MIND MATTERS — AN OVERVIEW

MIND MATTERS — AN OVERVIEW What is the difference between PK and PIKU? Two alphabets — 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. At least for the vast v multitudes, the focus is the abdomen. It would be quite captivating watching the 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 from the film Chakra — ‘Zindagi mein keval do hi chakkar hain, ek pet ka aur ek uske neeche ka.’ Yes, our thoughts tend to dwell on baser instincts. Of course, there are sages, philosophers and the enlightened ones who transcend this level and reach a superconscious state. Imagine people suffering from mental disorders. Why does it happen? Stress! Other reasons could be heavy drinking and smoking, improper diet, lack of exercise and basically a drive to excel at any cost. Rhonda Byrne, in her books 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.’ The human mind is an enigma and a reservoir of potential. However, 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. 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 the mind. It needs to be cultured, harnessed and harmonized with our needs and wants. Talent, energy and thoughts have to be channelized for us to become achievers. We need to focus on goals and objectives. Technology, when misused, can wreak havoc with the mind. A person can become addicted to watching porn, he could become a hacker, or even a terrorist. We need to distinguish the brain from the mind. The brain is an organ that serves as the centre of the nervous system in all vertebrates and most invertebrate animals. Only a few invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, adult sea squirts and starfish do not have a brain — diffused 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, ‘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 others;, techniques with which an individual can harness this enormous realm of possibility. Primarily, we need to quiten or silence the mind. Do Wwe intend to live in harmony with ourselves and our environment.; Oor do we wish to listen to the endless chatter and cacophony of the mind? I reckon, anyone would prefer symphony and silence to cacophony or be silent. 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 the 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 like some peers and friends today yet tomorrow move on to another group. It is inevitable and a natural process. As Buddha has said, ‘The only permanent aspect in life is its impermanent nature.’ So we need to move on in life with equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity. The 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 focuses on lack, it will only attract lack. Therefore, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we are blessed, be grateful with whatever we have and feel that we have abundance. In such a situation, we attract only positive energy or prana from the Universe. In fact, for such people, the 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 anxious for the future. In either case the mind is not at peace or in the present moment and so remains unhappy. Eckhart Tolle puts it quite succinctly, ‘Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now’. Just as we sweep our house, we need to declutter our mind and sweep out any 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. He could score a triple century and also get out on zero but apparently it did not affect his mind. Unlike a Marcus Trescothik, who struggled with many phobias while on foreign tours. 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 way of responding to individuals and situations. The 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 colours, 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 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. 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? WHY ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT? A) Are we running after a chimera? Or, like Rama and Lakshmana, are we running after a non-existent golden deer? Or like the Pandavas, save Yuddhistara, we partake water from a poisonous lake? In all situations, our mind is fully aware that what we are attempting is incorrect and inchoate, yet we undertake that activity. There are a couple of reasons for this hara-kiri or running after the hubris. We are not wakeful enough, neither are we listening to our gut feeling and or we have a woeful sense of time management. A) We are not wakeful (not sleepy in a literal sense) as we are not focused or centred. We cannot differentiate between choices. Consequently, we make mistakes that often consume us. B) Our mind and thoughts (a human mind on an average receives 50,000 thoughts a day) batter us endlessly. Now the company we keep and the food we partake has a significant impact on the human mind and body. Negative company drains a person and toxic food and drink totally enervates and debilitates our system. I was a victim and patient of alcoholism and realize the suffering one goes through because of it. Following the techniques of Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama, I overcame the disease. 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 listen to those signals. Yoga is the latest buzzword. With regular practice of Yoga, especially Suryanamaskar and Pranayama, our solar plexus develop to receive and transmit important signals. C) Tools for effective Time Management- a. The POSEC METHOD – That is to prioritize by organizing, streamlining, economizing and then effectively contributing. b. Do a SWOT analysis and become winners. c. Learn to work in groups and Art of delegation. d. Attempt all hard tasks first e. Build in flexibility in your schedules or else one would suffer from psychosomatic disorders. f. Develop hobbies, read creative books and self help books. g. Every morning and night while being grateful make an inventory of do’s and don’ts and must do lists. h. Learn to say NO. Also learn to say YES. A ‘Yes’ mind makes an individual take up responsibility. Taking up responsibility can empower a person. Imagine a situation where you could have shouldered responsibility but evaded it or a situation where you took up responsibility. Which box would you like to be in? i. Live life king size and learn to celebrate. We can celebrate only if we are able to quiten our minds. These are some ways to quiten our mind and develop a relaxation room or space in our minds. For that we can do the following: Go for long walks, talk out our problems, hug a person (perhaps someone whom you do not like), write down all our botherations, be in sync with our breath and movement, pursue a passion, be a daredevil, get out of our comfort zone, exercise vigorously (positive endorphins get released which have a soothing effect on the mind and body), have cold water baths to conquer passion and carnal instincts (they can be a distraction especially during examination times). Despite practicing all techniques, we may not be able to find our place in the sun. So, what does one do? Simply surrender to the immense power within ourselves and learn to accept. Realize ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ or ‘I am the infinite reality’, as written in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Our mind has that immense power.; Iit needs to be harnessed and realized. We just need to declutter our minds. ‘Your mind is an instrument. It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down. As it is, I would say about 80–90 per cent of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is harmful. Observe your mind and you find this is to be true. It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.,’ writes Eckhart Tolle. Today, he is a great philosopher. At the age of 29, he was about to commit suicide. There are several ways to channelize this energy. There may be some who may practice meditation, breathing techniques and observe silence to quiten minds. There may be others who remain focused by playing a game of tennis and sweating it out or pursue other passions. You have to choose the path that suits your personality. However, the ultimate aim is to be in the present and lead a happy life. Feel blessed, feel grateful and feel abundance. Let your mind not be judgemental and complain and cling on to negativities. As Alice Walker said, ‘Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.’ In the pages that follow is a collection of articles on various facets of human life which is intrinsically connected with the mind.