As there was such a nice
response to the quote from last time, I will offer a further elaboration:
The quiet mind is a
vibrant mind. Classic yoga teachings refer to the “antahkarana”, the “inner
instrument”, which aids us to function. It sounds like a thing, a noun, but in
many senses, it is more of a description breaking down various functions which
broadly could all be referred to as aspects/functions of the mind. The four
basic functions are “ahamkara”, the sense of separate self, ego; “manas”, the
mind in a more narrow, specific sense as the processor and re-caller of
experiences, the lower mind; “buddhi”, the intellect or higher mind, that is
capable of exercising choice through discriminating among the information
processed and recalled by manas; and citta, the storehouse of everything we
have ever experienced, felt, or thought, the memory.
Going back to the broad
concept of referring to all of these functions as functions of “mind”, the
teachings also refer to mind as a noun, a subtle inner entity, variously described
as either like a mirror reflecting what arises from within, or as a jewel, a
crystal, a diamond, similarly reflecting/refracting what arises from within.
Although it is usually referred to in the manner of this reflecting/refracting
what arises from within, as described above, it also internalizes/processes
external experiences, which then generate and enliven inner impulses in a
karmic cycle.
This inner instrument, in
its purest form, lacks any distortions during its input and output processing.
It is a finely-honed, crystal-clear jewel in this state, and thus references to
it such as “The Crest Jewel of Discrimination”, the title of one of the most
significant works of Adi Shankara, or other spiritual texts, such as “The
Diamond Sutra”, and other references in spiritual literature to jewels and
crystals. As we all know, the plight of most human beings concerns the problem
that this wonderful inner instrument becomes blemished, distorted, polluted through
a false/incomplete/overblown sense of separation leading to egotism and bloated
pride fueled by powerful lower emotions related to the instinct of
self-preservation, the most powerful of which is fear/insecurity. This process
of distortion obstructs access to the clear mind, because it becomes veiled, cluttered,
sluggish, and dull. The mind becomes the servant of the bloated ego and lower
emotions and lower mind, and we are caught in a vicious cycle or even a downward
spiral.
The practices and processes
of spiritual growth involve purification efforts to clear away the obstacles
and distortions and establish/regain the purity of the uncluttered mind.
Spiritual literature often speaks of destroying the ego and emptying the mind.
But it is more accurate to say that these functions just need purifying, not
destruction. A purified ego serves the purified and higher mind and the higher
emotion of the spiritual Heart. The mind does not actually become empty.
What is often conveyed with the concept of emptying the mind is really all
about stilling the mind, so that it may seem to be empty. It is empty of
its common noise and chatter. But it is more accurate, or at least more
complete, to say that through the process sometimes referred to as “emptying”, the
mind becomes quiet, and in doing so, it actually becomes filled with
stillness, and through that stillness, it becomes vibrant, because it is
reflecting the infinite, eternal, boundless field of creativity and
potentiality that lies beyond the mind, at the core of our real essence. The
mind is then seen and understood as an instrument, a servant through which our
real, deepest spiritual essence expresses itself. Likewise, stillness is seen
and understood not merely as the absence of activity, but rather as a positive
presence encompassed within our spiritual essence. It is more accurate to say
that there is no process to empty the mind other than to introduce it to the inherent,
vibrant, inner stillness that lies beyond it, and which it can reflect. Its
usual chattering content is then replaced with something quite extraordinary. Such
is the real essence and nature of Shalom, of Peace at all levels.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment