|
InYogic terminology, consciousness or Chitta encompasses the mind or Manas, intelligence or Buddhi, and ego or Ahankara. The Sanskrit word for man, Manusya or Manava, means "one who is endowed with this special consciousness". The mind doesn't have an actual location in the body. It is latent, elusive, and exists everywhere. The mind desires, wills, remembers, perceives, and experiences. Sensations of pain and pleasure, heat and cold, honour and dishonour are all experienced and interpreted by the mind. The mind reflects both the external and the internal worlds, but though it has the capacity to perceive things within and without, it's natural tendency it to be preoccupied with the outside world.
NATURE OF THE MIND
When the mind is fully absorbed by objects seen, heard, smelt, felt, or tasted, this leads to stress, fatigue, and unhappiness. The mind can be a secret enemy and a treacherous friend. It influences our behaviour before we have the time to consider causes and consequences. Yoga trains the mind and inculcates a sense of discrimination, so that subjects and events are seen for what they are and are not allowed to gain mastery over us.
FIVE MENTAL FACULTIES
We have mental faculties which can be used in a positive or a negative way. These are: correct observation and knowledge, perception, imagination, dreamless sleep, and memory. Sometimes the mind loses its stability and clarity, and is either incapable of using its various faculties properly, or uses them in a negative way. The practise of Yoga leads us to use these mental faculties in a positive way, thereby bringing the mind to a discriminative and attentive state. Awareness, together with discrimination and memory, target bad habits, which are essentially repetitive actions based on mistaken perception. These are then replaced by good habits. In this way, an individual becomes stronger, honest, and gains maturity. He or she is to perceive and understand people, situations, and events with clarity.
This seasoned, mature mind gradually transcends it's frontiers to reach beyond mundane observation and experience, making the journey from confusion to clarity, one of the greatest benefits of yoga.
DIFFERENT STATES OF MIND
Yogic science distinguishes between five basic states of mind. These are not grouped in stages, nor are they, except the last, unchangeable. According to Sage Patanjali, these states of mind are: dull and lethargic, distracted, scattered, focused, and controlled. Patanjali described the lowest level of the mind as dull or Mudha. A person in this state of mind is disinclined to observe, act, or react. This state is rarely inherent or permanent. It is usually caused by a traumatic experience, for instance, bereavement, or when a desired goal presents so many obstacles that the goal seems impossible to attain. After successive failures to take control of their lives, many people withdraw into dullness and lethargy. Often this is exacerbated by insomnia or oversleeping, comfort-eating, or the ingestion of tranquillisers and other substances which make the original problem worse. Yoga gradually transforms these feelings of defeat and helplessness into optimism and energy.
The distracted state of mind is one where thoughts, feelings, and perceptions churn around in the consciousness, but leave no lasting impressions and hence serve no purpose. Patanjali calls this state, Ksipta. Someone in a state of Ksipta is unstable, unable to prioritise or focus on goals, usually because of flawed signals from the senses of perception he or she accepts and follows unthinkingly. This clouds the intellect and disturbs mental equilibrium. Such a state has to be calmed and brought to confront the factual knowledge of reality through the regular practice of yoga and Pranayama.
The most common state of mind is the scattered mind. In such a state, though the brain is active, it lacks purpose and direction. This state of mind is known as Vikspta. Constantly plagued by doubt and fear, it alternates between decisiveness and lack of confidence. The regular practice of Yoga gradually encourages the seeds of awareness and discrimination to take root, giving rise to positive attitude and mental equilibrium.
The ancient sages characterised the focused state of mind, or Ekaya, as one that indicated a higher state of being. This is a liberated mind which has confronted afflictions and obstacles and conquered them. Such a mind has direction, concentration, and awareness. A person in this category of mental intelligence lives in the present without being caught in the past or future, undisturbed by external circumstances.
The fifth and highest state of mind is Nirudha, or the controlled, restrained mind. According to Patanjali, Nirudha is attained through the persistent practice of Yoga, which allows an individual to conquer the lower levels of the mind.
At this level, the mind is linked exclusively with the object of its attention. It has the power to become totally absorbed in an activity, allowing nothing to disturb its absorption. When the brain is quiet, the intellect is at peace, the individual is serene and balanced, neither free nor bound, but poised in pure consciousness.
|
