By Dr. Jagessar Das
We must remember that the mind is only a servant. What controls the mind? There has to be an intellect. It is the intellect that decides what the mind should do and not do. It is like the super ego of Freud, who says that the mind has the ego and the super ego. It has its values that are built in already. So when you hear or see something and you compare it to be value you already have, and you see that it does not fit, you reject it. That intellect is what helps you to use your mind in the appropriate way. But the intellect needs consciousness to function. If consciousness is not present, nothing else would function. Imagine yourself as a corpse. You have no consciousness, and nothing in the world has any meaning for you. There is no existence really.
The soul (atma) is connected with Param-Atma (God) and when our individual soul recognizes its connection with the Universal Soul (God) it gets liberated. Our individualized soul knows that it is a part of the Infinite Ocean of Consciousness. It is sat-chit anand (existence-consciousnes-bliss). It is existing all by itself. The Super Consciousness (God) is neutral. It does not favour or disfavor. It does not judge. It has no opinions. It is pure Conscious Energy.
Now the mind creates karmas which you will have to repay. The mind can also reduce your karmas and give you liberation. When the mind perceives something, it creates an impression called a sanskar. It is an impression which will go with you when you die, and will manifest again in another life. If the soul dies then God dies. Satguru Kabir said, “He would not die. If God dies then he too would die, but God does not die, so how can he die?” God is that same consciousness in us, as the soul. It is energy. We may not know exactly what form of energy, but the Rosicrucians say that the soul represents the finest, most sublime form of energy from which all other energies come. Perhaps they were referring to Prana. Kabir Saheb, in the Brahm Nirupan, said that Prana is everything. And science knows that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. So the soul cannot be destroyed. It cannot be created because it is self-existent. When the soul takes another birth, its karmas go with it. They are all carried over as sanskars, or impressions, which are imprinted on the sub-conscious mind.
Now, the closer we align ourselves with the Supreme Consciousness the easier it would be to control our mind and live in spiritual freedom. A few examples would help us to understand the process. The Yoga Vashisht states, “Give up all hopes and expectations, and freed from the wish to seek or to abandon, roam about freely. Let this world appearance be real or unreal, let it arise or set: but, do not let its merits and demerits disturb your equanimity. For at no time do you have a real relationship with this world appearance: it is only because of your ignorance that such a relationship has appeared in you.”
Satguru Kabir Saheb said, “The mind behaves like an intoxicated elephant (matanga). You have to use the ankush (iron goad) of discriminative knowledge to control it.” “Do not follow the dictates of the mind. They are countless. Control the mind just as a rider controls his horse.” “The mind is restless and difficult to control. The saints can control it, so go to them to get the remedy.” “Enter the sunya mahal in the deep silence of meditation, and there see the light of the soul.”
It now becomes clear that to control the mind requires mindfulness and effort. Keeping good company and satsangs, and seeking the help of an enlightened Master will help us to develop wisdom to bring the unruly mind under control. We would then experience peace, happiness and equanimity in this life.
Dr. Jagessar Das is a Surrey-based spiritualist and head of the Kabir Association of Canada. He can bee reached at www.kabir.ca
