Korpo
Don't let the thinking mind run the show
by
, 10th March 2012 at 01:36 AM (2575 Views)
Probably the most dangerous aspect of human nature is the thinking mind. It's dangerous by being the one aspect that is most likely to eclipse the guidance of the soul, leading man down inappropriate paths in full conviction of holding the truth.
This danger is magnified by a culture that has made the thinking mind its golden calf, its replacement god to worship and defer to. Being smart has a high cultural value, and intellectual bullying - aggressively seeking mental dominion over others - is the least frowned upon form of bullying. Outsmarting someone is not necessarily frowned upon, even if it means taking advantage. It's also present in our attitude towards science, which in many cases is worshipped and seen as the purveyor of ultimate truth, no matter how inconsistent its messages or how fraught with error its processes.
The thinking mind and the mental body - two names for practically the same. The mental body is described as being the body of concrete thought, of applied thought. It is said to be dominated by likes and dislikes, by black-and-white-thinking, true-or-untrue answers. And when you begin to dig deeper it is also often talked about in the world's spiritual traditions.
When you look at untraining craving and aversion in Buddhism, as taught for example in the Vipassana tradition, you find a program to rein in the thinking mind. For it is the body of likes and dislikes. Even concentration is defined as the ability to direct thought (first jhana) or transcending thought altogether (second jhana). Whenever somebody posits a self or false self or idea of self or ego to overcome - in my opinion you should look no further than the thinking mind when looking for that one.
The irony is that the thinking mind, the mental body, is a fundamental part of our nature. It puts things in order, processes the concrete, implements the plans, makes interaction with the physical world possible. It can be the interpreter of higher experience and serve a higher purpose. Overcoming it can neither mean destroying it or getting rid of it. It has its own valuable contribution to give. Without it I could not render this into words.
Ironically some of the people most enthralled in the clutches of the thinking mind might be people out to destroy, subjugate and overcome it. They have taken on an extreme view, an idea about the truth, and are carrying it out tenaciously. And this is precisely the nature of the mental body as well - ideas about the truth replace a more direct experience about the truth. Ideas about the truth often suppress any feeling or intuition which could lead one closer to truth.
I find it a very powerful message when a Tibetan lama writes a book "Turning the Mind into an Ally". It allows for both - seeing how the mental body can be part of the problem and how it can become part of the solution when it comes to spiritual liberation. What needs to be broken is the dominance of the mental body over our lives to let the higher self shine through. But it cannot be broken by force.
True concentration is relaxed. Concentration is the state of the mind where the mind voluntarily rests on the object of concentration. It arises out of dropping the resistance to being concentrated, is the true nature of our minds when we untrain those unhelpful reactions. Forcing the mind is never relaxed. It's also much harder to maintain and sapping one's energy.
The mental body is an elemental. It can be trained and calmed. Its resistance can be lessened. Any elemental can be turned into an ally if you respect and satisfy its needs and are mindful of its weaknesses.
In this sense I'm not saying that you should turn against your mental body. This little self is part of your larger self. It has a role to play. It is needed. It has a purpose. Just don't let it run the show.