What is Mind Continued....

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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
1. 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.
2. Mind is very capable in making the 180 degree turn.
  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.
1. 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.
2. 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.

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