(The journey of mind from material to spiritual space)
The journey towards spiritual space is spirituality.
This begins with asking - Who am 'I'?
and ends with the answer - 'I' am unknown.
When someone asks - Who are you?, he simply wants to identify you by some reference. In reply, you are expected to give him an answer to satify his query. He might be interested to know your name, your profession, your religion, your nationality, your relation to a certain person etc. You cannot get an answer to this question without associating yourself with something or someone. But, if you ask yourself - 'Who am I?', can you satisfy yourself with this kind of an answer? To get a satisfactory answer, you need to know yourself. You need to understand the 'I' within you. You need to analyse how the sense of 'I' has developed within you. From your birth, you have learnt lot of things about the world around you. You have lot of information stuffed in your mind. You know so much. Your knowledge is huge and you are proud of that. But, you know very little about your real self!
The entire world or creation consists of three distinct spaces, namely - material space, mind space and spiritual space. The material space represents the entire mass and energy. The mind space is all that is there in the mind of a person. And, the spiritual space representing all that is neither part of the material, nor the mind spaces. All imaginations are taken as part of the mind space. On this basis, from your own perspective, your body is made of things taken from the material space. Your mind is build up taking or learning from others or self experience. And, there is something within you which is neither taken from the material space nor it is a part of the mind space, that is referred as spirit and is considered, part of the spiritual space. Each and every individual has his or her own separate and unique mind space! Everyone has been provided with sensory organs, which helps to interact directly with the material space. They also help to interact with other persons, more precisely their minds. The mind in the physical form resides in our brain. Therefore, the mind and the brain are always together and both are dependent on each other. If something happens to mind, brain will be affected and vice-versa. Since, brain is a part of the body and it cannot survive of its own, we can say body and mind are always together and are influenced by each other. So, how does spirit come into picture? For now, let us assume a (non-material) energy within us which keeps our body and mind alive and call it spirit. Mind is simply a bridge between the body and the spirit. Our thinking or thoughts are dependent on their location on this bridge. More we take our thinking away from the material space, closer it will be to the spirit and hence, the spiritual space. The soul is considered as the part of mind nearest to the spirit. The spirit itself is connected at the end point of the mind. Beyond this point there is no mind. The spirit can only be felt in the state of no-mind.
You are associated with the world around you. And you identify yourself by the identity which is given to you by the people around you. If you ask yourself - Who am I?, what are the likely answers? Your name, which is most often used to identify you, is associated with you by others for their convenience. Your relationship, by which you are related to the people around you. Your profession, something you do to earn your livelihood. Your position, something which you have achieved in your life and that made you famous. All these are just a reference to identify yourself. In the same way, you identify other people. You associate a face with some kind of reference to know a person. Can you ever identify a person without this kind of association? The answer is - No!
In the absence of association with the world around you, you are just a mind in a body. It is your mind which has the ability to ask this question and try to find an answer. A person has an identity only because of the mind. Only mind has the ability to compare, make differences or references to identify anyone. If there is no mind, there will be no need for identification.
There is a bond between your body and mind. It is very difficult for you to decide whether you are a mind in a body or a body having mind within it. Which is more convincing to you? - 'I am a body with my mind' or 'I am a mind with my body'. Every morning, you get up with same body and mind. They do not change. It is the memory within your mind, which keeps this association. Suppose, somehow you loose your memory. You will forget all information about the face you see in the mirror. The entire world around you will become unknown to you. You merely become a body without any information. This is the very state when you came into being. A body without any identity. A very very small body in a huge material space. How small? Compare your body with - the universe, the galaxies, the milky way, the solar system, the earth..... Well, you are really small! But, there is another part of mind which will compare your body with smaller and much smaller things. And it will make you think, how bigger you are!
Your body itself, is made of things taken from the material space. It is a very tiny part of the material space. Your body has five senses which connects your mind to the world around you. They are the only means for you to know the world. These senses links your mind directly to the material space. Without these senses there will be no world, for you. You will have an empty mindspace. With no mind you will be unable to feel your presence. Your sense of being, will be lost and hence, you will not exist!
It is very easy for you to associate yourself with your body. But, you are not just a body. There is a mind within it. Without mind you cannot be there i.e. the sense of 'I' within you is due to the presence of mind within your body. Therefore, you are a mind in a body. Both mind and body are associated with eachother. They depend on eachother. And they together make you present in this world.
The brain, a part of your body, is the physical address of your mind. It is the location in this entire universe where you exist. You are there from the very beginning of your life - your birth. For your entire life, the association of your body and mind is an absolute constant. You can change the location of your body, but you cannot change the location of your mind within it!
There cannot be any world for you, without your mind. Thus, there is no world without mind. The mindspace is the collection of information about the entire world which is known to you. You exist in your own unique world, because the information about the world various from person to person. No two persons have exactly same mindspace. Anything you know, which you did not know earlier, becomes part of your world. This is the way your mindspace has been expanding from the very beginning of your life. You have a separate and unique mindspace. Every person in this world has a separate and unique mindspace!
Every person has a uniqueness in both body and mind. That's why, you are one and only one. You cannot replace yourself. The word 'you' is variable, but 'I' is an absolute constant for you. You exist as a thinking mind in your mindspace. You can also exist as a non-thinking mind in your mindspace.
You have only one mind to experiment and live with!
Your life is nothing but a period of time between your birth and death. Every individual life is separate and unique! A life starts with birth and ends with death. Initially, there is a time in every life when there is no mind or an empty mind. With the growth of the body, a mind develops within every person. It starts recording things and tries to understand the environment around it. And thus, a mindspace is born. This is how you came into being. This is how the sense of 'I' get into your mind. One of the very first things you have been taught to memorize is an identity. This is done by attaching lot of things or persons to your mindspace -
'My name ...'
'My father ...'
'My mother ...'
'My family ...'
'My language ...'
'My religion ...'
'My country ...'
'My ... ... My ... ... My ... ...'
As the mindspace grows, more and more 'My' gets attached to it. With this, you get the illusion of possessiveness. This is how 'Myself' takes over your mind and gives birth to ego within you. This 'I am' or 'My' becomes bigger and bigger. Your mind does not get any chance to know or understand your real 'self'. You never get an idea that your mind has actually started from a void or emptiness. Initially, without 'My', it was unknown. At the very beginning your mind was nothing and therefore, you were nothing.
You have started your journey with nothing in your mindspace and at the end of it, nothing will be there!
You have a body and a mind. The action of your body makes changes in the material space, whereas the action of your mind is thinking and taking decisions. If you are listening, observing or reading, your mind is continuously at work. All of your actions are guided by your mind. All of your decisions are taken by your mind.
The nature, property or ability of mind by virtue of which it takes right decision before any action is dharma. It is a self imposed discipline which makes you responsible for both your actions and thoughts. It is the ability to use your conscience independently and be conscious or aware of your actions. Dharma makes you to be righteous in both your actions and thoughts.
Your primary task is sustenance. You must fulfil the basic need i.e. requirements of your body. Without these your body cannot survive. Sustenance is primary goal of every living being. It is the basic law of nature which is followed by every living being. If any of your need is not fulfilled, the entire mind resource works to attain it. Air, water, food, cloth and shelter are your basic requirements. The minimum requirement to keep your body alive is your need.
Once your need is fulfilled, your mind starts dreaming and those dreams generate desires. Emotions are directly linked to desires. Happiness and sorrow depends on the fulfilment of desires. Every person in this world is running for the fulfilment of their desires. You are also in that race. And what are you after - money, power, fame, glory, knowledge, pleasure.....? And what if you get them? Enjoy, feel good about it and after sometime start dreaming again, have desire and start running again? Is this the purpose for which you are living? Is this what life all about?
Life is very simple. In its simplest form, it is just sustenance. The minimum requirement to sustain life is your basic need. You cannot compromise with necessity. You cannot alter it. It is essential. But, you can control your desires, as they are not essential. You can sustain life without them. Your need is limited. You cannot take more air than what is required. You cannot eat more food or drink more water than what is required. You cannot wear more than one set of dress at a time. You cannot sleep on more than one bed at a time. But your desires are different. They are unlimited. If one desire get fulfilled, your mind generate another and you try to get it fulfilled. This creates a cycle which goes on and on. If you do not have control over your mind, you become slave of your desires. Your life is paramount, not your desires. Your life is not to fulfil your desires, but desires are there to make your life beautiful. Your life should not be guided by your desires, rather desires must be properly guided for your life. You might desire to become desireless. This is the most beautiful desire, you can have!
The circle of need and desire
Satisfaction helps your mind to take rest and enjoy your life. Without this, you cannot experience happiness.
Your mind has the ability to compare. No opposites can exist without this ability. You know the meaning of day only by comparing it with night. You experience happiness only if you understand the opposite. You feel superior or inferior due to comparison.
A thought can never be one-sided. There is always another side or view of it. Mind can never understand 'unknown' without understanding 'known'. There must be 'something' to understand 'nothing'.
Your mind has the ability to relate. Your thoughts are always related to someone or something. There cannot be any thought without this ability. There cannot be any identity or knowing without this ability.
The very first relation which you know is of your body and mind. All other relations are learnt by you with the growth of your mindspace.
The excitement of mind generates thoughts. Your thoughts and emotions are directly associated with eachother. Good thoughts generates good emotions. Likewise, bad thoughts generates bad emotions.
More excited the mind is, more thoughts and emotions it generates. The state of your mind depends upon the level of excitement and therefore, affects the state of your body. The balance between mind and body is dependent on this level. If the level of excitement goes beyond certain limits, it becomes madness. Over excitement could be negative or positive. For example, excitement in divinity is bliss! But, it might be seen as madness by others. What matters is, how it is understood.
Understanding is cultivated in mind. It cannot be given or taken. You will have to find your own ways and means for this cultivation, as only you can venture in your field i.e. your mindspace. You take decisions and have opinions based upon your understanding. Therefore, your understanding is your guide. Both, your knowledge and intelligence depend upon your understanding.
You are the king of your mindspace. You must be always alert guarding at the door of your kingdom armed with your understanding to validate each and every entrant. When a belief comes in, you should validate it through your understanding. If you are satisfied, allow it to enter. This is how a belief gets converted into knowledge. This experience makes you more and more intelligent. Knowledge when verified becomes wisdom!
You are the sole manager of your mind. Only you can manage your mind, with the help of your 'understanding' which acts as the Guru, the teacher or guide within you. What you understand is more important than what is being said! Therefore, it is important for you to think and understand positively. You are responsible for your mindspace. You can make it heaven or hell. It is upto you.
If you wish to have a better world, you need better mindspace!
If you wish to have a better mindspace, you need better understanding!
There are four paths of Yoga -
Rajayoga,
Karmayoga,
Bhaktiyoga and
Jnanayoga.
Rajayoga - Link of body with mind and spirit
Karmayoga - Link of body and mind with the outer world (the world except you)
Bhaktiyoga - Link of body and mind with soul
Jnanayoga - Link of mind and soul with spirit
Rajayoga helps you to understand and experience yourself as a body, mind and spirit. Karmayoga helps you to establish dharma in you, resulting in the understanding of 'my responsibilities' and 'my duties'. Bhaktiyoga helps to understand and develop your mind, emotionally. Jnanayoga helps to understand and develop your mind, spiritually.
Here, the term 'soul' should be understood as the part of mind nearest to your spirit. In, Bhaktiyoga mind is referred as the emotional mind (mind in the sense of 'heart').
Your mind is a software which runs you and is responsible for your actions. The physical mind in you, is a kind of embedded software on which you have either no or very little control. All of your physical actions are guided by this part. Breathing, thirst, hunger, physical pain, all of your biological actions and reactions, all impulsive forces etc. belong to the physical mind and is almost identical in every human being. You become different from others by virtue of your behavioral and emotional minds. These two are the most vulnerable, volatile and fragile parts of the mind. These are responsible for the creation of your personality. This is where you mostly exist as a thinking mind. This is the place where differences and conflicts happens. You need to guide yourself through troubled waters (your conflicting thoughts and emotions) to get into the spiritual mind. Only here you get the ability to understand your 'self'.
The consciousness is the core of mind. Your thoughts and emotions envelopes this consciousness. This very consciousness roams around in your mindspace depending upon your thoughts and emotions. Mind has three states - conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious. There are no thoughts or emotions in unconscious mind. In sleep, mind goes into a sub-conscious state. If your mind is fully consicous without any thought and emotion, you get aware of the pure consciousness within!
Your consciousness is at the centre of the entire creation. Infact, every single person is at a fix, separate and unique centre of his own, with his mindspace being the entire universe for him. The existence of everything around you is actually the thought about that thing in your mind, otherwise it cannot exist for you. And therefore, the existence of entire world depends upon your own consciousness!
Meditation is the process (or mental techniques) by which you get some control upon your consciousness to understand your entire mindspace and know your real 'self', the spirit, the pure consciousness, the emptiness, the void, the unknown or simply 'I' without 'my', without any reference.
Meditation has different meaning at different levels of mind. At the physical level, meditation is to be focussed only to what you see, hear, taste, touch or feel - only one at a time. It is just a state of experience without any thought about the experience. At the behavioral level, meditation is to have focus on your actions while working or talking. It is to have complete awareness of your actions. At the emotional level, meditation is to have focus on your emotions while thinking or talking with your inner voice (soul). It is being completely aware of your thoughts and emotions. At the spiritual level, meditation is listening to the soul without any opposing thoughts and without any emotion. At the edge of mind, meditation is mind without any thought, like a paper on which nothing is written. It is venturing into an empty space and be alone only with the self. It is to feel the silence within, the unknown!
You are an individual, you are singular and you are alone. This is a fact, which is ignored or not realised by you because you never think or understand your 'self' without the sense of 'my' or 'mine'. When you say 'I', your reference is not to your body or mind. The reference is to your 'self'. This 'I' resides within you and for the entire life, it remains there. You might not have recognize it, till now. You may live your entire life and die without recognizing it!
The 'I' within you is in spiritual form. You have a body and a mind. Your body and mind is unique. Only you can associate yourself with your body and mind. Your body is material. The spirit is something which keeps your body alive. This could be easily understood by comparing a dead body and a living body. The body and the spirit together develops a mind. The mind is directly associated with the brain, in the physical form. 'I' in the pure form can only be the spirit. And only from this point of view you say 'my body' or 'my mind'. Therefore, association of 'I' i.e. 'my' starts from within yourself. You can never say 'my spirit', as it is independent of 'my'. You need your mind to create an association.
You perceive the world through your mind. Therefore, you hold the entire world in your mindspace and you exist within that space. At the spiritual end of the mind, at the very edge of it, in a no-mind state, you are just a conciousness. Here, you exist as the spirit. You are 'self' without 'my' attached to it. At this point, you are separate from your body and mind. As 'self' you get the feeling of being free from your mind and body. This 'self' is you in the pure spiritual form.
Your mind interact with the material space through five senses. It is the sixth sense which helps you to feel your spirit. It is the sense which takes you towards the spiritual space, away from the material space.
If you shut down your five senses and stop thinking, you will be able to detach your 'self' both from the material as well as mind spaces. You can feel 'self' or the spirit. This is the very edge of your mind. No mind can venture beyond this point. At this point you are nothing, since only mind gives you an identity. In the emptiness, without mind, you are unknown!
You are somewhere in the journey of your life - a point in the time between your birth and death. After birth, your mind has travelled in time to reach here. It will keep on going until you die one day. Your life is confined to your birth and death. That's your limit and you cannot exist beyond that. Whatever your short-term pursuit, goal or aim may be, your final destination is death. Death will make you free from mind. That is where your pursuit will end.
You are going to die only once. You will die alone. So, your death is also unique and separate. The spirit and your body in which it resides are two separate things. They together meet to connect two entirely different worlds. One is this material world which is known to you and the other one is unknown. Consider the state of a body before and after death. What makes a body dead? It is simply the separation of the spirit from the body. Death releases you from the confinment of your body. Your connection with the material space, the link between your body and the spirit - your mind - ceases to exist. You cannot exist without your mind!
I am Agyat, the unknown within you - appearing as vaccum, space, nothing, emptiness, void to your mind - completely non-material and non-mental. You have borned from me and has been given an identity by the world around you. I am your 'self'. I am the pure consciousness or the spirit. I am beyond your body and mind. I am exactly the same in everyone! You are different only at the mental or physical levels. Your mindspace is all inclusive with 'The self' and 'The world' at its two ends -
The self -> Myself -> My Mind -> My Body -> My Need or Desire -> My Actions -> My Life -> My World -> The World
Give up your mindspace, you will find me within you!
| Back |