MIND MATTERS AN OVERVIEW

MIND MATTERS AN OVERVIEW MIND YOUR MUNCHING – KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CAN CHEW “ Seeing to this , neglecting that , once the mind stops setting one things against the other, it is no longer craves pleasure,”- Sage Ashtavakra My dear friends, what is the difference between PK and PIKU. Two alphabet. I and U.Assume I is us( protagonist Amitabh Bachchan essaying the role of Bhaskor in PIKU) and U are them (an extra-terrestrial Aamir Khan playing a pivotal role as PK in the eochmaking film which scorched multiplexes). There; CPU is cerebral. And our CPU is at the level of abdomen. Or say for vast multitudes the focus is at the midriff. It would be quite captivating watching the main primemovers PK and Bhaskor sharing their thoughts and respective metabolisms in a spaceship. We ignore at our peril that food ( which includes liquids too) has a prodigious impact on our system. Humans do not quite comprehend this vital aspect of our existence. 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. The chamber of our stomach consists of three parts of which a third is meant for solids , one third for water/liquids and the remaining third for air. Wellness of body and mind lies in consumption of superfoods. They consist of seasonal fruits and salads which get digested within 30 to 45 minues. A normal vegetarian diet which is not too spicy or sweet is absorbed by the system in about 6 to 7 hours. Non vegetarian fare normally takes around 72 hours to assimilate. And during this period toxins accumulate and this affects the mind and body. Liquids should certainly not included aerated drinks , drinks laced with drugs or alcohol . These psychedelic substances blurs the thought process apart from wreaking havoc on the mind and body. I remember the remarkable lines by from the master piece movie, “ Chakra” that Zindagi mein keval do hi chakker hein , ek pet ka aur ek uske neeche ka . Yes our thoughts are the baser levels. Ofcourse, there are sages,philosophers and the enlightened ones who transcend this level and attain a super conscious state . Imagine people suffering from mental disorders? Why does it happen? Pressure! Other reasons could be heavy drinking and smoking, improper diet, lack of exercise and basically a drive to excel at any cost. Rhonda Byrne, the noted writer of The Secret, Magic and Power among others says” You are the most powerful magnet in the universe. You contain a magnetic power within you that is more powerful than anything in this world, and this unfathomable magnetic force is emitted through your thoughts.” Human mind is an enigma and a reservoir of potential. But the moot question is as to how do we tap this potential? The mind is a movie theatre where we script and enact innumerable movies and soap operas. Some funny, a few mysterious, others idealistic and sheer tear jerkers . The mind is constantly on the move. It is hyperactive. It needs a relaxation room, wherein an individual can dump the garbage, declutter it and achieve something useful for the self and the society. “The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” opines Wayne W Dwyer. The generation today is a product of SMAC, not SMACK. Smac is an acronym for software, mobiles, apps and cloud. Technology alone cannot be a substitute for the enormous potential of 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. Technology when misused can make people mental wrecks. A person can become addicted to watching porn, he could become a hacker or even a terrorist. 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, jellyfish, adult sea squirts and starfish do not have a brain, diffuse or localized nerve nets are present instead. The brain is located in the head, usually close to the primary sensory organs for such senses as vision, hearing, balance, taste and smell. It is the most complex organ in a vertebrate’s body. 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.” Through the practice of breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya, Pranayama and meditation among other techniques an individual can harness this enormous realm of possibility. Primarily, we need to quiten or silence the mind. We intend to live in harmony with ourselves and our environment. Or do we wish to listen to the endless chatter and cacophony of the mind? I reckon anyone would prefer symphony to cacophony or be silent. MIND – MAKE IT HAPPY To be happy in life and calm the obdurate and recalcitrant mind, human beings should be aware of certain intrinsic laws of nature. That is Law of Attraction and the Law of Acceptance. Further we need to train our minds to keep reminding ourselves that we are blessed, we are 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. We may apparently like some peers and friends today and tomorrow move on with another group. It is inevitable and a natural process. As Buddha says, “The only permanent aspect in life is its impermanent nature.” So we need to move in life with equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity. Law Of Attraction simply states that if a person is joyful and happy the individual would attract such people and thoughts which are joyful in nature. Such a person is positive in nature and begets positivity. The reverse is also true. If the mind focusses on lack it would only attract lack. Therefore we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that we are blessed, be grateful with whatever we have and feel we have abundance. In such a situation we attract only positive energy or prana from the universe. In fact to such people universe conspires to provide more. The Bible says that if we are grateful for what we have, we will be given more and if we are not grateful and happy, all that was given would be taken away from us. The human mind vacillates between the past and the future. In the past, the mind is regretful and if it is in future it is anxious. In either case the mind is not at peace or in the present moment and so remains unhappy. Eckhart Tolle puts it, “Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now”. As we sweep our house, we need to declutter our mind. Sweep our mind from negative thoughts. Virendra Sehwag comes to my mind as a cricketer whose mind was not filled with cobwebs. With absolute panache he could score runs. Yes he could score a triple century and also got out on zero. But apparently it did not affect his mind. Unlike a Marcus Trescothik , who could not survive mentally on foreign tours . He suffered from multiple phobias. This leads us to various types of personalities. Personality is derived from the latin word “Persona”. The mask used by actors in Roman theatre for changing their makeup. Personality refers to our characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations. Human mind is temperamental in nature and action. It has several attributes, different dispositions, moods and reacts and responds in a variegated manner. The mind can be our greatest friend or enemy and like a chameleon acquires various colors, characters, characteristics and keeps acquiring various patterns. Noted Psychologists, Paula Costa and Robert McCrae have developed a five factor model to elaborate various psychological traits of human personality. a) Open to experience- Those who score high on this factor are imaginative, curious and open to new ideas. b) Extraversion- People who are socially active, assertive, outgoing and fun loving as compared to those who are shy and introverts. c) Agreeableness- Essentially cooperative, caring and friendly people. Those opposite to this trait are hostile and self centred. d) Neuroticism- These are emotionally unstable people, irritable in nature and are hypersensitive. Those opposite to this trait are centred and well adjusted. And finally e) Conscientiousness- Those who score high on this attribute are dependable, responsible, hardworking and achievement oriented. Those on the opposite scale are impulsive in nature. So in which quadrant would we place our minds and personalities.