Philosophy of Mind

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Dear All,

 

According to Sankhya cosmology, mind is the fourth principle that has

emanated from the self-asserting principle Egoism or Ahamkara or

Asmita.

Matter in an unmanifested state is styled as ‘Ashtangi’ or eightfold Prakriti.

 

Mind is one of the eight limbs or Ashtanga. Mind is itself a word whose

meaning is extremely vague, one incapable of being clearly defined

except in terms of some questionable and speculative hypothesis. No one

can point to a mind and say: " That is what I mean the word mind shall

denote. " Mind consists of a bundle of faculties, as the faculties of

cognition or perception, volition or will, imagination, judgment,

reason, understanding, memory, etc. Character concerns the affective or

conative organism of the mind.

 

Knowledge concerns the cognitive organism. There are different channels

of communication through which the cognitive and conative faculties are

directed. There is only one mind which has diverse names according to

the plane on which it functions, viz., the subjective mind, the

objective mind, the universal mind (cosmic consciousness), or the

superconscious mind, the subconscious mind, the instinctive mind, the

spiritual mind. The function of the mind is cognition (will, thought,

doubt).

 

The ‘doubting mind’ is collective aggregate of all organs of sensation

or perception. Mind is below Will and above Prana or energy or

matter. Mind is a relative manifestation of the Absolute. Mind is

positive to Energy and Matter, but negative to Will, which is again

positive to mind, but negative to Atman. Mind when purified becomes

your real Guru. You will hear the voice of silence. You will get

answers for your unsolvable problems. A pure mind is no longer subtle

matter but the Brahman itself. The original home for the mind is Omkara

in the Sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus. Mind has become impure by

your own desires. How the pure Brahman has become the impure Jiva is a

life problem that has baffled all human efforts for a clear, correct

and satisfactory solution. This is a quest which has no answer. This is

the mystic side of nature. You cannot solve celestial, divine problems,

that belong to supramental planes, with the finite intellect of the

physical plane. Develop intuition.

 

Acquire transcendental wisdom. Look within through cosmic consciousness. Then you will get a real, solution.

 

Through the searchlight of the concentrated mind, you will have to

behold the treasures of the soul or Atman. Just as rays permeate solid

bones or blocks of

wood, the concentrated mental rays of a focussed mind will pass through

the different forms of matter and reveal their real nature.

 

During cosmic consciousness, you are aware of the oneness of life. You

will find that there is no such thing as dead matter, but that all is

alive, vibrating and intelligent. You will see the universe as

all-Atman, which is the essence or background of this sense universe,

of this world of opposites, of this world of mere conceptions or ideas,

of this world of names and forms.

 

In Paradise or heaven, you are in the ‘thought world’. You feel or

experience no pain. Why? Because you get whatever you think or imagine.

Your desires are immediately gratified. Your thought matter

instantaneously materialises, crystallises and precipitates before you.

You are satisfied. But this is not real.

 

The science of Raja Yoga or mental Yoga deals with the methods of

controlling the ever oscillating mind under the command of the will,

which is in the centre of Atman. Control of the mind is superior to

Pranayama (control of the breath); but the qualified persons for

practice of control of mind should

be very intelligent with bold understanding and tremendous will. Sit on

Padma or Siddha Asana facing east or north. Make concentration on the

space between the two eyebrows with closed eyes. Control the force of

thought by meditation on Om and its meaning. Practise regularly from

1/2 to 2 or 3 hours daily. You will become a Yogi and an Atma Jnani

soon.

 

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

 

Regards