For most of us, thoughts define what we are. We keep identifying different people by their thought processes and appreciate or criticize them by evaluating their thought processes. We are occupied with our thoughts almost the whole of the day. Some of the thoughts do enter our dreams as well, though with greater flexibility. Different scriptures on Yoga and meditation talk of thoughtlessness. Here comes a conflict. How can we get rid of the very thoughts that define our "I" and if we get rid of the same, what remains thereafter? It seems to be an impossibility. In fact, it seems to be a utopia that has no practical use. Why would "I" like to get rid of something that defines me?
Probably the latest understanding of Neurology may be quite helpful here. Basically, the human mind may be divided into two broad parts: the emotional and the rational mind. The emotional mind is the storehouse of emotions of different types such as fear, jealousy, anxiety, depression, ambition, enthusiasm, pleasure, pain, and so many other emotions. All these branches emerge from the same trunk called the "ego". Whenever this "ego" feels secure and pleased, we feel pleasure and whenever it feels threatened, we feel insecure and fearful. All other emotions are just different secondary branches of these two primary branches. A fearful person develops jealousy, anxiety, depression, inferiority, superiority complexes, and many other emotions of similar kind. Security and pleasure breed fun, entertainment, enthusiasm, and so many other positive emotions. The role of the emotional mind is to secure the "ego". The moment "the ego" feels threatened, it uses different negative emotions in order to draw our attention so that we make efforts to protect the "ego". The moment the "ego" feels pleased, it uses different positive emotions to promote such a state.
The rational mind is the analytical brain. If the emotional mind is the king, the rational mind is an intelligent minister having a role to advise the king. For example, when the "ego" feels threatened and uses negative emotions to protect itself, the rational brain starts intellectually examining the situation and advising the emotional brain in order to facilitate the emotional mind to make a decision. However, a minister has just an advisory role, and that too when the king wants advice. If the emotional mind decides to be just jealous, ignoring all the logic, the rational mind has no role there. Similarly, if the emotional mind decides to develop hatred against a person it will give a limited mandate to the rational mind to find fault in that adversary and ignore the positive inputs. That's what happens practically in life situations. Once we make somebody our adversary or enemy, we start attributing mala fide intentions to each word and action of that person.
So far so good. But had the brain been this complex, we could have been handled with little training. The most complex part of the human brain is the unconscious mind. The emotions, we are conscious of, form a very minuscule portion of the emotions. A significant portion of the emotions lies deep down in our unconscious mind. We are not conscious of this part of the brain. This is like the roots of the tree, hidden deep inside the soil. It makes no sense to have an unconscious brain at the first instance, however, it has a great evolutionary advantage. It keeps observing the ecosystem and keeps guiding the king in the background to keep the kingdom safe. This is like the secret services of the state that keep warning the king about every possible attack. In fact, in many situations, they have the authority to make decisions without the explicit permission of the king. Though this helps the king survive, at the same time, it also creates chaos and conflict. The minister advises one thing while the secret services offer a different advice. Sometimes secret services take a decision and the king or minister or both are in disagreement.
Now a question arises as to how there can be a state of thoughtfulness and whether that state is a desirable state? Interestingly, we are hardly aware of the whole of the tree ever. The tree keeps growing both inside and outside the soil as we live life. However, our attention gets focussed on a few branches of the tree and we start ignoring the rest of the tree. We hardly make efforts to become aware of the roots. As if, the king has lost awareness of the positioning of his own secret forces and ministers. As if it got attached to one of his queens and had no time to listen to the ministers or secret forces. We can very well understand as to what will happen in that case. The secret forces and the ministers will start conspiring against the king. This is what fixation does to us. More importantly, the king loses awareness of the opportunities for growth.
This is what Yoga and meditation teaches us. It tells us to concentrate on breathing so that our attention gets freed of the fixation on a particular emotion. We can not be attentive to two different things at the same time. As we switch our attention to breathing, we automatically get free from the thoughts of the emotion we are caught up with. Due to the old habit, attention again goes back to the same old thoughts and since we stay attentive, we bring the same back to the breath. We keep doing the same till attention gets stable on the breath. Once the king gets the awareness back, he starts examining whatever thoughts come and go without getting fixated on the thoughts.
In the process of examination, we discover that almost every emotion and thought results in the production of one or the other sensation in the body. As we get angry, the body becomes heated. As we feel fear, there is some sensation in the stomach. Thus we can experience the close connection between the body and the mind. Thus, we start observing our bodies instead of our thoughts. Examination of the body is far easier. as we examine the body, we start feeling different sensations inside the body. The sensations of itching, pain, vibrations, and so on. Initially, we try to have more pleasant sensations and avoid peaceful sensations. However, we soon realize that our craving and aversion for different sensations is tantamount to our fixations with different thoughts. The realization of such a correlation helps us understand the deep connection between the conscious and the unconscious mind. We realize that the unconscious mind keeps giving inputs to the conscious mind in the form of these sensations.
Such awareness helps us be witness to these body sensations, rather than getting fixated on pleasant sensations or trying to run away from the unpleasant sensations. Witnessing the thoughts and body sensations does something wonderful. The king regains control over the kingdom. It regains awareness of its secret services, different departments, and the ministers. It makes the decisions for the kingdom rather than the ministers and secret services making the decisions. That helps us live a conflict-free life. When Arjuna went to fight the battle of Kurukshetra, his unconscious mind, emotional mind, and rational mind, were all saying different things. That is the time when Krishna guides him that he needs to fight the battle not for the results that suit either the emotional or rational or unconscious mind. Rather he needs to fight the battle for Dharma.
Awareness re-centers our existence around the truth. Once we start observing the play of the mind and body, we also start realizing the consciousness which is the source of the whole of the interplay. It is the soil, air, and light that has given rise to the tree. Similarly, it is different forces of nature that have given birth to the body and mind. Once we learn to observe the body and the mind, rather than being fixated on a particular thought or body sensation, we learn to connect to our true selves. That experience liberates us from all the bondage.
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