Mind and Mind Management

Mind and Mind Management Mind Management – Some Random Thoughts What is the difference between PK and PIKU? Two letters, ‘I’ and ‘U’; I is us and U are them (an extra-terrestrial Aamir Khan). Their CPU is cerebral and our CPU is at the level of abdomen. Or say for vast multitudes the focus is at the abdomen. It would be quite captivating watching the main protagonists PK and Bhaskor sharing their thoughts and respective metabolisms in a spaceship. Food has a tremendous impact on our system, which we do not quite comprehend. Improper diet first takes a toll on the metabolism and then attacks other organs of the body. Simply put, intake of toxic foods generates repugnant thoughts and results in a weak mind and body. I remember the remarkable lines by from the master piece movie Chakra, ‘Zindagi mein keval do hi chakker hein , ek pet ka aur ek uske neeche ka’. Yes our thoughts are at the baser levels. Of course, there are sages, philosophers and the enlightened ones who transcend this level and reach a superconscious state. The human mind is an enigma and a reservoir of potential. But the moot question is how do we tap this potential? The mind is a movie theatre where we script and enact innumerable movies and soap operas. Some funny, some mysterious, some idealistic and others tear jerkers. It is hyperactive. It needs a relaxation room, wherein you can dump the garbage, and achieve something useful for yourself and the society. Technology alone cannot be a substitute for the enormous potential of the mind. It needs to be cultured, harnessed and harmonized with the needs and wants. Talent, energy and thoughts have to be channelized, to become achievers. We need to focus on goals and objectives. We need to distinguish brain from the mind. The brain is an organ that serves as the centre of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. Only a few invertebrates such as sponges, do not have a brain, diffuse or localized nerve nets are present instead. Mind on the other hand is the faculty of consciousness and thoughts. It is an individual’s intellect or memory or his attention span or will. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has captured it very succinctly. He says mind is like the sky and thoughts are like clouds. Your thoughts make or mar the progress and development of the mind. In fact he further elaborates by saying that mind is like a kite and breath is like the string which can control the mind. To be happy in life humans need to calm the obdurate and recalcitrant mind. Further keep reminding ourselves that we are blessed, grateful and have abundance in our lives. Life is full of valleys and peaks. It can never be a rising curve or a straight line indefinitely. There are constant changes in life and we have to accept this reality without any strings. So we need to move in life with equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity. The human mind vacillates between the past and the future. In the past, the mind is regretful and if it is in the future, it is anxious. In either situation the mind is not at peace nor in the present moment and so remains unhappy. Why are we stressed out? Are we running after a chimera? Or like Rama and Lakshman are we running after a non-existent golden deer. We are not wakeful enough, neither listening to our gut feeling and or maybe we have a woeful sense of time management. There is a deep connect between the stomach and mind. That is why it is called the gut feeling or the sixth sense. Our solar plexus keeps sending us signals. It depends as to whether we are conscious and wakeful enough to grasp those signals. Humans can truly celebrate only if we are able to quiten our minds. There are techniques to do it and develop a relaxation room or space in our minds and harness the energy so that it does not get dissipated . This energy can be channelized in innumerable ways. There may be some who may practice meditation, breathing techniques or simply observe silence to quieten the mind. Others realise their potential by say playing a game of tennis and sweating it out or pursue other passions. The path is chosen based on our personality type. But the ultimate aim is to be in the present and lead a happy life. Let our minds not be judgmental and complain and cling on to negativities. Willy-nilly we provide the hook to hang the coat of negativity. Isn’t it? As Alice Walker said, “Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.”