It is paradoxical that the very faculty
which raises us to the level of humans from being mere animals, is also
the foremost impediment in realizing our own divinity. This is the
message repeated by enlightened beings time and again, be it Shiva,
Buddha or Patanjali: drop the mind. But how can something that elevates
us to consciousness stop us from reaching the super-conscious state? It
doesn't seem logical.
The answer lies in the mind itself. It is in fact absurdly logical. By
its very nature, the mind collects, questions, analyzes, dissects and
even fabricates information. The tool most often used is logic, which
again is a creation of the mind. Now, to understand our true nature, the
very essence of our being, it is necessary to look in. Surely I am not
just the body, there is something beyond, something more subtle, which
is so obviously missing in a dead person. What is this quality which
makes a living person different from one who has just 'died'? The next
stop on our so-far logical journey inwards becomes the mind. Most of us
if asked what makes us different from at least other living people,
would tend to identify with their mind, in all its various
manifestations: hopes, dreams, thoughts, opinions, beliefs, values. So
mind seems to be a likely candidate: it is very personal, very
individual, and infinitely more subtle that the gross body. Here starts
the problem.
We are so identified with our minds, and so convinced with our logic,
that we start to use our logic to analyze our mind. How can something,
which itself is a part of the mind, even begin to understand the whole.
Therefore, our very logic tells us that logic is ineffectual when it
comes to understanding the mind. It can take us no further. Ramana
Maharishi, an enlightened master, presents another beautiful conclusion
produced by logic: if I can see something, then surely that something is
separate from me. The seer cannot see him or herself. Therefore, if I
can observe my mind, then surely my mind cannot be me! Mind is not the
observer, but the observed!
As soon as we realize this simple rationale, the role of the mind
becomes clear. That which I thought is me, is actually just something
the real 'me' is using to process information received through the
senses. Who then is the real 'me'? Who is the observer? If this question
gets answered, the spiritual journey is over. But the problem is that
our logic and our mind refuse to accept defeat so easily. We become
caught in circular logic, and again and again try to reach the core of
our being by using the mind. This is like trying to fly using a car! It
is simply not possible !!
There comes a point in every seeker's inner journey, where he/she
realizes the complete futility of the mind. It is good to be curious,
logical, even skeptical if it takes you further on the spiritual path,
and helps to develop discrimination. This can really help to keep one on
the straight and narrow, and not get lost in the maze of materialism.
The only requirement is that the sight not waver from the goal, then
logic can be used to distil valuable lessons from experiences in life,
and to realize what we want versus what society would have us believe we
want. Logic in the hands of a mature person can be a great asset.
However, there inevitably comes the point where you realize that any
growth that is happening is only incremental, that experiences fail to
furnish any new lessons and there doesn't seem to be anything more to be
done. Instead of a mountain to be climbed, life has become a plateau.
Instead of a waterfall, or even a river, life has stagnated into a lake.
This is the point where a decision needs to be made: to become a river
and meet the ocean, or continue living as a lake in isolation. But to
flow, to fly, to reach beyond what we think is possible for us, it is
necessary to shed the mind, and it accomplice, logic. Only when the
inner space is cleared of everything else, can bliss and consciousness
flower.
May 10, 2009
Image
under license with Gettyimages.com
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