Part XL
- Analysis of Mind: Introduction Part 2
Examples, such as removing a thorn by a thorn
or removing the poison in the body by controlled
medicine, which by itself is harmful for the
body are provided to show how deconditioning
of the mind can occur with proper sAdhanA or
process, which is nothing but a judicious controlled
conditioning. If the truth cannot be known by
any means, since all means are finite, then it
must be a self-revealing and self-existing entity.
However, from the Vedanta perspective, even though the truth
is self-evident, and self-revealing, a conditioned mind cannot
recognize the truth due to its conditioning. Therefore the
mind should be processed or prepared to 'absorb' that revelation.
A 'Hare-Krishna' devotee remarked, 'brains need to be brain-washed,
since they are muddled with wrong concepts, which obstruct
the freedom of the mind'. However, the process that cleanses
and purifies the mind should be such that it should free the
mind rather than recondition it. It should not take the mind
from 'iron shackles to gold shackles'. In essence, the process
that deconditions the mind should be self-destructive without
conditioning the mind again by that very process.
In addition, if the truth is infinite and absolute,
the mind that discovers the truth cannot itself
be away from the truth, since nothing can be
away from the absolute-infinite. That is, the
mind itself should be part of the truth, since
truth being infinite cannot exclude anything.
Finally, the infinite cannot be made of parts
(infinite, plus or minus infinite, is still infinite
only). Therefore, mind cannot be part of the
infinite either. Thus we have a peculiar situation,
where the mind needs to discover the truth, and
that truth cannot be discovered by any means
since it is not an 'object', for discovery, conceptually
or otherwise. In addition, since the mind is
part of the truth which has no parts, the very
realization of the truth should dissolve the
notion of separateness of the mind from the truth.
Hence the truth is sometime called 'of transcendental
nature' implying that is not of the kind with
which objective scientists are familiar.
Hence, the realization of the truth involves
a delicate process of deconditioning the mind.
This is called yoga, and requires a guide, teacher
or guru (gu stands of ignorance and ru stands
for the one who removes it), as emphasized by
Vedanta. It is well accepted that a guide is
required to do advanced research in any field
of science. It is therefore understandable why
Vedanta insists on guidance by a teacher who
is well qualified. A teacher must be well established
in the truth (brahma niShTha), and also have
gone through the mental discipline needed to
guide others to proceed on the pathless path.
For insurance, Vedanta insists on particular
time-tested methodology (called sampradAyam)
so that process of deconditioning the mind occurs
slowly in steps without getting locked up in
the process itself. This is technically called
adhyAropa apavAda. adhyAropa is the conditioning
of the mind and apavAda involves deconditioning
the mind in stages. Conditions or adhyAropa are
superimpositions that distract the mind from
seeing the truth as the truth. Since a student
comes with pre-conceived notions (or a conditioned
mind), the teaching involves removal of those
notions (deconditioning) in steps. When the mind
is pure, the self-evident and self-existing truth
gets self-revealed.
Not only the truth is the pathless land, as
Krishnamurthi declared, Vedanta goes one step
further to indicate that the self-existent, self-conscious
and infinite entity is nothing but your own self,
where the seeker and the sought, or the subject
and the object, merge into one infinite-existent-conscious
entity. That is nirvana; that is liberation;
that is mokSha; this is the Kingdom of Heaven
in one’s own heart. This is what all the
religions sing and glorify in various ways and
is the absolute freedom from all limitations.
It is the infinite eternal happiness for which
one is longing, consciously or unconsciously,
through various pursuits in life, whether religious
or irreligious, whether holy or unholy, knowingly
or unknowingly. In essence, the human mind is
always seeking freedom from limitations, always
wanting and desiring to reach that infinite absolute
happiness, without knowing that it cannot be
gained by any path or pursuit. If one examines
one's mind carefully we find that our wanting
mind is not happy in having what it wanted, since
'the want to have more' always remains, however
much one has. Thus it rather wants to want than
wants to have. That is the reflection of the
conditioned state of mind.
The mind wants to be free from wanting and that
desire for eternal freedom is intrinsic or inborn
with the mind. It cannot but seek that unlimited
happiness, though it cannot find it by any seeking.
Longing for limitless freedom is inherent in
all beings, but expressed more vividly in the
human form, where 'conceptual thought' has reached
its pinnacle by evolutionary process. Thus there
is a fundamental human problem or dichotomy:
he cannot but pursue a path to gain absolute
inexhaustible happiness or freedom from all limitations,
and he can never gain that happiness through
any pursuit, since it is a path less land. This
is where understanding the mind, its conditioning
and how to transcend those conditionings so that
the mind is ever free from all conditionings
becomes important and this forms the fundamental
or essential pursuit of human life.
It is interesting to note that any process of deconditioning
the mind itself involves the mind or mental activity.
That is, the mind itself conditions the mind, and
it is also capable of deconditioning itself. Hence,
Vedanta says 'mind is the problem and mind is the
solution' (mana eva manushyAnAm kAraNam bandha
mokshayoH - amRRitabindu Up). 'How a mind can be
both the problem as well as solution to the problem'
requires analysis of the problem along with analysis
of the mind that creates the problem. We shall
examine first the mind from various angles and
address the problem of its conditioning and the
solution to decondition itself to be free from
its problems.
Proceed to the next
essay.
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