discrimination we learn the basic truth that the atma (Self) and thoughts and feelings (chitta vrittis) are quite different from each other, indeed we have made a great step towards inner freedom and self-mastery and control over thoughts. In moments of surging temptation, the right thing to do is not to reason it out and struggle with it, but rather to be indifferent.
5. The preliminary wisdom lies in selection of the best environments (Satsanga), company and associations of thoughts and emotions. One must retire periodically from the worldly atmosphere and recourse to satsanga, sadhana, reclusion and meditation. This is the spiritual sanjiva for you to revive yourself and enter the daily spiritual life again without fear. Desire is a great barrier in the path of Self-realization.
6. The repetition of the mantra removes the dirt of the mind, such as lust, anger, greed, etc. the mantra is a spiritual soap cleansing the mind.
7. When a balanced mind and equal vision meet all differences, kill the idea of separateness and mix with all, embrace all, love all, serve all, serve the God in them. Be self-disciplined, be simple and harmonious in thought, feelings, diet and dress. Fear none, shake off lethargy, laziness and fear.

Mastering the mind:

1. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna finds himself in a very critical situation and informs Sri Krishna that the mind is verily restless and turbulent. It is very hard to curb, like the passing wind. The reply was that constant practice united with renunciation, can bring the mind under control. We should not allow the mind to back into vritti or modifications, nor should we identify ourselves with the thoughts that are like ripples or waves in the mind. There should come a period of calmness and tranquillity.
2. Shree Krishna explained Arjuna in chapter 3 of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita that the senses are said to be superior to the body; but superior to the senses is the mind. Superior than the mind is the intellect; and what is superior than the intellect is He, the Self (42). Thus, by knowing Him (Brahman/Shree Krishna) who is superior to the intellect and the mind by reason, one can conquer the desires. It is difficult to conquer desire because it is of a highly complex and incomprehensible nature. But a man of discrimination and dispassion, who does constant and intense Sadhana, can conquer it quite easily (43). (इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः । मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः ॥ ३-४२॥ एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना । जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् ॥ ३-४३॥)
3. The four paths of liberation (Nishkama Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Raja yoga and Jnana yoga) eliminate the negative thoughts and channelize the thoughts towards pure self (Satchitanada).
4. The repetition of mantra removes the dirt of the mind such as lust, anger, greed etc. The mantra is the spiritual soap cleansing the mind.
5. “Pratpaksha Bhavana” or thinking of opposite qualities, transfers the battle from conscious plane into subconscious, making the fight less strenuous and less painful so that the struggle is easily gone through and one scathes through the ordeal with no stain in his character.
6. Upanishad teaches “yad coati tad gati”, i.e., what man thinks that he becomes.

​The person who has the right mastery of the mind, will have a mind full of peace.

Reference: Voice of Babaji – by V T Neelakantan, S A A Ramaiah, Babaji Nagaraj