"Supreme beyond their
objects are the senses; supreme over the senses is mind; supreme over the mind
is the intelligent will; that which is supreme over the intelligent will, is He
(the Purusha)" Gita-3/42
Ancient Nepalese spiritual texts
regard mind and intellect as two separate entities. Modern western
philosophers, on the other hand, consider the mind itself as the highest level
of intelligence. We need not enter into a fruitless discussion on this subject.
The difference between the two is so subtle, that apparently they appear to be
one and the same. However, both streams of thought/experience recognize two
distinct mental faculties, namely mind and intellect. Both regard intellect
being subtler than the mind. For the convenience of reader, we shall regard
intellect as a more refined state of mind and proceed with our practical
exercises.
Thus far, we have identified the
visible and invisible coverings of the human soul i.e. physical body and
different faculties of the mind. Now we shall endeavor to find how Ahankar is
differentiated from the real "I". It necessitates examination of
minute details. It is not so easy to differentiate between the true Aham and
the egoistic knot of the subtle body (Sookshma
Shareer), as it is to identify the outer and inner coverings of the
self. It would require a deeper level of perception and sensitivity. Even after
having a perception that the subtle body exists independent of the physical
matter composing the body, confusion persists about the nature of Aham because
of its intimate relationship with the subtle body (Sookshma Shareer). Most
people believe that mind and soul are one and the same. Instead of elaborating
the attributes of the mind, the author would try to enlighten the reader about
the methods with the help of which it would be possible to analyze the
constituents of the physical body and the vague "I" threadbare and
find out the nature of the true Aham (i.e. soul). This introspection you are
going to do with the help of your own mind, teasing out of it the right answers
to your queries.
Mind is the bio-energy (Chetna)
serving as the link between the body and soul. For the convenience of seekers
let us make an endeavor to understand the working of mind by broadly
trifurcating its functions.
Three faculties of the mind
The Pravritta Manas: In spiritual
parlance, one faculty of mind is called "pravritta Manas". This
faculty of mind is undifferentiated between human beings and the less evolved
species of the biological kingdom like birds and animals. It is also known as
the secret mind (Gupta Man) or sleeping
mind (Supta Man) the Limbic brain or animal brain i.e. the autonomic nervous
system in parlance of medical science. It controls the normal biological
functions of the body and keeps it functioning. Though we are not conscious of
it, the biological functions of our body keep going on involuntarily. Functions
like digestion of food, blood circulation, extraction of juices at successive
stages, formation of blood platelets, flesh, bones and bone-marrow, hormones;
defecation-urination, inhalation-exhalation, movements of eyelids, etc. take
place without any conscious effort. The Pravritta Manas is also responsible for
formation of habits. It takes some time in learning something, but once
learning something, but once it is learnt, the Pravritta Manas does not discard
it easily. The experiences of our ancestors and those which we had had in
course of our evolution in our earlier births up to the present human birth,
are all stored in this subconscious layer of mind. Before assuming the human
from, the soul has inhabited in innumerable life forms of lower order, lacking
developed intellectual capacity. It had acquired in this process of slow
evolution, many animal traits like jealousy, animosity, aggressiveness,
selfishness and anxiety. All such crude animal-like traits, which have not been
consciously eliminated by strong self-efforts in earlier births, are
accumulated in this faculty of mind. It is a unique museum having an assortment
of antiques. A few amongst these instinctive urges are good, worthwhile and
invaluable (such as faithfulness of the dog), whereas many others are perverse
and frightening. Seeds of all impulses such as greed, violence, cruelty, rage,
impatience, etc, which are common amongst savages and animals, are stored in
this part of mind. The basic impulses of the two lower modes of nature - Tamas (inertia) and Rajas (kinesis) such as
ignorance, dullness, passivity - Tamasic and self-seeking, inflated senses of
egoism, sensual indulgence, greed, anger, etc. - Rajasic - are all stored in
seed form in Pravritta
Manas - the
unconscious/sub-conscious layers of mind.
The
Prabuddha Manas
Besides the Pravritta Manas,
there is yet another more evolved faculty, which could be appropriately called
as "Prabuddha Manas", the cortical brain or the intelligent mind.
While attentively going through this exercise reader can use this faculty of
the mind. The attributes of this layer of mind are deliberating analyzing,
comparing, conceptualizing, logical thinking and decision-making.
Quick-wittedness, sharp intellect, alertness, analysis of situations is all
functions of this faculty of mind. However, it is to be remembered that neither
the Pravritta Manas nor the Prabuddha Manas are Aham of man. With a little more
consideration, it would be easy to differentiate these two from Aham. In this
small tract, it is not possible to elucidate, in detail, the properties of the
intellectual faculty of human mind. Those interested in this subject are
advised to study the latest masterpieces on psychology. For the time being it
is sufficient to know that the Prabuddha Manas too is only a covering and not
the soul (Aham) proper.
The
Adhyatm Manas
The third, most evolved faculty
of mind is called Adhyatm Manas - a distinctive faculty of a spiritually
awakened person.
In a majority of people it
remains dormant and inactive. It is assumed that this faculty has started
awakening in the reader; otherwise he would not have taken interest in the
subject of this treatise. This faculty of mind (Adhyatm Manas) is regarded as
the most evolved attribute of the mind. It is reflected as spiritual seeking,
inspirations, receptivity to inner divine guidance, exceptional talents, etc.
Noble urges and emotions originate in this very faculty of mind. Love,
compassion, mercy empathy, sense of justice, sensitivity to sufferings of
others, adherence to basic values, benevolence, commitment, integrity etc. are
some of the attributes of this faculty of mind. In this faculty also germinate
the seeds of unconditional Divine Love. The mysteries of nature too are
revealed in this illumined layer of the mind. However, Remember! This faculty
of mind, too, is only a resplendent garment of Aham. It is not Aham.
Nevertheless, the experience of Aham, which we are endeavoring to point
towards, can be had only through Adhyatm Manas.
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