Thought 19: Good Times and bad Times in Life

There will be difficulties and adverse circumstances in every life. This is the nature of life in this world of mortals. When we are constantly beaten by hardship, misfortune and adversity, we are bound to become disillusioned and lose faith in our ability to cope with them. Instead of coming to grips with each situation, we tend to become pessimistic – and develop negative attitudes. When we do not have the know-how for enthusiastic living, we find this world a joyless place to live in.

Prejudice is a negative attitude. People take psychological positions based on prejudices. Ignore these positions - and cancel their power.

Never be negative. Learn to come out of the frame, look at the picture and see, whether you like, what you see. You will then know how you appear to others.

Always be positive. Always be objective. Always be happy. Always be enthusiastic. Always be cheerful. Let enthusiasm and cheerfulness be your constant companions - like the Sruti of a musician. When you do that, you are no longer overwhelmed by the world and its uncertainties and adversities.

Lose anything but your enthusiasm and cheerfulness. Sing in the bath room. Say good morning to every one you see – you need not know them. Always pump out an outstretched hand several times enthusiastically. Never miss an opportunity to say “thank you”. If you can say it to god daily, through a prayer, it is even better.

The next thought is “About worry”

Thought 18: Ups and Downs in life

Life is a series of waves – a series of ups and downs. When one is tossed over these waves, he or she must learn to keep afloat, by skillful surfing - handling skillfully, the crests and troughs of life.

You can handle happiness all by yourself – you do not need outside help. People flock to you at these times with offers of unsolicited help. When adversity visits you, however, you could do with some outside help – you could do with some moral support at least. It is at such times people avoid you. They do not want any part of you. You are left alone severely - to manage the difficult times all by yourself. Some may even gloat, saying, “at last he got what he should have got long ago”.

It is at these times, that persons with no moral and ethical values break down. They get into self pity mode. Some persons may even get into depressions, drinking etc..

Thoughtful parents try to instill values in their children. Values build character and strength. When you have character and strength, it is not too difficult to go through tough times.

Remember, tough times do not last – tough guys do.

The next thought is about Good Times and bad Times in Life

Thoughts 17: How are the thoughts generated?

Mind is only the medium for all thoughts - but it does not itself generate the thoughts. Vedaanta says that the Prime Mover (engine) for all thoughts in the mind is Maayaa, which exists in every mind in the form of its three attributes (called Gunas in Sanskrit), Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Even gods have Maayaa (that is, the three Gunas) in their minds.

Because of these three Gunas, the mind constantly experiences modifications (thoughts).

These three Gunas give rise to certain characteristic of their own as given below:

1. Sattva - gives rise to tranquility, purity, knowledge, joy, creativity, etc
2. Rajas – gives rise to activity, desire, restlessness, attraction, repulsion etc
3. Tamas gives rise to inaction, dullness, delusion, laziness, jealousy, etc.
   
   These three Gunas are present in every mind simultaneously at all times, but at any one point in time, one of them subdues the other two and rises up. The nature of the predominating "Guna" determines the nature of the transformation of the mind. When Sattva predominates, "Sattvic" qualities (peace, tranquility, creativity, etc) develop. When Rajas predominates, "Rajasic" qualities (accounting for every type of activity in a person) develop. When Tamas predominates, "Tamasic" qualities (laziness, procrastination, sleepiness, etc) develop. The predominance of a Guna determines how a person reacts to a stimulus.
   
   This predominance is determined by our Svabhaava (nature) and also the purity of the air that we breathe and the nature of the food that we consume.
   
   The next thought is about “Ups and downs in life”

Thought 16: You go wherever your mind takes you

You are always associated with your mind. Wherever your mind goes, you also go with it. Because of this, you may be tempted to assume that you are the mind. You are not your mind – you are the awareness vivifying your mind. Mind gains consciousness because of the presence of awareness in it.

Mind is where happiness and sorrow reside. Mind is a medium for the flow of thoughts. Happiness is a thought. Sorrow is also a thought. You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness over which these thoughts ride piggy-back.

You can always dissociate from any thought that you do not like. You can always dissociate your self from sorrow. Dissociation from sorrow is happiness.

Your mind is always talking. It is never silent. You are vaguely aware of this self talk. Self talk is registered in your subconscious mind. What is registered in your subconscious mind is what determines your nature. Curb the self talk, which is negative. Encourage the self talk which is positive. This is how you can become a positive person with high self esteem.

The next thought is about “How are the thoughts generated”

Thought 15: We all have five sense organs, which bring the outside world into our minds

There are five sense organs – called Jnaanendriyas. They are eyes, ears, palate, nose and skin.

There are five objects of the world corresponding to these five sense organs – which are form and color for the eyes, sound for the ear, taste for the palate, smell for the nose and touch for the skin.

The senses are always in touch with their objects. The sense organs report – about the outside world to the mind. There are only five ways of knowing the world outside – these are the five ways in which the senses can sense the outside world. There is no other way of knowing the world outside. If any of these sense organs become dysfunctional, as for instance, when the eyes become dysfunctional, we have no visual idea of the outside world.

The senses contact their objects and the mind captures them and brings them inside. This is how the outside world enters your mind.

Senses do not present anything as it is. They distort. They deceive. What they report is conditioned by your likes and dislikes, fears, anxiety etc. When you examine anything with objective understanding (that is, with an open mind and without superimposing anything on it), you become a mature person.

The next thought is about “You go wherever your mind takes you”

Thought 14: Consciousness and the mind

It has been the practice to use interchangeably, the term "mind" to mean any one of the three terms - the brain, the mind, the consciousness. This seems to have perpetuated the confusion between these three entities. Dr Sandweiss believes that science is taking a closer look at this subject and is perhaps beginning to think that consciousness is more fundamental than mind and may have conceived and created the mind.

The Hindu philosophers believe that every thing that is not pure consciousness (Purusha) is matter (Prakriti). When this consciousness is clothed in mind (which is also matter - but in a subtle form), it becomes immanent - that is, it operates within the mind.

Mind has the capability to take the outline or the form of the objects perceived by it. It can assume the shape of the objects perceived and can spread or shrink with them. All knowledge the world has ever received has been through the mind. Therefore, an infinite library of the universe resides in the mind. The upper portion of the mind, known as "Buddhi", is the seat of all this knowledge.

Swami Vivekananda said ("Paths of Meditation", Swami Ananyananda) "Human mind operates at two levels - the higher and the lower. The higher reflects divinity and the lower reflects animality. Another feature of the human mind is the inherent quality of itself becoming both, the subject and object. It can divide itself into two - objectify itself and study it also".

The next thought is about “we all have five sense organs, which bring the outside world into our minds”.

Thought 13: The Vedaantic model of mind

Matter exists in different densities. There is a gross form of matter and also a subtle form of matter.

A table, for instance, is a solid, but it is gross. Water is a liquid, but it is gross. Carbon-dioxide is a gas, but it is gross too. Space is not gross – it is subtle. It has no form or shape. It has no parts - it cannot also be divided into parts. Space cannot be cut. Space has no attributes also. Because of these characteristics, space is considered subtle. Space is not affected in any way by anything – grosser than it is. You may throw anything into space with any velocity, but space is not affected by it. Many aero planes pass through space every minute of the day but none of them make any impressions on it. Gross things cannot affect the subtle things.

Solids, for instance, cannot penetrate - unless they are given energy for impacting or penetrating with a large force. Liquids penetrate better. Gases penetrate even better. The smaller a substance, the better its penetration – that is, they pervade better. Space is so subtle that it pervades everywhere – it is all-pervasive. Space or mind cannot pervade awareness (which is the Aatma). Awareness pervades space and mind. Therefore, awareness is even subtler than space and mind – it is the subtlest among the subtle things (Anor Aneeyam). Awareness is all-pervasive but it is not matter.

Although all-pervasive, space is still matter. Mind is also a subtle body. It also pervades everywhere. You may imagine yourself to be at any place you wish – and presto, you are already there in your imagination. This is because mind is all-pervasive in a horizon which is known to it. But mind is also matter – subtle matter like the space.

Our sense organs are incapable of sensing the subtle substances – such as mind or space (or awareness). We know many things that we cannot see such as the air, but we cannot perceive them as objects. We only feel their existence; we infer their existence through the effects that they cause. Temperature is another such thing. We know that temperature exists, but we cannot see it. We know that time exists – we see days go by, years roll by, but we cannot see the time. Ultraviolet radiation, Infrared radiation, Microwaves etc are all other examples of invisible entities, whose existence, we recognize only by their effects.

According to Swami Ghanananda, (Meditation, Monks of Ramakrishna Order), there are subtle objects, which can be perceived through the mind, by people who have acquired special powers, which give them this capability.

We can see more (argues Swami Ghanananda) as we improve our instruments of observation. The 100 inch telescope at Mt Wilson can reveal one eighth and the 200 inch telescope at Mt Palmar can now reveal a quarter of all the observable space. Man thus extends the power of his vision through these instruments. Swami Ghanananda believes that there are limitations to this faculty of the physical vision. Beyond a point, perception takes place, not through the senses, but through the mind – when it becomes endowed with some special powers.

Vedanta, seems to have understood better, the nature and the functions of mind, although in an empirical and philosophical manner. This philosophy believes that body is the outward manifestation of mind. The core of the mind resides, not in the brain, but in a sheath called “Sukshma Sareera”, which is concentric to the gross (physical) body.

The next thought is about “Consciousness and the mind”

Thought 12: Mind and its modifications

Satisfaction or disappointment, fulfillment or frustration, happiness or unhappiness, pleasure or pain are all merely different states of the mind. These states are also called the modifications of the mind (called thoughts or Vrittis). Modifications are nothing but changes that constantly take place in the mind resulting in - happiness, anger, unhappiness, enthusiasm, hatred, sadness, anxiety etc. These are the experiences of the mind; they are the responses of the mind to the various stimuli it receives. It is the way the mind reacts to a circumstance that causes these modifications within it.

Clearly, therefore, the quality of your life is decided by the quality of your mind. If the mind decides to view a circumstance as pleasure, then, pleasure it is and the quality of your life for the duration of this state of your mind, will be good. On the other hand, if it decides to view a particular circumstance as pain, then, pain it is and the quality of your life for the duration of this state is poor. It is your mind and only your mind, which influences the quality of your life. Therefore, the most important understanding that you need in life is the understanding of your mind.

The next thought is about “The Vedaantic model of mind”.

Thought 11: What is this mind?

Mind is a subtle entity; subtle entities are not perceptible to any of the sense organs (called Jnaanendriyas in Sanskrit). Mind is nothing but a continuous flow of thoughts (thoughts are modifications of the mind and are called “Vrittis” in Sanskrit). Mind is the medium for the thoughts (in the same way that ether is the medium for the electromagnetic radiation).

Mind is the seat of all emotions and feelings – love, kindness, anger, hatred, envy, jealousy and all other feelings and passions. Mind always wavers – and keeps on wavering between extremes of every passion. Whenever we get into the “to do or not to do” mode, we know that the matter is under the consideration of the mind. Mind will not be able to take a decision on any matter.

Mind is capable of expanding and spreading infinitely. It can transcend time and space. Mind does not die. It comes with you in all your incarnations – as a part of the subtle body. In fact, death of the gross body is marked by the exit of the subtle body from the gross body; and the birth of the gross body is marked by the entry of the subtle body into a gross body (in the womb of the mother).

The next thought is about “Mind and its modifications”