The theme that we are exploring for the month of November is “The Mental” (or The Mind). This is one of the three planes (though there are numerous planes between these planes, in numerous shades, mixes and combinations) of nature, the other two being The Physical and The Vital, which we explored in the last two months.
The Mind. What is it? How is it unique? Though it may appear to us that the mind is very much “us”, the thinking acting individual, the sensing and knowing individual, integral yoga explains that the mind is that part in us that has to do with “cognition and intelligence, with ideas, with mental or thought perceptions, the reactions of thoughts to things, with the truly mental movements and formations, mental vision and will, etc., that are a part of his intelligence.” These descriptions of the mind can be understood a little more clearly, the moment we place these attributes of the mind alongside that of the vital, made of, “desires, sensations, feelings, passions, energies of action, will of desire, reactions of the desire-soul in man and all that play of possessive and other related instincts, anger, fear, greed, lust, etc”.
The mind would appear now more of an instrument that receives information from around us, and also from within us, to formulate a needed corresponding reaction in line with or in opposition to the information thus received and to organise other faculties at our disposal and to co-ordinate them such that a certain response is effectuated. This is a very, very complex process, it appears, and how many such cycles we are put through in our daily lives, from moment to moment! When we stop, step back and look at these movements, another world inevitably unlocks itself before our watching eyes. Mind need not be just a faculty, going on its random motion with the rest of the being in the pattern and movements that the wind takes. The mind can be an
instrument at our disposal, to realise conscious goals, consciously. The reasoning mind would immediately understand this proposal as a time-saver and an efficiency booster.
It has to be more than just this. The Mother has said that the mind “is not an instrument of knowledge”. The true role of the mind is in being a “formative and organising power”, for putting inspirations into organised action for its realisation. One need not go far to understand that our realisations in life will be as high as our inspirations and secondly, that the quality of inspirations depend on the state of our consciousness. Thirdly, another truth that dawns on us is that when the mind is not clear and settled and calm, than what it plans and organises are effectuated with much of confusion, lack of clarity and precision and what results out if this is similarly mediocre and we short-change ourselves and our progress in whichever field that is our focus.
With this realisation comes an understanding of the need for a crystal clear mind that can receive intimations from higher, deeper regions and with an equal calmness and precision, effectuate an action in the most efficient manner for a needed action. The Mother sums the whole action of the mind in the following words: “And if it would only confine itself to that role, receiving inspirations – whether from above or from the mystic centre of the of the soul – and simply formulating the plan of action – in broad outline or in minute detail, for the smallest things of life or the great terrestrial organisations – it would amply fulfil its function.”(‘Our Many Selves, Practical Yogic Psychology’, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust)
Something opens in us, quietly, and a search, a seeking begins. One takes a small step forward on the path.
The Mind. What is it? How is it unique? Though it may appear to us that the mind is very much “us”, the thinking acting individual, the sensing and knowing individual, integral yoga explains that the mind is that part in us that has to do with “cognition and intelligence, with ideas, with mental or thought perceptions, the reactions of thoughts to things, with the truly mental movements and formations, mental vision and will, etc., that are a part of his intelligence.” These descriptions of the mind can be understood a little more clearly, the moment we place these attributes of the mind alongside that of the vital, made of, “desires, sensations, feelings, passions, energies of action, will of desire, reactions of the desire-soul in man and all that play of possessive and other related instincts, anger, fear, greed, lust, etc”.
The mind would appear now more of an instrument that receives information from around us, and also from within us, to formulate a needed corresponding reaction in line with or in opposition to the information thus received and to organise other faculties at our disposal and to co-ordinate them such that a certain response is effectuated. This is a very, very complex process, it appears, and how many such cycles we are put through in our daily lives, from moment to moment! When we stop, step back and look at these movements, another world inevitably unlocks itself before our watching eyes. Mind need not be just a faculty, going on its random motion with the rest of the being in the pattern and movements that the wind takes. The mind can be an
instrument at our disposal, to realise conscious goals, consciously. The reasoning mind would immediately understand this proposal as a time-saver and an efficiency booster.
It has to be more than just this. The Mother has said that the mind “is not an instrument of knowledge”. The true role of the mind is in being a “formative and organising power”, for putting inspirations into organised action for its realisation. One need not go far to understand that our realisations in life will be as high as our inspirations and secondly, that the quality of inspirations depend on the state of our consciousness. Thirdly, another truth that dawns on us is that when the mind is not clear and settled and calm, than what it plans and organises are effectuated with much of confusion, lack of clarity and precision and what results out if this is similarly mediocre and we short-change ourselves and our progress in whichever field that is our focus.
With this realisation comes an understanding of the need for a crystal clear mind that can receive intimations from higher, deeper regions and with an equal calmness and precision, effectuate an action in the most efficient manner for a needed action. The Mother sums the whole action of the mind in the following words: “And if it would only confine itself to that role, receiving inspirations – whether from above or from the mystic centre of the of the soul – and simply formulating the plan of action – in broad outline or in minute detail, for the smallest things of life or the great terrestrial organisations – it would amply fulfil its function.”(‘Our Many Selves, Practical Yogic Psychology’, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust)
Something opens in us, quietly, and a search, a seeking begins. One takes a small step forward on the path.
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