Way the mind works: Thoughts from a Hindu

I wonder if it ever occurs to us that the strength of the real potential of our minds is beyond our common understanding. Does religion assist us in our query to find out more or does it limit it? Do Hinduism-linked spiritual ideas and concepts help us navigate through the maze of the unreal image around us? Are we capable of figuring out over the lifetime, or will take longer to assemble such thoughts. Everyone is no anthropologist; we can't uncover 500 bones and point towards an evidence of these belonging to a particular dinosaur in a particular era. On a day to day life, spiritual thoughts are like these bones. When looked at separately, they are just - bones.

First, there is a tangible aspect to our minds, which is what I would like to call: medicine. As if our mind was trying to play a trick on us. Just like a flashing business idea, sudden enthusiasm for a particular sport (quite contrary to one's nature) or a sporadic feeling of tragedy watching the plight of the downtrodden takes over us, we realize our will power that our mind possesses in an instant when we are able to walk with ease in the middle of an otherwise serious flu. Like an adrenaline rush, a sudden sense of hope whistles past our eyes and ears; we see and hear the right words, the right thoughts come to us and we stand up; our ever move being marked with sense of fulfilment. We immediately realize the medicinal aspect of our mind; there is a prankish tap on our foreheads as if we are asking our brains to please wake up.

Mind and Brain are obviously different. There is definitely a scientific element of the brain that we know of. For example, the left-side of the brain takes pieces, arranges them and puts them in an order. The right-side likes the wholesome picture first and then works through the details. The left-side is more numbers driven and the right being more visualistic. May be this is the reason why scientists fail to look beyond the numerology and creative aspects of the brain to our day to day lives. It is like solving a math equation with formulas unknown to us. The question of the day is (for me) - Are spiritualists truly filling that gap, unlocking the real potential of our minds, giving us the formulas we need to think beyond what we do.

I have been reading about spiritualism since I got introduced in 2004 through Sanjay, a good friend and his family. Since then its just been one book after another. Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's philosophy feel like a comfortable boat ride on the sea of this utopian knowledge. I still feel swept by its simplicity; reminding me of times my dear mother would solve my most complex personal problem almost unknowingly through muhawaras or idioms. Its an ancient chest of knowledge being passed on to you without you being ready for it. So, I decided to read more.

I came across the "Monk Who Sold his Ferrari" which teaches one the potential with staunch resolution. I naturally chose to read Gandhiji's "My Experiments with the Truth" which was a natural transgression and complement to Bhagvad Gita; a Hindu’s guide to sense-purification. In Gandhiji, I found the complacency of a resolute mind. My father told me, "You will find a new meaning to Gandhiji's Autobiography in every stage of life." Recently, I started with Swami Vivekand's letters and speeches and Swami Ramdev Maharaj's Pranayam. Where next? I don't know, but I am amazed by a connection in all these thoughts. After all, what do a simple freedom fighter, an Advaita propagator, a spiritual revolutionary, a meditation guru, an American speaker on leadership and supporting success know so easily that we don't? Vedas and ancient Indian wisdom project an image of a sadhu or a yogi atop a Himalayan mountain when we wonder about unlocking spiritual knowledge through our meditation. I am not too sure whether any of these thinkers ever visited the Himalayas, but they have and are passing on knowledge way beyond our common understanding of the world.

I don't know if I have still not quite left the shore sitting on my comfortable boat in this sea. May be its a classic case of separation anxiety. In my younger years, I could resolutely stop wanting anything through sheer willpower and make a decision to either stop liking candies or stop liking remote controlled cars. However, trivial these decisions were, they made me feel good about my willpower. And now, when my thoughts are being challenged about wine, women and money every step along the way, why is my mind playing a trick on me? As I am more and more entangled in relationships and responsibilities, I take harder to climb every step towards something that should come naturally to me. Do I need to step down first and read about where I am going every time, with a map or a compass?

I have discovered this aspect of the mind over the course of two years. May be this is one way our mind works. It needs constant nurturing and a continuous reminder. The only other fitting analogy that comes to mind is that of an underprivileged Indian boy playing with a bicycle tyre, whipping it on its top circumference and running along with it with sheer excitement. Without his constant attention, the tyre will go to a distance and collapse. Without the tyre, the boy would just run alone or then remind him to unfortunately return home hungry to empty bowls in an empty zoppadpatti. When I am so inseparable from my mind in this simple sport of life, may be its time I realize that running with the tyre will take me to a greater distance. As a Hindu, I have a responsibility to nurture my mind. It will not earn me any accolades; may be it will not be worth my time. However, as these spiritual ideas promise, they will give me peace, and may be one day, I will escape the empty zoppadpatti of my mind and maneuver my own boat on this sea where many seem to have made big strides...