Ghalib Kept Making This Mistake

Today's post is about the Mind.

The Western style of thinking, that predominates the mainstream today, says, that the mind is a collection of faculties. The mind enables thinking, perception, judgement and memory. It even gives rise to consciousness.

All of the products of the mind, thoughts, ideas and concepts are said to be mere firing of neuro- chemicals.

The mind is -what the brain does.

But they say they have no clue if there is a 'thinking center' in the brain.

And they don't know how much of a chemical is needed to create a thought.

And they even can't explain how a bunch of brain cells creates the actual living, breathing feeling of having an idea in your head.

Don't Blame Me, If I Look For Answers Somewhere Else

If I look at Indian Philosophy to try and understand the fundamentals of life.

But before that, here is a Quiz Question for you: What does the word Man mean?

(scroll a little for the answer.....)

Answer: Man comes from the Sanskrit word Manushya. Manushya comes from the root word Manu.

Manu was the first human being on Earth. He was called Manu, because he had a 'Manas'.

Manas means Mind.

Man is a being with a Mind.

Homo Fomo

In the 1700s in the Western world someone said Man is a Homo Sapien. A Thinking Being.

But the confusion is apparent in the philosophy there.

If the mind is the source of thinking. And is the outcome of the brain.

Animals also have a brain....

Then what makes Man the only thinking being?

They say, animals also think. But it is only Man who is capable of the higher processes of reasoning, discrimination and self-control.

Probably they should re-name him as Homo-Super-Sapien.

And what about plants? They don't have a brain...so what exactly are they doing? They must be feeling pretty lousy, being put so low on the ladder...

but then...they can't really feel....because they have no brain.....

It's a bit confusing....

Maybe Good To Have An Alternate POV

In Indian Philosophy it is believed that the Intellect precedes the Mind.

All beings are said to have Intellect. It is only man who has a Mind.

It sounds new, doesn't it? And seems like it doesn't make sense.

Let's look at Astrology for some explanation.

Circles Not Ladders

In the First House, the Ego is born. The 'I' maker. All beings are born with this aham-kara, that distinguishes them as a separate being. It gives rise to the physical body. And to a belief.

The Second House, says that all beings are born under specific circumstances. A Fate that decides their nourishment. Their resources. And as a result, their value systems.

The Third House declares all beings show will, intent and courage. They have to leave their confines to grow. Each plant, animal and human has the capacity to discriminate, make choices and display self-control. All beings have insight, intuition and intelligence.

The Fourth House, deals with emotions, that all beings experience. They stem from our connection the the Earth. Since we are all made of the Earth.

But there is an important shift that takes place here. We now move into an anthropocentric experience of the world. Because it is here that the concept of the Mind is introduced.

The Manas, The Mind. The Man-As-The-Mind.

There is a lot written about the fascinating Mind, across different philosophies in India.

I find astrology to be a clear, precise and concise way of understanding things.

So I'll curate, especially for you, some ideas about the Mind.

The Fourth House is ruled by the Moon. The Moon is the significator of the Mind.

And it gives us a way of understanding the Mind better.

Mind As A Measure

The word Manas, also gave rise to the word 'Maasa'.

Maasa is a unit of measure.

It is most widely used as the word for 'a month'. One revolution of the Moon around the Earth, is One Maasa. One Moonth. One month.

This is a core functioning of the Mind. It tracks time. It can keep note of cycles.

This tracking of time, helps in coordination. Allows us to synchronize with each other.

And it creates memory. A past- present- future.

A beginning- middle- end.

It gives rise to the innate characteristic of humans- story telling.

Mind As A Weight

Maasa is also the word used for Urad Dal. Black Lentil.

This is because urad dal was used as a measure. It was weighed against gold and silver.

The Mind is used in a similar way. To judge what it knows, against what it doesn't.

A comparison.

Constant Counting.

Weighing of Options.

A Burden.

Mind As A Regulator

Just as the Moon's gravitational forces tug the tides, the Mind uses our emotions to push and pull us into actions.

As the Moon waxes and wanes in brilliance......thoughts and moods grow, peak and fade away...

And just like the Moon who only shows us one side of itself, the Mind too has a Shadow.

Mind Mirror

The Moon has no light of its own. It reflects the light of the Sun.

The Mind reflects the light of the World.

The mirror is an interceptor.

It gives rise to an interpreter.

Signals become symbols.

Metaphors are born.

And when the mirror turns inwards, the seer becomes the seen.

The Cause Of The Mind

The Maitreya Upanishad says "the Mind is the cause of bondage. And liberation."

In India enlightenment is not exclusive to human beings.

In fact, the Mind is seen as the biggest obstruction to enlightenment.

Enlightenment is when the Ego turns around. Not the Mind.

But the Mind can lead to Liberation, because it holds the keys to the Mystery.

The codes embedded by the people who have walked the Way.

Maya

Is what can be measured.

The word Lunatic actually means to be Moon-Struck. A crazy way of being in Love.

Lunar comes from the Sanskrit root word- 'ruc'/'luk'. Which means radiance.

Chandra, comes from the root 'cand', that means 'to glow'. It gives rise to the words candle, kindle, incandescence, chandelier.

It has a magnetic effect on us. The Mind.

We can live a million lifetimes simply playing its games.

Overflowing Cup

Or we could choose to empty our cups, every now and then.

The Week Ahead

The Sun opposes Pluto. Shadow sides come into the light. If you are exploring your own depths, it's a fantastic time.

If you have been fooling yourself, by only seeing one side of things- you will surely have a rude, wake up call.

It's the last week of July. Monsoons are making me nervous. Will it happen or not? I hope this week brings in the rains in plenty.

Mercury just turned direct as I was writing this post. This is a big relief. I wrote four posts yesterday, and deleted all of them. From here on, communication will become easy. Breezy. Something to look forward to!

August is eclipse season. Things will be intense. But not as intense as the eclipses that happen next year.

If you are already feeling overwhelmed by things, I suggest you take it a bit easy. We are in the great periods of history. And it's only just started.

We have a lovely Full Moon this week. You could sit somewhere enjoying it. This brings some feel-good energy.

We can take these small chances to make ourselves feel better, be careful about our money, eat better, take a walk....stop filling the poor Mind endlessly...grow a garden....

Be a bit mind-less.

Until we meet again next week....take care...