Of all the faculties, the most restless, turbulent, powerful and obstinate is the mind. A deeper analysis of the need for change will involve understanding the internal forces which control the mind. We need mental health to face any problem life may pose.
Every one must decide what qualities of mind he needs and how he should go about developing them. Our mental model of the world should understand externalities and not function in some idealistic world which does not exist.
Nature is said to be the root of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity — the material body — is the cause of various sufferings and enjoyments in the world. The living entity is responsible for its own acts.
Sense of reality is an inner feeling. It is the state of consciousness functioning through intellect or mind responsible for sense perception. Development of mental attitudes which determine a person’s acts and temparaments, which affect determination and evaluation of truth, shall be a four step process. It involves:
- Discrimination between real and unreal (universal scepticism). ……….(what stays forever and what not).
- Aversion to enjoyment of fruits of one’s actions here and hereafter ………..(dispassion)
- Acquisition of some important qualities : Calmness and tranquility, self-control, self-withdrawal, forebearance, faith and self-settledness.
- Desire for freedom to make the mind flow from search to discovery of the real.
- Soul, made up of consciousness, knowledge and bliss (joy) remaining aware (in the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep states), makes everything within the body operate.
This is the truth. And yet, the utterly ignorant person mistakes the transient body for the soul, although he well knows that the body externally consists of bone, nerve, marrow, meat, blood, fat, skin and the like, and internally full of faeces, urine, phlegm and bile-like substances.
What should motivate and guide an individual will be clear only when he/she undertakes a personal inquiry into the human potential and values. Life organised on the basis of decisions taken on such inquiry will be more satisfying. Often we drift through life because we do not know our inherent potential and the driving forces.
The mission and vision of an individual will depend on his/her knowledge and value-based understanding of the inherent qualities, a balancing of conflicting factors in making each choice and the effectiveness of steps taken to achieve the end objectives.
Like a silk worm
A person, though endowed with discrimination may, by his own actions, weave a web of thoughts and interests, This can perpetuate ignorance and may not allow him to acquire knowledge to get out of the web.
He then becomes just like a silk worm caught in the cocoon unable to get out of his environment and drifts through life without a clearly defined mission, claiming credit when something good takes place and rationalising the adverse results by blaming his fate or other adversaries.
Human-being — A witness
If we extend the rationale of the actors in the play who distinguish clearly their role in disguise from their body-soul relationships, we will understand that the body alone enjoys while the soul, associated with every human being, is just a witness only and is not involved in our bodily experiences.
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