All posts by Engineer Manish Verma

IITian ~ Consultant & Educator manishverma.site
Mind

Mind is due to Brain Problem

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Mind does not appear to exist during deep sleep, in coma, in certain brain deceases*/injuries, under general anesthesia etc. So, one can say that if brain does not work (or works partially), mind does not exist (or does not behave normally) and hence mind is entirely due to brain. However, if we assume that entire mind is due to brain it is not possible to explain a) near-death experiences that some people have b) out of body experiences that some people have and c) research findings on reincarnation by Dr. Ian Stevenson. These experiences/findings point towards the phenomenon of mind (or faculty of mind – whatever you like to call it like soul etc.) getting detached from the body.

If we assume for a moment that the mind is separate from the body let us see how we can explain why mind does not appear to exist during deep sleep, in coma, in certain brain diseases*/injuries, under general anesthesia etc. Mind interprets information sent by the brain. If brain is inactive/damaged/dead, this information is not sent properly (or not sent at all) to the mind for processing which makes it look as if mind is not working properly or is not functioning at all. For analogy sake consider a TV (mind) connected to a cable (brain/body) and to a power supply. If there is no signal sent by the cable, the TV does not work. This does not mean that the TV is not in working condition. This explains how the dependence of mind on brain is possible even if mind does not exist due to brain.

Spiritually speaking, consciousness is big container in which there is mind inside of which there is body and brain is part of the body. Mind is the interface between the consciousness and the body. Mind receives lot of information from the body/brain and tunes in to specific information and projects it on the screen of consciousness.

*In certain brain diseases the person does not behave normally and one says that mind is not normal.

Consciousness

Awareness – An Analogy

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Let us say that in a home with 24×7 electricity, there are many bulbs. When current flows through a particular operational bulb by switching it on it glows. When the switch is off it obviously does not glow. Also, when the bulb is not operational even if there is electricity it does not glow. Also, what happens with one bulb is not related to another bulb as it is driven by another switch. Here is the analogy:

Bulb = A Person
Bulb with switch off = Person in unconscious state
Bulb with switch on = Person not in unconscious state
Bulb not operational = Death of the body of the person
Light from the bulb = Sensation of sound, light, emotions etc. experienced by a person
Current = Awareness
From the above analogy it can be seen that just as the light from the bulb is possible due to current, or in other words current is expressing itself in the form of light, the experience (via senses, thoughts etc.) of the person is possible due to awareness or awareness is expressing itself in the form of experience. If the bulb is not giving light it does not mean that the electricity does not exist, it only means that either the bulb is switched off or is not operational. Likewise, if a person has no experience (via senses, thoughts etc.), it does not mean that awareness does not exist, it means that either the person is unconscious or the body is dead.
Consciousness

I = Awareness: Simple Proof

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One morning Anand had quarrel with his wife. Later while driving car to the office, he had a brush up with another car which led into a futile argument. He reached his office late and asked his secretary about some work. When she said that she could not complete it in time, he (I = ego) asked her to resign within a week.

After reaching home while playing with his young kid he thought that he (I = ego) was wrong in taking the decision hurriedly of firing the secretary and that he (I = intellect) would make up for it tomorrow first thing in the morning.

Next day after reaching his office he called his secretary and first asked about the same work to begin the conversation feeling quite sure that it would have been over by yesterday noon. She said that it would take more time to complete it. Anand thought that this work should have been over by yesterday comfortably and till now it is not done. He decided not to do what he thought earlier about making up with her. In the afternoon a colleague of Anand told him about some personal problem his secretary was facing. After hearing this he (I = compassion) took back the decision of firing the secretary.

Anand is just one, there cannot be many permanent Anands as I = ego or I = intellect or I = compassion etc. In this episode the only thing that remained permanent/constant was Anand as I = awareness. It was ego that took place in awareness, it was intelligence that took place in awareness and it was compassion that took place in awareness. Everything happened on the screen of awareness. The screen did not change but what was played on the screen was changed. This means that Anand is awareness and so are we.

Gita, Vedanta

Karma Yoga = Act As If

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One way to realise Self is to follow the traits of a Self-realised person*. Karma Yoga effectively means working just like the way a Self-realised person* would work. After realising Self, there is no identification with body-mind and hence there is no false ego so why would someone work exclusively for making money, for getting promotion in job, for higher social status etc. One would just work till the previous karmic debt is burnt with the intention to sustain the body and since there is a sense of oneness with everything as everything is Self as known to this person* he/she would do work as love/service towards the consciousness in everything (just like a common man works for himself due to his love for himself). Naturally, this type of work would be the work without bondage which would not be the work done solely for the sake of fruition of the work.

*Whether you realise Self or not, you are still a person to the outside world (the world comprising of people who are not Self-realised). But, after you realise Self you do not consider yourself as person as Self means consciousness.

Consciousness, Self Realisation

We are Consciousness Proof & Self-Realisation

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When Anand is awake, he is a Physicist. Let us call him Anand-P. One day he wakes up in the morning and remembers that he was singer in the dream and that he was giving a live performance but he does not remember when the book that he was reading at bed time fell from his hands and even from the bed. Let us call Anand the singer as Anand-S. On waking it is obviously Anand-P who is associated with, “I” and not Anand-S. When Anand-S was singing, he existed as, “I” who felt real and could see the audience and hear sounds and Anand-P did not exist as, “I”. In fact Anand-P at those moments did not even know that he existed at all. Then how does Anand-P as, “I” on waking know about Anand-S who was a different, “I”? If I do not exist as I then how can I remember witnessing something? This is different from memory of waking state where Anand-P alone exists as, “I” everything else being, “other” and experiences things and remembers some of them. Clearly, something is telling Anand-P about Anand-S. It means that there is a link connecting the two Anands. This connecting link is Self or consciousness which is the real I. This real, “I” is same for both Anands. “I” that is used generally is false “I” attached with ego. One way to realise your true nature is as follows:

Notice your immediate reaction when you suddenly wake up from your dream. Do you feel that it was the same you that was present in the dream at the very instant of waking up before body senses start taking over? If it is the same non-changing I associated with you during this transient state of observation, then the real you must be consciousness. To put it mathematically,

Let t be the instant at which you suddenly wake up while watching dream, if you find that:

{\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t - \delta }} = {\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t + \delta }}

Then it implies that,

{\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t - \delta }} = {\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t + \delta }} = I = {\rm{Constant = Consciousness}}

The above understanding* can open the door to Self-realisation.

*This is called Jnana Yoga, i.e. Self-realisation from knowledge.

Consciousness, Soul

What is Embodied Soul – A Modern Perspective*

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Jivatman, rooh, embodied soul etc. are different words used in different religions/cultures to speak of the localised divine presence.

Svetasvatara Upanishad – Chap 5 Mantra 9 is as follows:

vālāgraśatabhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate

The above means, “Know the embodied soul to be a part of the 100th part of the point of a hair divided a 100 times; and yet it is infinite.”

From modern perspective, there is nothing physical known within the body that can be called as, “subtle body” or embodied soul so if we do not take the above literally, the implied meaning of the above appears to be that if we try to discover embodied soul, it is apparently very difficult to discover it, so in that respect it is subtle. But, since it is reflection of Atman/Consciousness/Self, actually it has infinite presence. We know that mind is not a physical thing and it has the imagination to be anywhere. So, mind can broadly be called Jivatman**. Although consciousness is everywhere, when it is associated with the physical bodies, it gets individualised and one feels oneself separate from the Self. Just like in a room there are various radio signals that are detected by various radios to different degree, consciousness is detected by different bodies to different degree. Be it stone, plant, animal or human or empty space, consciousness is everywhere and is detected to a different degree by different things/beings.

One can think of mind as made of several layers. The outermost layer of mind is where we mostly live, that is waking conscious state, the next layer is subconscious state, the next is unconscious state. All these states happen on a screen or a background. Most of us are not aware of this background as we identify ourselves with body-mind. This background of the mind can be considered as consciousness. It can only be reached when there are no thoughts in the mind and the identification with body-mind ceases.

*Different religions may use different terms and explanations.
**Ramana Maharshi says, “What is called ‘mind’ is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the nature of mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself. When the mind comes out of the Self, the world appears. Therefore, when the world appears (to be real), the Self does not appear; and when the Self appears (shines) the world does not appear. When one persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the soul (jiva).”
Meditation

Meditation Kriya

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There are 4 steps as follows in this meditation kriya*:

  1. Since you need to be able to sit in excess of 10 minutes in one position, you can do some stretching and neck exercise in the beginning for a few minutes. After stretching/neck exercise, sit in cross-legged position# facing east with spine erect, hands in front with their back resting on thighs, palms open facing up, head slightly tilted up having mild concentration towards the middle of the eyebrows; keep eyes closed for all the three steps below.
  2. With deep slow inhalation mentally say (refer https://vedanta.manishverma.site/i-am-not-body-mind-proof/ & https://vedanta.manishverma.site/what-is-meditation/ first), “I am not body-mind” and with deep slow exhalation mentally say, “I am pure awareness”. The two thoughts should remain throughout the inhalation and exhalation processes as applicable. Do this for 7-11 minutes. If you find it hard to tell yourself that you are not the body or the mind initially and that you are awareness as you find this hard to believe, then with inhalation you can say, “So” and with exhalation you can say, “Ham” and continue to go through more articles/videos in this blog addressing this issue from various angles till you feel comfortable telling yourself that you are not body-mind and that you are awareness.
  3. Inhale deeply and say AAAAAA……. with full mouth open in sufficiently low pitch such that the vibrations come from just below the naval and pay attention to the vibrations in the region just below your naval. The loudness of voice should be just sufficient enough to feel the vibrations. Do this for 7 times.
  4. Just sit in silence (oral and mental) for 5-6 minutes. Finally, open your eyes slowly.

The above Kriya can be done multiple times in a day. If it is done more than once a day, the stretching/neck exercise may not be required every time. Since this kriya is not physically demanding, it can be done almost any time** in the day but you need to listen to your body, for example doing it after a heavy meal may not be a good idea if you need to do some stretching exercise. Also, the time when there is a tendency to fall asleep is not suggested.

*If you have any health problem please consult your doctor before practicing this.
#As you become more accustomed to this Kriya, you can try Padmasana (lotus pose) in place of sitting in cross-legged pose.
**Midnight time may be avoided. Please refer to FAQs which are applicable to this kriya which are applicable here also.