Guru Quote

What is Mind and Mind Conditioning

Every one is born fresh. For an Infant every thing is new and unknown. The Infant does not have any idea about things and cannot distinguish between things. The Infant is not even aware of its own Body.

Slowly with mother’s touch the Infant starts recognizing its body. Then the Infant starts recognizing the Mother, father and then after some time it starts recognizing its own name given by the parents. With time the Child gets identified with more things like – this is my body, these are my toys, these things are good and these things are bad and so on. Slowly a belief system is formed which defines good and bad for the child. Society, Parents, Religion and upbringing plays an important role in shaping the belief system of the child.

This belief system act as a protection for the innocent and pure child. Because if we act according to the society then we are accepted otherwise we have to face their criticism. E.g. small Children often play and suck their thumbs, explore their genitals and eat sand. But mothers stop them from doing so. So the child comes to know that these things are not allowed. This information forms the belief system of the child. In a subtle way every child is programmed to act in a certain way. Every Child goes through this programming and starts functioning as per the programming. This programming is our Mind.

For understanding we can compare our Mind with operating system of our Computer. But this programming done in our childhood is not the only factor which shapes our mind. Many beliefs we carry from our past lives also. These Past lives tendencies can be compared with “Read only memory” of computer.

In a way we are a Biological Computer. Our actions are decided by our Programming. No person is a fool to do any thing wrong. Even criminals have a valid reason to commit the crime. For a criminal that is not the crime because in his belief system that is the right thing to do. Every moment Mind works in the background and makes us to do things. Even while reading this article our Mind is acting as a Judge.

Mind has many layers of conditioning. Suppose some one dies after falling from a high building in previous life then in this life that person will be afraid of heights. Every experience adds one layer to our mind. It’s like a wall which is being painted with different color every moment.

Our mental state or Mind is always in Flux state, with many emotions keeping on coming and going. Emotions start with a thought. Idea of doing any thing also starts with a thought. Our Mind is always full of thoughts. In spiritual world Mind is recognized as the ‘thinking mechanism’. Thought is a door to Mind or thought is Mind. Twenty fours in a day we are thinking and dreaming. One thought comes, then next thought comes which is always related with the previous thought. Those who practice meditation say that “thoughts are always related. One thought leads to another thought. It’s like a continuous Traffic of thoughts in which one thought is followed by another thought”.

Most of us believe that they are thinking good and bad thoughts. If that is the case then we can definitely stop this process of thoughts for a while. But no matter how hard we try we cannot be with out a thought for even a single second. Even the idea of having no thought for a second is itself a thought and will lead to another related thought and the Next thought is already in the Traffic. Thoughts come from outside. That is reason we can not stop our thoughts because they are not ours.

Most of us not only take the responsibility for good and bad thoughts and but we even fight for them. Many times fulfilling a single thought consumes our whole life. What ever actions we do in life starts with a Thought and thought is Mind and Mind means the programming done from so many lives. We make our decisions in life based upon our thinking but no thought is ours. Then what are we doing in this life which we can call ours? Until and unless we become aware of the Mind then our life is no more than a dream because we are sleeping. No action of ours come from our Individuality but is influenced by our Mind.

Mind is a Limitation which limits the Man to mediocrity otherwise if Man works from its source then Man has an infinite potential. Meditation is one device which brings us closer to our source. Any action done with meditation is authentic and is not influenced by Mind. Meditation liberates man from the slavery of Mind. With meditation what ever we do is as fresh as a new Born Baby. All that corruption which Mind has done to us loses its strength against Meditation. Meditation is the only medication.

As of now all our actions are controlled by Mind. Mind has become our master and it’s not so easy to get rid from the slavery of mind. Even if we come to know of this slavery then also Mind is going to deceive us. Mind is very cunning and plays subtle games with us. First step towards becoming more authentic is to be aware of the Mind games. Thinking is the door through which Mind enter again and again all the time fooling us, making us do things which we feel we ourselves have decided to do and all the time creating misery for us and then rationalizing every thing and every action which we have done. Mind deceives us through various ways.

• Mind is either in Past or in future. All the time our thoughts are moving in past or future. Always we are dreaming. When ever we come to present moment, Mind stops for a while.
• We are driving at 100Kmph and suddenly to stop accident we apply break. Then for a brief moment our mind stops. Because if in that dangerous situation we start thinking , we will be dead. Then in that situation the decision of applying brakes, comes from our being or our center or from spontaneity or from our soul. These are all same but different authors have used different terms.
• Rock climbing, Fast driving, Bungee Jumping – there is so much thrill. because mind stops for a while in those rare moments.
• In deepest experience of Sex or in ejaculation again mind stops for a while. But it happens for a while and then again it comes back.
• But whenever mind stops suddenly on that occasion either we are in shock or thrill but we are never relaxed.
• Mind also stops in deep meditation but then we are relaxed and blissful. That is the beauty of meditation. In Samadhi state mind stops completely.
• Some times when we are very relaxed then also for few moments mind stops. Some times when we are with our lover watching sunset or seeing some beautiful thing or sharing intimate moments then also Mind stops for a while. Or we are desiring for some thing for so long and we are putting so much effort for it and suddenly we get that thing then also mind stops for a while. But only for few moments and we cherish those moments through out our life. Same blissful moments are experienced in deep meditation.
• But these moments when mind have stopped are few because mind again finds some excuse to think. Mind can say now you have found your beloved, you have attained your goal, what a beautiful sunset or rose flower etc. Through thinking mind comes. We verbalize every thing. If see a rose flower then immediately thought comes what a beautiful rose flower. We feel we are appreciating beauty but mind is doing its work. It comes back again and again. But if we keep on doing meditation then these silent moments when mind stops go on increasing and one day its stops on its own. When we completely stop cooperating with mind then its days are numbered.
• Mind generates guilt feeling. That is another door through which again thinking starts and we get involve in thinking very seriously. Mind starts finding the cause why I acted that way. How can I act that way? I could have done some thing else and all the time mind is discussing some thing which has happened in the Past.
• Mind loves Comparison. Mind compares with its colleagues, friends, relatives. Suppose my friend gets a better pay hike than me. Mind will be very disturbed. But Mind is not bothered with Bill Gates who is much richer than me. Mind only compares with close ones.
• Mind is the experience of our collective Past. Mind knows to deal with the things which it knows, with which it is familiar. If any thing new turns up then mind does not know how to react for it. Mind needs some time to function and adjust itself in new situation.
  1. Why the mind stops suddenly at the time of a possible accident?
     Because Mind is not prepared for such an occasion.
  2. Why we feel uncomfortable in new situation, with new people?
     Because Mind is not prepared. Slowly mind learns the trick how to adapt with a particular person and occasion. That’s why we are different with each person.
  3. When ever we have an option to choose then we should go for New. Because it breaks the habit of Mind, it loosens its grip on us. In a new situation mind does not know how to react because Mind is an experience of our collective past.
  4. Some times it happens we go to a garden or a beach – then suddenly we become so much relaxed that the mind stops. Mind does not know how to react so it stops. But after few days when we again go to that place then we don’t feel so blissful. Because firstly we went with the desire to gain peace. Desire is Mind and secondly Mind is prepared now. On first occasion it was a shock for the mind but now its prepared. More we expect, less is the chances of it happening. Expectation, desire, ambition, thoughts all are Mind games.
• Mind loves Rationalizing. What ever mind does it gives strong reasons for it and that too immediately. Even a criminal has valid reason to commit a crime. Mind rationalizes all its action as well as mistakes.
  1. While rationalizing again, thought will enter and so will the mind. Thought is the vehicle for Mind to travel.
  2. So if we make any mistakes then no need to feel guilty and no need to rationalize it. We all are human so we are bound to commit mistakes. But as a human we should be wise enough to learn from our mistakes as well from others and not to commit the same mistakes again. Accepting that we have committed mistake is better than rationalizing it. Acceptance of mistakes opens the door to learning from it as well as avoiding it in future.
  3. So one should accept the mistake as soon as we found and move on with life rather than brooding over it for a long period of time and suffering.
• Mind loves contemplation. Many times it happens that we are thinking over a problem for a long period of time but are not able to reach to an conclusion.
  1. But still we go on contemplating as mind rationalizes by saying that we are coming to conclusion. In reality even after 5 hours of contemplating we are at the same place as we were 5 hours ago.
  2. Mind wants to know every thing before doing or starting any thing. Mind believes that by thinking, by contemplating we are doing some constructive work.
  3. Paradoxically when the time comes to take decisions then we always knows what we have to do. In that exact moment we all are able to make decisions. If we take decisions of life moment to moment then our source/being guides us. If we are not bothered with next moment and we live as each moment comes then we are always guided by our being or intuition and we never make any mistakes.
  4. But when ever we make any decision from mind. Then we are always deceived and secondly mind will also rationalize our decision but at same time we will always have a guilt feeling.
• Mind is confusion. Even after hours of thinking mind is not able to come to conclusion because mind is always divided. When ever it speaks in favor after few minutes it will speak against also. Mind is always in dilemma and confusion.
  1. Mind is the sum total of all our experiences, all our conditioning, all our belief systems. Mind has nothing of its own, no center. Mind is just a Big hard disk in which all types of data is loaded. Mind needs a master who can make use of this vast information. But that master is sleep and only meditation can awake the master. Once the master is awake then mind is an wonderful servant.
  2. It happens we go to a shopping mall and we buy a shirt. After few minutes we always find a shirt which is better than the ones which we have bought. Because mind is never sure of anything nor even of this decision.
• Mind is desire. Mind contains all the unfulfilled desires of our lives. Not even this life but past lives also. When we die then our body dies but our mind is not dead. Our all memories from past lives are still store with mind but we are not able to access them. But there are ways to access the.
  1. Mind has so many desires and is always full of ambition. Mind convinces us with its rationalization that if this desire is fulfilled then I will be happy. But it never happens so. Because at the first place it’s difficult to fulfill a desire and if by chance we are able to do it, by that time mind has moved to some other desires.
  2. Fulfilling mind desires is impossible. May be man in future man can make every impossible to possible but it can never satisfy mind.
• Mind is Doubt. Mind is always in dilemma and lots of questions.
• When ever ‘How’ and ‘Why’ comes, It means mind has entered. Mind wants to know every thing. It ask all sort of questions. And again it’s impossible to satisfy mind. Because if one question of mind is answered then it will create 1000 other questions.
• Mind is versatile. it can create doubt and questions in every field. Even in spirituality. Many meditators ask “why we are not doing meditation”, ”are we going in right direction in meditation”. Simple solution to all these questions is to look “who is asking this questions”. Moment we start answering these questions from mind, we have become fool. Its impossible to answer them.
• Mind is Ambition or Ego. Mind loves power. That power could be in the materialistic world or in he spiritual world.
• In Spiritual world mind hankers towards spiritual power. Nothing much has changed. Earlier mind was running after money, fame, sex now mind is running after enlightenment, heaven, spiritual power etc.

Mind is very capable in making the 180 degree turn.

1. 1. 1. For example one who is totally materialistic can become a great spiritual person in another minute. Its like a movement of pendulum. Once the pendulum reached the other end it changes direction. So is the case with mind. When ever we reaches the other end or extreme of any thing we change direction.
      2. That’s why Gautam Buddha teaches the path of Middle. When we are in middle, mind is no more there. Mind is there in past and in future. This very moment it is not there. But to start living in present moment one needs to practice and then only our slavery   will break one day.
      3. Any thing that is satisfying to our ego, any thing that adds to our ego comes from our mind. Mind always tried to prove how Right I am. How smart, how intelligent, how beautiful I am. All games and tricks of Mind are directed towards feeing the ego. More egoistic the person is, more is misery. More spontaneous, more childlike innocent state leads to happiness.

• Mind is Extrovert. Mind’s focus is always on the other, outside. Opposite of Mind is meditation. Meditation is inwards. Meditation brings us closer to ourselves and mind takes us away from ourselves. Meditation means death of mind. So it always happens. When ever we start meditating, the mind becomes very alert. It starts working at double, triple of its efficiency. And in beginning all meditators have to pass through this state.
• Mind is directly related with body. Mind and body are not two mechanism but they are one. Mind is very much connected with breath. More faster, more uneven the breath is, more the mind is working. On the contrary when breath is very slow, in rhythmic, then mind is silent. Vipassana meditation taught by Gautam Buddha is based upon this principle. Simply watching the fall and rise of breath, mind slows down.
• During meditation Mind not only works faster but it also creates distraction through body also. Some people feels that Ant is walking in their arm, some people feel like aching a part of a body and some feels tired, sleepy and so on. These all are distractions because of the mind. Only solution for it is to ignore them or if some one wants to rub the body then does it with awareness.
• Mind lives with definitions, principles, beliefs, laws, disciplines. Mind is an order. But in existence there is nothing good and bad. We can define any thing concrete. E.g. if Hitler was killed the moment he was born that would have been a sin but if some body would have killed him before 2^nd world war then it would have been good for humanity. Is not it so? So how can we define whether killing is good or bad? If look very subtle, then here our mind is coming to a conclusion that nothing is good and Bad. This will become a new definition for Mind. Mind is at functioning even now while reading this article.
• Mind is very cunning. On the surface it says some thing but deep down its thinking and planning some thing else. Mind is a very calculative. It checks all the Pro’s and Con’s for doing a thing.
• Mind needs past and future but life needs present. Living in present moment is the biggest present one can give to oneself. Sages say even till the last step mind follows us, it tries all kind of tricks to be fooling us.
• Mind gets bored easily. If we do a thing again and again then sooner or later mind gets bored with it and it needs a change. But that change should not be any thing which mind has not experienced before. Some thing from the Past which mind has enjoys before as Logical mind believes doing that thing can give me pleasure again. Repeating any word or Mantra with out awareness is very boring for mind after some time and it falls to sleep. That is base of Transcendental meditation. In Mantra Chanting one should be aware or chant the manta with full intensity as one life is at stake or with great devotion. Chanting Mantra should not be mechanical or one will fall asleep because Mind sleeps.
• What ever we want to suppress or escape from becomes central to the mind. What ever we try to escape becomes an attraction for the mind and mind starts moving towards it. So no restriction can bind the mind. But becoming aware of the things can help us prevent from distraction.