Day 152

Understanding the Self and the Mind (Simplified Explanation)

The True Nature of the Self

You Are the Self

• O Rama, you are the knower of everything, the self.
• You are the supreme being, non-different from the self that pervades all.
• By giving up the idea that objects are separate from the self, you won't be affected by joy or grief.

The Yogi's Equanimity

• A true yogi sees a clod of earth and a nugget of gold equally and has abandoned all tendencies that confirm the world's illusions.
• Such a person remains calm and balanced in pain and pleasure, performing actions without attachment to their outcomes.

The Role of Consciousness

Mind and Consciousness

• Infinite consciousness is the only reality.
• The mind is inert by nature and borrows intelligence from consciousness to function.
• The mind perceives the universe by the power of consciousness.

Understanding the Mind

• The mind exists by the grace of consciousness and entertains various thoughts.
• Consciousness without thoughts is the eternal Brahman; with thoughts, it becomes the mind.

The Nature of the Mind

Conceptualization and Reality

• The movement of energy in consciousness is the mind, and its expressions are thoughts.
• Consciousness, when conceptualized, becomes thought.
• Finite intelligence resides in the heart and often forgets its true nature, becoming the thinking faculty.

Awakening the Mind

• Infinite consciousness has become everything, but it needs to awaken to its true nature to realize itself.
• The mind should be awakened through scriptural inquiry, dispassion, and control of the senses.
• When awakened, this intelligence shines as Brahman; otherwise, it experiences the finite world.

The Power of Consciousness

Light of Consciousness

• Inner intelligence that is not awakened does not truly understand reality.
• Thoughts derive value from consciousness, much like a container derives scent from incense.
• The mind fully blossoms only when illuminated by infinite consciousness.

Inert Nature of Thoughts

• Thoughts, though appearing intelligent, cannot comprehend reality without consciousness, much like a stone statue cannot dance.

Mind and Life-Force

Prana and Mind

• Ignorant people confuse the movement of life-force (prana) with the mind, but it's only the life-force.
• In those with unfragmented intelligence, it is the radiance of the supreme self.

The Jiva (Living Soul)

• The jiva is intelligence identifying with life-force movements, thinking "I" and "mine."
• From the absolute perspective, there is no mind or intelligence, only the self.
• The self is the world, time, and the evolutionary process, appearing non-existent due to its subtlety but realized as the truth in self-knowledge.

Thought and Individual Consciousness

Arising of Thought

• A thought arising in the supreme being becomes individual consciousness.
• When freed from thought, there is liberation.
• The seed of world-appearance is a thought in infinite consciousness, leading to finite individual consciousness.

Restraining the Life-Force

Control of Prana

• By controlling the life-force, the mind is restrained.
• The mind ceases when the life-force is controlled through dispassion, pranayama (breath control), inquiry, ending sorrow, and direct knowledge of the supreme truth.

False Relationship

• The relationship between life-force and consciousness is imaginary, leading to world-appearance.
• The infinite consciousness remains unaffected by anything finite.

Realization and Liberation

Understanding Truth

• When the truth of no mind or finite consciousness is understood, the mind ceases to exist.
• The mind appears only due to imperfect understanding and vanishes when this misunderstanding is corrected.

By understanding and internalizing these principles, one can achieve true self-knowledge and liberation from the illusions of the world.