The power of mind?
We've all heard of cliches like 'Think big' or 'Think yourself rich' or 'Think yourself to success'. How very proud we are of the seemingly unlimited power of our mind! Due to such a mind, the natural biological balance on the planet is getting destroyed; natural resources are being exhausted to the limit; many species are losing their natural habitats due to our insatiable need to exploit.
But if we have such powers of mind, how is it that we feel the need to escape from our very mind through almost constant distraction in the forms of drink, drug and various forms of entertainment (including the latest high-tech game consoles)? Have we not learnt to live peacefully even with our own mind after tens of thousands years of evolution as Homo sapiens? Volumn after volumn have been written on the art of achieving serenity of mind and all manners of therapies have been evented to help individuals live more comfortably with their mind. Needless to say there've been teachers and healers of various styles who lead meditation classes or healing sessions. I can't help but ask, what is it in our mind that won't allow itself to have even a moment of peace? Sure if the mind is such a powerful thing, it must, first and foremost, be capable of controling itself or putting itself at ease to say the least?
I'm in no position to offer solutions to such a profound and complex malaise. But maybe we all have been looking in the wrong direction for remedies. Various psychological theories have been invented to help individuals analyze and hopefully get to know their own mind bettter. Meditation techniques have been used to enable groups of people to sit still at least momentarily in control of their monkey mind. But using the mind to silence the mind and you end up with a new set of mind just as petty and fearful and as restless as before.
Maybe it's time to look at a complete different direction for solutions. Maybe we've relied too heavily on the functions of mind for achieving things. What if we've all got it wrong? What if the seat of consciousness doesn't lie in the mind, but inside the tummy? Or, is it possible that the mind has been an unwanted growth just like tumor in our body; not only that we don't need it, we should eliminate it all together?
This is exactly what the Taoist and Buddhists adepts have been saying all along. 'When the human mind dies, the celestrial mind will make itself known', 'A sage has no individual mind of his own', 'The intellect is a wellspring of turpitude, the body a breeding ground of offenses'. This is obviously just the opposite of poplular western philosopy, 'I think, therefore I am'. Will we as individuals be annihilated if we leave our mind behind? Sure we have to relie on the power of our mind to get higher on the social ladder. But being higher up on the ladder doesn't mean one is a better human being. It only proves that one is a better acrobat in the show of survival.
At this moment, I'm looking at my two cats resting on bed, looking completely relaxed and content. How comes cats can be so comfortable within themselves - they don't need much company either from humans, their fellow beings or other species; they don't feel the need to be entertained at all times, most of their waking time, they are just content sitting there in a very comfortable position whith their own 'thoughts'. Unlike dogs, they don't feel the need to constantly please their owners, either. I won't go so far as saying that cats are superior than us, but I certainly don't mind coming back as a cat in my next life.
But if we have such powers of mind, how is it that we feel the need to escape from our very mind through almost constant distraction in the forms of drink, drug and various forms of entertainment (including the latest high-tech game consoles)? Have we not learnt to live peacefully even with our own mind after tens of thousands years of evolution as Homo sapiens? Volumn after volumn have been written on the art of achieving serenity of mind and all manners of therapies have been evented to help individuals live more comfortably with their mind. Needless to say there've been teachers and healers of various styles who lead meditation classes or healing sessions. I can't help but ask, what is it in our mind that won't allow itself to have even a moment of peace? Sure if the mind is such a powerful thing, it must, first and foremost, be capable of controling itself or putting itself at ease to say the least?
I'm in no position to offer solutions to such a profound and complex malaise. But maybe we all have been looking in the wrong direction for remedies. Various psychological theories have been invented to help individuals analyze and hopefully get to know their own mind bettter. Meditation techniques have been used to enable groups of people to sit still at least momentarily in control of their monkey mind. But using the mind to silence the mind and you end up with a new set of mind just as petty and fearful and as restless as before.
Maybe it's time to look at a complete different direction for solutions. Maybe we've relied too heavily on the functions of mind for achieving things. What if we've all got it wrong? What if the seat of consciousness doesn't lie in the mind, but inside the tummy? Or, is it possible that the mind has been an unwanted growth just like tumor in our body; not only that we don't need it, we should eliminate it all together?
This is exactly what the Taoist and Buddhists adepts have been saying all along. 'When the human mind dies, the celestrial mind will make itself known', 'A sage has no individual mind of his own', 'The intellect is a wellspring of turpitude, the body a breeding ground of offenses'. This is obviously just the opposite of poplular western philosopy, 'I think, therefore I am'. Will we as individuals be annihilated if we leave our mind behind? Sure we have to relie on the power of our mind to get higher on the social ladder. But being higher up on the ladder doesn't mean one is a better human being. It only proves that one is a better acrobat in the show of survival.
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