The Science Of The Mind

[shaheediyan]

ibidem

Mind is the controller of your whole life. But do you know what is mind and how does it function? These are some fundamental questions, answers to which can make you understand the mechanism of mind and come out of it. Mind cannot be fought and defeated, it can only be understood. Yogis understand the mind as one of the four attributes of consciousness: manas, buddhi, ahamkara, and chitta. Manas is mind; buddhi is intellect; ahamkara is ego; chitta is the sub-conscious mind.

The sense organs are the windows of the mind. Each message from the phenomenal world passes through these windows for presentation by the mind to buddhi, the intellect. Whatever happens transpires within a continuum of action and interactions. Intellect is the adviser that stores all past experiences and all possibilities that future holds. It is conscious of the positive and negative aspects of everything that mind presents, and always perceives through a three-dimensional framework of past, present, and future. Like an honest friend, it guides the human organism while remaining unattached to anything.

While intellect judges, ego acts on these judgments, envying that which is unacceptable and acting out that which is acceptable. Ego is the self-concept, which creates a sense of separation from other beings. It is the faculty for extending being into the phenomenal world.

Chitta is the core of being. All the actions of the ego register in the chitta. Acts that are in accord with the inner nature, produce feelings of bliss, whereas the contrary actions create feelings of pain and displeasure. Chitta is beyond the senses, and beyond evaluation and identification.

Energy in the form of light, sound, smell, taste, or touch reaches the eyes, ears, and nose, taste buds, or touch receptors. This incoming energy excites the sense organs, starting a process that culminates in the brain. These incoming currents cause detectable changes in the function of the organism.

Sense perceptions energize the mind, and a duplicate of the original stimulus is presented to the intellect and ego within the skull, within the tissues of the brain itself. Energy from outside the organism penetrates the brain (the gross manifestation of mind) through the sense organs and nervous system, to be manifested as changes in consciousness. Perceptions of the outside world are actually events within the mind/brain, triggered by an external source of energy. For example, what one hears is not the external sound, but electromagnetic pulses of the nervous system vibrating in resonance with the external sound. One does not hear the external stimulus itself.

One is continually surrounded by objects of sensory stimulation, and the act of centering attention on any one source can often be accomplished only with great difficulty. Other sources compete with the object of concentration, causing lapses in the attention span. And it is through the mind that all distractions come into consciousness.

writing-a- letterLet’s take an example that you are concentrating on writing a letter and at that time you see a motion out of the corner of one eye. Now, the mind has presented a sense perception to the intellect. Intellect now registers the motion as of indeterminate origin and of unknown possible consequences to the organism. Ego, concerned with the presence of the unknown and seeking to make a positive identification, directs the head and eyes to turn toward the source of motion. And you discover that it is merely the wind blowing a curtain. Pleased and relaxed, you return to the task of writing.

In this mundane sequence, all the four elements are clearly visible. Mind presented the blur of motion to intellect. Intellect gave an “unknown” signal to ego. Ego, not content with uncertainty, strove to make the identification by commanding the body to act. The feeling self, once the identification was made, registered relief.

From the original task you were distracted into a long and involved process, which shattered the original sequence of thought. To return to the letter now necessitates a moment of reflection and recollecting of “gathering your wits.”

Sense perceptions are presented to the intellect for evaluation, and then passed on to ego for action. Intellect is the function of consciousness that scans the raw content of sense perceptions, looking for aspects that correlate with past experiences. Each of these aspects is then integrated into a single judgment, and on the basis of this judgment the ego acts. The ego attaches to sense objects, desiring to attain for itself those that have been deemed necessary for maintaining or extending the identity.

The very act of evaluation, coupled with action that follows, is a process of projecting conscious energy outward in the form of attachment to sense objects. This phenomenon of desire accounts for the daily depletion of energy.

One receives energy from the material world in the form of sense perceptions. This energy is then projected back onto the material world in the form of desires and attachments. Normally this flow of energy back and forth through the gates of mind reaches an equilibrium - as much as one receives, one gives back.

mindBut to attain the state of meditation, to work consciously to raise the level of being, one must raise the level of energy present within the mind. One must begin to perceive the world without attachment, without value judgments, without desires. And to reach this state, the energies in the organism must first become single-point focused. This state of concentration is the necessary precursor to meditation itself.

There are many methods which can be done to induce the primary levels of concentration. Tratak is one of the methods. Tratak induces the state of single-mindedness by first stilling and harmonizing the breath, and then by providing a fixed source of sensory input at which one gazes, both eyes sharply focused, until the mind frees itself of all external distractions.

A flame or black circle is customarily used, for either of these objects may be easily perceived without attaching valuations. This enables the meditator to still the flow of thoughts that often begins with the perception of a sense objects. The lens of the eyes, in turn, focuses the image on the retinal surface where it is passed through the optic nerves to the occipital lobes of the brain. All energy is thus focused on one point, incoming and outgoing. A closed loop is formed.

During the course of gazing continuously, as tears start flowing, the meditator closes the eyes and visualizes the spot or flame internally, where it appears as an afterimage on the retina-the surface of the brain’s optic nerve. The eyes are brought to one internal point, just slightly above the center of the bowlines. The eyes are now directed to the plexus (network) of the three nerves considered most important in yoga physiology. The plexus is activated by the pineal gland. The pineal, located in the center of the brain between the two hemispheres, is the only gland in the human body that is receptive to light. For this reason, it has been called the third eye in traditional spiritual literature. It is this gland that converts the energy of light into the electromagnetic frequencies used to govern the operation of the entire glandular system. The pineal literally feeds on light, and denied proper input normally atrophies by the age of sixteen. It is for this reason that even today the traditional Indian families keep an oil lamp burning in an infant’s nursery at all times during the first crucial forty days of life. And while most forms of meditation are expressly prohibited for children, tratak is prescribed at a very early age.

pineal glandYoga has long recognized the significance of the pineal, and of the necessity of disciplines to prevent the atrophy of the “master gland” of the body. Fortunately, the pineal never completely withers. It remains always sensitive to light, and with proper stimulation can redevelop. By concentrating all frequencies of the visual light spectrum into one compact but not-too- intense source-as with the flame of a lamp fueled by clarified butter-light and heat can be conveyed to the pineal through the optic nerves. Regular practice of tratak on a flame initiates the gradual process of redevelopment. When proper pineal function is restored-virtually impossible without some form of regular concentration on light-light is converted into electrical energy and sent from the pineal under conscious direction to the other glands of the endocrine system through the nerve junction in the region of the forehead where the eyes are upturned both in meditation and unconsciousness. When one is conscious and experiencing the flow of energy through this plexus, one experiences intense bliss. This moment, when the energy is first brought under conscious control, has been called the opening of the third eye.

When the function of the pineal is restored, the body gains a new balance. Nerve energy flows evenly through both halves of the organism. Neither electrical nor magnetic currents predominate. In this state, the central passage of the spinal cord opens and energy flows upward through the spine into the brain. It is this upward rush of energy that is experienced as bliss, the state which the meditator knew long before-and which drove one to seek the disciplines of self-evolution. The opening of the pineal takes time. What took years to wither does not miraculously regenerate overnight. Tratak is a discipline of yoga requiring regular and persistent practice. But there are immediate effects as well enhanced ability to concentrate, greater awareness of the visual realm, a more centered and relaxed state of mind and the positive feelings that flow from the knowledge that one has at last discovered a means of elevating consciousness.

Concentration on the flame opens the door to single-mindedness, and all potentials are but the extensions of a single point. Scriptures says that one who practices tratak regularly develops the faculties of intuition and imagination. Past, present, and future appear with equal clarity in a state of pure rapture, beyond all limitations and attachments. Tratak works beautifully for children. Although meditation is not for children until he/she is of thirteen years of age, but I understand that children can be safely introduced to Tratak, as this will slow down the atrophy of pineal gland and the child will also learn the art of enhancing his abilities to think, learn, retention.

mindMind is a tool which can be used both in a negative and positive way. It tends to hold each and every memory stored safely. There are both good and bad memories. If good memories bring smiles then the painful ones bring sadness. These memories can create havoc in person’s life, when one keeps on holding it so tight that it begins to suffocate. How can one break this noose of bad memories? Is it easy to forget ugliness, animosity, dejections, and rejections? Doesn’t seem easy. Well, nothing comes easy. Cheap things come for cheap prices. And the ability to not to be dependant on others is something which is the most precious thing. It is not difficult to have it. To make it easy, you just need to do bring a small change; and this change is not to be dependant on others! As long as we live in dependency, we will create such situations for ourselves where we become prone to pain and hurt.

We are tied with rope of expectations, which is why we are always looking towards others - they should do this and that for me, then I will be happy, and if they don’t, then we are sulking. If we want to rule the lives of others, dictate and direct them, we can never be peaceful. But this is what is happening in every relationship. Parents in the name of parenting do this to their children; husband to wife and wife to husband. We are so much focused on actions, language, motives of others that we have forgotten to live our own life. Everyone is trying to rule life of the other person and the other person is busy planning for yet another person; what a chain. Those who don’t know how to live with thyself are the people who will always be dependant on others for their moments of happiness. Somehow, as you know that others are dependant on you, others too know this, so we tend to exploit one another emotionally and psychologically. Wife knows that her husband will come to her for his fulfillment, so she will not leave a single opportunity to lay down her demands. Husband knows the same and thus tries to rule the roost. Aren’t we tormenting each other in name of love? Mind is looking for appreciation and appraisals all the time. This hunger is so great that we tend to put ourselves in such odd circumstances that we experience a great turmoil at all times.

One needs to correct this. Learn to love yourself, accept yourself as you are, and meditate. Learning to be in the moment, accepting it with full gratitude gives us fresh new zeal to live with awareness. People are busy in collecting more and more money, good houses, better cars, smart husband or boyfriend, beautiful wife or girlfriend; mind is hungry for flashy designer clothes, thicker wallets, and heavier jewellery. You work so hard to get this and yet all this will not make you happy or contented. Why? Simple: you will still be dependant on someone to say, “Wow, you look beautiful” and if there is no one to praise you, you think that all the make up, accessories, etc, which you have madly collected have gone wasted because no body noticed and praised you for all sthis. Learn to be with yourself, devoid of any kind of dependencies-what a relief! No one can give this to you. It is something for which you yourself have to work. When it is your responsibility to make your life happy, why leave this for tomorrow. Do it now! Breathe deep, look outside the window at the tree or sky, and close your eyes with a deep resolve that you will take this responsibility of your life. Create beauty around you, love life, and let love flow to others. Be a giver not a beggar. Let mind be free of all pretensions and assumptions. Just be natural, be in the moment-the moment called life.

[shaheediyan]

Sun, Moon, Stars, Sky, Earth…They all lie within your mind!

“Listening to the able master is an effective means of killing the mind - provided your surrender is earnest.”

“Light and darkness can never exist together.

where there is light, there can be no darkness - and where there is darkness,

there can be no light and your mind is darkness personfied! that is why it is said you must free yourself of your mind.”

jarAlhat Ed Din was a very famous sheikh who lived in Crimea. He had several disciples. One night, when he was sitting by a pond, a sufi named Shams Tabreez passed by. Seeing Alhat Ed Din, he wondered what he was doing sitting next to the pond at night. So he went near him and asked, “Mister, what are you doing? Who are you?” The man replied, “I am Sheikh Alhat Ed Din and I am meditating on the shadow of the moon in this water.”

Shams Tabreez asked, “Do you have a boil on your neck that you are finding it difficult to look up at the moon? The real moon is visible in the sky and you are looking for the shadow in the pond!” Alhat Ed Din raised his head - and what did he see? - the radiant face of Shams Tabreez in the moonlight. Automatically his head bowed in reverence. He was astonished: “I - a sheikh - am bowing to this man?” And then he remembered the words of a wise man who had told him that the moment he saw his master, his head would automatically bow in reverence. Alhat Ed Din got up immediately and said, “Will you make me your disciple?” He was greatly moved by the fact that his head had involuntarily bowed in reverence. The magnetic power that was pulling his heart towards the charm of Shams’ face was saying that the man in front of him was no simpleton, but a man of God.

Once again he asked, “Will you make me your disciple?” Shams said, “Yes, but only if you fulfill one of my requirements.” He said, “Please order! What is the condition?” Shams said, “My condition is that you go and get a decanter of liquor and sit and drink with me in the open market! Only then will I make you my disciple.” On hearing this, Alhat Ed Din was scared. He was highly respected in society and his knowledge and intelligence were acknowledged by the whole city. He was called `sheikh’ by everybody; how could he sit in the market place and drink shamelessly? His religious belief too was at stake.

Alhat Ed Din said, “This is not possible. How can I do this?” Shams Tabreez answered, “Well, then you can go. You can never be my disciple. You are not worthy of being my student because my student has to be courageous. The one who does not have courage can never be my disciple. You say you want to be my student but you do not even understand that when a sufi says ‘go and bring liquor,’ it means the liquor of God’s love. How can one who does not understand such a small thing be my disciple? What did you think - that you are religious and I am not? Your character is pure and my character is impure? Go, you cannot be my disciple!”

mind is not new

But Shams Tabreez did not allow him even this much. Without pre-conditions, this relationship can neither be established, nor accomplished, nor carried forward. The fact is, as sufis say, no guest will come and take a seat in a person’s house whose courtyard is not clean. You clean your courtyard for your guests’ sake. You clean your house too for his sake. And God is a guest who is above all others. So unless and until you clean your heart’s courtyard for the supreme guest, he will not come, or even step in, leave alone take a seat in your house.

This is the nature of your mind! It is unable to accept this reality. Your spirits are forever sinking in the ditch of this dirt. Sullied in this dirt, you can never become one with the glowing Almighty. Light and darkness can never exist together. Where there is light, there can be no darkness - and where there is darkness, there can be no light. And the mind is darkness personified! That is why it is said that you must free yourself of your mind.

As long as your mind is alive, it is bound to have disorders and abnormalities. This mind is not new. It is millions of years old. You may gain knowledge today, but the seeds that have been sown in the field of your mind are not new. So it is foolish to expect that the seeds sown thousands of years ago, will be destroyed in just a few days, or with a few months of practice.

For the present, it is important to understand that your apparent outward body may be twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years old, but your mind is millions of years old. It has been in existence from the time the world came into being. It is since then that the mind has been accumulating ’samskaras’ (fundamental subtle impressions) - which manifest as inborn instincts. From these impressions desires arise. Therefore, it is not possible to get rid of the mind’s impurities by concentrating only on the heart’s surface.

Then how do we rid ourselves of these abnormalities? How do we get rid of sexual desires? How is it possible to rid ourselves of anger and doubts? For all this, there is only one recourse - this mind must die! As long as the mind is alive, these disorders will keep surfacing; if you curb them at one point, they will appear at some other place. If you curb them there, your instincts will show up someplace else. This game will carry on for eternity.

You clean your courtyard for your guests’ sake.

Clean your heart’s courtyard for the supreme guest.

God is a guest above all.

sufi art

In Urdu, a disciple is called a ‘mureed’ and a teacher is called a ’sheikh’. Mureed means one who has set out on a journey to kill his own mind. If the mind itself has become dead, then what is it that is left? If you let your mind die, you will get a new life from the death of the mind. Things will not fall in place as long as the mind is alive. It does not make any real difference if you fill this mind with knowledge or let it be ignorant. A knowledgeable person is as full of desires as an ignorant man. The amount of anger visible in an ignorant person is the same as that in a person who regularly attends satsangs. And those who attend religious meetings have another reason to be proud - they consider themselves superior to others. They feel they know more than others; understand more than others. This is an even worse scenario.

The root cause of all evil is the mind. So we will have to kill the mind. In order to kill the mind and the ego, you must sing this prayer with the request: ‘God, do not endow us with any knowledge, instead we just want the death of our mind and ego. We do not seek knowledge; knowledge becomes an unnecessary reason for pride. We have set out to kill our pride. So now we do not need a conceited mind but freedom from it.’ And that is possible only with the death of the mind.

An urdu couplet says:

One who is ready to destroy his persona in love one who is ready to perish will reach the destination

floralFana - this word has been coined by sufis. Fana means ‘annihilation’. The mind has to perish completely; this is the only remedy for all its ailments; as long as the mind is present, its shadow will always be there. And these disorders - desire and passion - are all shadows of the mind. Now, if someone wants to be rid of his shadow, how will he achieve that? As long as the body exists, its shadow will also be there. Similarly, as long as the mind exists, desire will be there. It is the mind’s nature to think. The very objective of this machinery is to think. It thinks about things that are present and it also thinks about things that do not exist any more.

The form of the mind is subtle. It does not exist in any particular part of our body. Suppose I ask you where exactly the mind is located in the body as per human physiology? If you put your hand on your head, the brain is there. You may put your hand on the chest, but there you have the heart. Then where is the mind? If you see it from the point of view of physiology, you will get really confused.

To avoid this confusion, people just give up and say that there is nothing such as the mind. But the fact is that the mind is everywhere. Right from head to toe, the mind is everywhere. You call yourself ‘I’ - but if I ask you which part of your body is actually this ‘I’, you will not be able to answer. You cannot put your hand on any particular part of the body and say ‘this is the real me’ and the rest of the body is not.

Just as we call our whole body ‘me’, similarly this subtle body of the mind is also ubiquitous - spread throughout your apparent body. The moon, stars, earth, sky, trees, rocks, hills - they all lie within your mind. Do not think that the mind is something small. All that is visible in this world rests in your mind. That is the reason why your mind weaves a similar kind of world when you are sleeping or dreaming. The world of your dreams does not have even an iota of this physical world, yet it appears to be as true. The creator of this dream-world is your own imagination, your own mind. Infinite is the power of the mind!

sleep dream

The world of your dreams does not have even an iota of this physical world, yet it appears to be true.

And you consider the disorders, the abnormalities arising out of such a powerful mind to be a petty thing? But it is not small; it is colossal. Whatever you percieve of your mind from the outside, it is much deeper within. The conscious mind as we know it, is just ten percent of the whole; the rest is hidden from our knowledge. We have no idea of the unconscious and sub-conscious mind which comprises a major part of the mind. The territory of the unconscious is vast and the sub-conscious is the bank of memories; of every minute detail of all sensations and perceptions which carve out our habits, behaviour, choices - our whole character.

The creator of this dream-world is your own imagination, your own mind.

Infinite is the power of the mind!

If you have been to Himachal Pradesh, you will have seen the cedar tree. Some of the trees are a hundred feet tall. And for the hundred feet that you see above the soil, there are a hundred feet below the ground as well. This is because if the tree does not go down so deep into the earth, it cannot rise up to that height. Similarly, whatever you know about yourself and your mind, in reality it is several thousand times that. This is why, the devices that are made available to you to control your mind, are brought within the orbit of the mind very soon.

Every master is a master designer who creates various devices to kill your mind.

Listening to the able master is an effective means of killing the mind - provided your surrender is earnest. You must use the all-powerful words of the master only for strengthening your mind. This is the reason why all mystics and teachers, present in different times, have to devise new methods to handle your mind. Every master is a master designer who creates various devices to kill your mind. These methods will be different from the earlier methods. The mind is very cunning; it begins to reject old methods because it is prepared for its shocks and strategies. So the master has to design and devise new methods - this is how various religions have evolved.

You are given knowledge to cure ignorance - the disease of the mind. But knowledge has to change into knowing and into experience - only then is its purpose served. But when the listener is engrossed in words, then knowledge becomes a bondage and a burden.

Medicine is given to a patient to relieve him of pain; but often he is unable to give up the medication even after the illness is over. This is because the patient becomes addicted to the medicine. It is seen that those medicines that are not really required are sold the most and the stranger thing is that the people who buy these medicines have no ailment at all. So when the medicine itself becomes an addiction, how does one get rid of it?

sufi

Sitting close to your guru and listening to him could become a medium; but you use this medium in such a way that it does not remain a medium any more. It is not the guru you love but the image of him that you create in your mind. You surrender to that image and not to the guru! If you are not able to fully master the method, then just listening will not dissolve the myths and confusions. Darkness is not dispelled and therefore you are not able to comprehend the truth. The truth remains beyond the perception and understanding of those who are delusional and full of desires.

[shaheediyan]

Sun, Moon, Stars, Sky, Earth…They all lie within your mind!

“Listening to the able master is an effective means of killing the mind - provided your surrender is earnest.”

“Light and darkness can never exist together.

where there is light, there can be no darkness - and where there is darkness,

there can be no light and your mind is darkness personfied! that is why it is said you must free yourself of your mind.”

jarAlhat Ed Din was a very famous sheikh who lived in Crimea. He had several disciples. One night, when he was sitting by a pond, a sufi named Shams Tabreez passed by. Seeing Alhat Ed Din, he wondered what he was doing sitting next to the pond at night. So he went near him and asked, “Mister, what are you doing? Who are you?” The man replied, “I am Sheikh Alhat Ed Din and I am meditating on the shadow of the moon in this water.”

Shams Tabreez asked, “Do you have a boil on your neck that you are finding it difficult to look up at the moon? The real moon is visible in the sky and you are looking for the shadow in the pond!” Alhat Ed Din raised his head - and what did he see? - the radiant face of Shams Tabreez in the moonlight. Automatically his head bowed in reverence. He was astonished: “I - a sheikh - am bowing to this man?” And then he remembered the words of a wise man who had told him that the moment he saw his master, his head would automatically bow in reverence. Alhat Ed Din got up immediately and said, “Will you make me your disciple?” He was greatly moved by the fact that his head had involuntarily bowed in reverence. The magnetic power that was pulling his heart towards the charm of Shams’ face was saying that the man in front of him was no simpleton, but a man of God.

Once again he asked, “Will you make me your disciple?” Shams said, “Yes, but only if you fulfill one of my requirements.” He said, “Please order! What is the condition?” Shams said, “My condition is that you go and get a decanter of liquor and sit and drink with me in the open market! Only then will I make you my disciple.” On hearing this, Alhat Ed Din was scared. He was highly respected in society and his knowledge and intelligence were acknowledged by the whole city. He was called `sheikh’ by everybody; how could he sit in the market place and drink shamelessly? His religious belief too was at stake.

Alhat Ed Din said, “This is not possible. How can I do this?” Shams Tabreez answered, “Well, then you can go. You can never be my disciple. You are not worthy of being my student because my student has to be courageous. The one who does not have courage can never be my disciple. You say you want to be my student but you do not even understand that when a sufi says ‘go and bring liquor,’ it means the liquor of God’s love. How can one who does not understand such a small thing be my disciple? What did you think - that you are religious and I am not? Your character is pure and my character is impure? Go, you cannot be my disciple!”

mind is not new

But Shams Tabreez did not allow him even this much. Without pre-conditions, this relationship can neither be established, nor accomplished, nor carried forward. The fact is, as sufis say, no guest will come and take a seat in a person’s house whose courtyard is not clean. You clean your courtyard for your guests’ sake. You clean your house too for his sake. And God is a guest who is above all others. So unless and until you clean your heart’s courtyard for the supreme guest, he will not come, or even step in, leave alone take a seat in your house.

This is the nature of your mind! It is unable to accept this reality. Your spirits are forever sinking in the ditch of this dirt. Sullied in this dirt, you can never become one with the glowing Almighty. Light and darkness can never exist together. Where there is light, there can be no darkness - and where there is darkness, there can be no light. And the mind is darkness personified! That is why it is said that you must free yourself of your mind.

As long as your mind is alive, it is bound to have disorders and abnormalities. This mind is not new. It is millions of years old. You may gain knowledge today, but the seeds that have been sown in the field of your mind are not new. So it is foolish to expect that the seeds sown thousands of years ago, will be destroyed in just a few days, or with a few months of practice.

For the present, it is important to understand that your apparent outward body may be twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years old, but your mind is millions of years old. It has been in existence from the time the world came into being. It is since then that the mind has been accumulating ’samskaras’ (fundamental subtle impressions) - which manifest as inborn instincts. From these impressions desires arise. Therefore, it is not possible to get rid of the mind’s impurities by concentrating only on the heart’s surface.

Then how do we rid ourselves of these abnormalities? How do we get rid of sexual desires? How is it possible to rid ourselves of anger and doubts? For all this, there is only one recourse - this mind must die! As long as the mind is alive, these disorders will keep surfacing; if you curb them at one point, they will appear at some other place. If you curb them there, your instincts will show up someplace else. This game will carry on for eternity.

You clean your courtyard for your guests’ sake.

Clean your heart’s courtyard for the supreme guest.

God is a guest above all.

sufi art

In Urdu, a disciple is called a ‘mureed’ and a teacher is called a ’sheikh’. Mureed means one who has set out on a journey to kill his own mind. If the mind itself has become dead, then what is it that is left? If you let your mind die, you will get a new life from the death of the mind. Things will not fall in place as long as the mind is alive. It does not make any real difference if you fill this mind with knowledge or let it be ignorant. A knowledgeable person is as full of desires as an ignorant man. The amount of anger visible in an ignorant person is the same as that in a person who regularly attends satsangs. And those who attend religious meetings have another reason to be proud - they consider themselves superior to others. They feel they know more than others; understand more than others. This is an even worse scenario.

The root cause of all evil is the mind. So we will have to kill the mind. In order to kill the mind and the ego, you must sing this prayer with the request: ‘God, do not endow us with any knowledge, instead we just want the death of our mind and ego. We do not seek knowledge; knowledge becomes an unnecessary reason for pride. We have set out to kill our pride. So now we do not need a conceited mind but freedom from it.’ And that is possible only with the death of the mind.

An urdu couplet says:

One who is ready to destroy his persona in love one who is ready to perish will reach the destination

floralFana - this word has been coined by sufis. Fana means ‘annihilation’. The mind has to perish completely; this is the only remedy for all its ailments; as long as the mind is present, its shadow will always be there. And these disorders - desire and passion - are all shadows of the mind. Now, if someone wants to be rid of his shadow, how will he achieve that? As long as the body exists, its shadow will also be there. Similarly, as long as the mind exists, desire will be there. It is the mind’s nature to think. The very objective of this machinery is to think. It thinks about things that are present and it also thinks about things that do not exist any more.

The form of the mind is subtle. It does not exist in any particular part of our body. Suppose I ask you where exactly the mind is located in the body as per human physiology? If you put your hand on your head, the brain is there. You may put your hand on the chest, but there you have the heart. Then where is the mind? If you see it from the point of view of physiology, you will get really confused.

To avoid this confusion, people just give up and say that there is nothing such as the mind. But the fact is that the mind is everywhere. Right from head to toe, the mind is everywhere. You call yourself ‘I’ - but if I ask you which part of your body is actually this ‘I’, you will not be able to answer. You cannot put your hand on any particular part of the body and say ‘this is the real me’ and the rest of the body is not.

Just as we call our whole body ‘me’, similarly this subtle body of the mind is also ubiquitous - spread throughout your apparent body. The moon, stars, earth, sky, trees, rocks, hills - they all lie within your mind. Do not think that the mind is something small. All that is visible in this world rests in your mind. That is the reason why your mind weaves a similar kind of world when you are sleeping or dreaming. The world of your dreams does not have even an iota of this physical world, yet it appears to be as true. The creator of this dream-world is your own imagination, your own mind. Infinite is the power of the mind!

sleep dream

The world of your dreams does not have even an iota of this physical world, yet it appears to be true.

And you consider the disorders, the abnormalities arising out of such a powerful mind to be a petty thing? But it is not small; it is colossal. Whatever you percieve of your mind from the outside, it is much deeper within. The conscious mind as we know it, is just ten percent of the whole; the rest is hidden from our knowledge. We have no idea of the unconscious and sub-conscious mind which comprises a major part of the mind. The territory of the unconscious is vast and the sub-conscious is the bank of memories; of every minute detail of all sensations and perceptions which carve out our habits, behaviour, choices - our whole character.

The creator of this dream-world is your own imagination, your own mind.

Infinite is the power of the mind!

If you have been to Himachal Pradesh, you will have seen the cedar tree. Some of the trees are a hundred feet tall. And for the hundred feet that you see above the soil, there are a hundred feet below the ground as well. This is because if the tree does not go down so deep into the earth, it cannot rise up to that height. Similarly, whatever you know about yourself and your mind, in reality it is several thousand times that. This is why, the devices that are made available to you to control your mind, are brought within the orbit of the mind very soon.

Every master is a master designer who creates various devices to kill your mind.

Listening to the able master is an effective means of killing the mind - provided your surrender is earnest. You must use the all-powerful words of the master only for strengthening your mind. This is the reason why all mystics and teachers, present in different times, have to devise new methods to handle your mind. Every master is a master designer who creates various devices to kill your mind. These methods will be different from the earlier methods. The mind is very cunning; it begins to reject old methods because it is prepared for its shocks and strategies. So the master has to design and devise new methods - this is how various religions have evolved.

You are given knowledge to cure ignorance - the disease of the mind. But knowledge has to change into knowing and into experience - only then is its purpose served. But when the listener is engrossed in words, then knowledge becomes a bondage and a burden.

Medicine is given to a patient to relieve him of pain; but often he is unable to give up the medication even after the illness is over. This is because the patient becomes addicted to the medicine. It is seen that those medicines that are not really required are sold the most and the stranger thing is that the people who buy these medicines have no ailment at all. So when the medicine itself becomes an addiction, how does one get rid of it?

sufi

Sitting close to your guru and listening to him could become a medium; but you use this medium in such a way that it does not remain a medium any more. It is not the guru you love but the image of him that you create in your mind. You surrender to that image and not to the guru! If you are not able to fully master the method, then just listening will not dissolve the myths and confusions. Darkness is not dispelled and therefore you are not able to comprehend the truth. The truth remains beyond the perception and understanding of those who are delusional and full of desires.