Follow the Intellect, not the Mind

O foolish man, why do you, like the musk deer, seek in the outer world that which lies within you? 

Just as a flower is inherently fragrant, you are inherently divine and can find God within you, if only you look with insight.

God resides in man; nay, man himself is God. 

But strangely and foolishly man searches for God in the outer world. 

Like the ash that covers the charcoal fire, desire and hatred envelop the divinity in man. 

Just as the fire is revealed when the ash is blown off, the self is revealed when man eschews desire and hatred.

(poem)

Embodiments of love! Man assumes different (familial, social, and occupational) roles in life. These roles, namely husband/wife, father/mother, child, employer/employee, etc. vary according to man’s physical relationships, mental attitudes and inclinations, or other circumstances. Love is showered on one’s daughter but not on one’s daughter‑in‑law. The son‑in‑law does not enjoy the same affection as the son. One does not have the same attachment to one’s mother as one does to one’s wife. Where do these differences originate, one might ask? Likes and dislikes, fondness and aversion, joy and sorrow originate in man’s mind, which is subject to five types of complexes, namely the (1) ignorance complex, (2) attachment complex, (3) vacillation complex, (4) greed complex, and (5) hate complex.

The five mental complexes 

Ignorance complex
Man falls prey to various afflictions due to narrow, deluded thoughts such as, “I am the body,” “I am an individual soul,” or “I am separate and different from God.” This is what is referred to as ignorance complex, which demeans man and results in sorrow.

Attachment complex
The mind is the source of desire, sorrow, likes, dislikes, attachment, and aversion. Man, though cognizant of the fact that the mind causes attachment to trans-migratory existence and its attendant miseries, is unable to detach himself from it, control its vagaries, and escape from sorrow and suffering. This is what is referred to as attachment complex.

Vacillation complex
The world is filled with a variety of sense objects, which are enticing to weak‑minded persons. Such persons fail to recognize the deleterious nature of these objects, the pursuit of which robs them of all sense of discrimination, and plunges them into a cycle of suffering. The vacillation complex, which weak-minded persons exhibit, is caused by mental unsteadiness.

Greed complex
Laboring under the delusion that the goal of life is to acquire gold, wealth, vehicles, mansions and the like, man toils from dawn to dusk in pursuit of this goal, forgoing food and sleep, thereby endangering his health. Cognizant of the fact that possessions are temporary, man nonetheless pursues the path of greed, polluting his mind in the process, and subjecting himself to untold suffering and sorrow. This is what is referred to as greed complex.

Hate complex
Selfish pursuits have landed man in a maze of unending desires. When his desires are not fulfilled, man unjustly blames and develops hatred toward fellow man and God. This is what is referred to as hate complex.

The aforementioned complexes are nothing but mental aberrations, which are injurious to man. Man has become a victim of such aberrations, forgotten his atmic [of the soul] nature, and brought upon himself sorrow and misery. In this world very few people can be found who are ever blissful. A large majority is found to be swinging between joy and sorrow. There are those who are always sad and depressed and have never once tasted bliss, and others who do not care about anything and, like animals, lead a mechanical life. What is it that accounts for such differences? The disparities in the way man is influenced by his mind, not nature, account for these differences.

Four categories of humans

Human beings can be classed into the following four categories according to their mental predisposition.

The godly
The godly man is one who rejoices in communion with, is ever established in, dedicates all of his actions to, looks upon all things as manifestations of, and regards all forms as reflections of God. Such a one finds self‑fulfillment in life.

The human
He alone can be called “human” who delights in truth and righteousness and has faith in the scriptural injunction, “Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara,” meaning “Speak the truth and practice righteousness.” Such a one conducts his life in accordance with the twin values of truth and right conduct, considers duty and responsibility as more important than rights or privileges, exemplifies virtues such as kindness, compassion, generosity, charity and forbearance, and leads a peaceful life as a householder.

The demonic
A demon is one who takes pleasure in consuming intoxicating liquors. The demonic man spends the majority of his time eating, drinking, and sleeping, which are tamasic [ignorance, dullness] in nature. Selfish interests and enjoyments are all that matter to him. He has no interest in the happiness of others, and is devoid of kindness and compassion. Not even a trace of discrimination can be found in him. It is his nature to deride, abuse, and hurt others. What is worse, the very sight of great and holy men arouses in him feelings of jealousy and hatred. A person whose mind is filled with such evil thoughts and feelings is called a demonic man.

The bestial
This type of man wastes his life seeking sensual pleasures from birth to death. From this standpoint, he is worse than beasts. He is not guided by reason, and has no control over his evil qualities, which keep on multiplying.

The mind lies at the root of such perversities. A mind that is properly understood, disciplined, and used as a tool to root out wicked qualities born of selfishness, will lead to a purposeful and fruitful life. Selfish thoughts are responsible for man’s failure to achieve the goal of human life.

Being-awareness-bliss 

We must first and foremost have firm faith in the inherent divinity of man. On the one hand, there is the manifested world, which attracts the body and the senses and lures the mind. On the other hand, there is unmanifested Divinity, which is the substratum of the manifested universe. Both are aspects of the same divine principle of being-awareness‑bliss. This truth is summed up in the Upanishadic statement, “Poornamadah, Poornamidam…” that is, both the unmanifested and the manifested aspects are fully divine. Although man’s true nature is being‑awareness‑bliss, he is continually weighed down by problems, difficulties, and sorrow. What is the reason for this state of affairs? The reason is that man obeys the whims of the mind and not the guidance of the intellect.

Let the intellect be the guide

Living as a human is no special feat. One must aim to live as a godly man would. But man’s life today is akin to that of an animal because of desire and hatred. Non‑fulfillment of desire results in hatred. The true nature of man is neither joy nor sorrow, but being‑awareness‑bliss, which transcends both joy and sorrow. Joy and sorrow are transient. Hence, man must endeavor to experience being‑awareness‑bliss. Living in this vast universe, he must try to cultivate correspondingly broad feelings, but misguided by the mind, people live lives marred by narrowness of feeling, the result of which is misery. To reverse this situation, man must follow the guidance of the intellect, and move beyond the vagaries of the mind.

Why is the intellect accorded such importance? While the sense organs are superior to the body, and the mind is superior to the sense organs, the intellect is superior to the mind, and the self is superior to the intellect. By virtue of its nearness to the self, the intellect receives power and the light of wisdom from the self. Therefore, man must make use of the intellect to understand and experience the self and lead a blissful life.

What man owes God

From birth to death man spends his time eating, sleeping, and engaging in trivial pursuits. Is this befitting of man’s status? There are some who boast of their scholarship, the pilgrimages they have undertaken, the worship and rituals they have performed, or the high offices they have held. To think highly of themselves on account of these is a sin.

It is only when one whole‑heartedly recognizes that all achievements are due to God’s grace that one will be true to one’s self. Man has degraded himself to the level of a demon by violating the much‑needed unity of thought, word, and deed.

Unity of thought, word, & deed 

After the successful completion of his countrywide rounds of philosophical debates, Adi Sankaracharya [a reknowned saint] reached the holy city of Kasi [on the banks of River Ganga]. There, while having darshan [sight of a holy person] of Lord Vishwanath [Shiva], who is worshipped in Kasi, he offered the following prayer: “O Lord! I have come to you for the expiation of my sins.” This was an unusual prayer for someone like Adi Sankaracharya who had sanctified his life by studying all scriptures of the land and writing volumes of brilliant expositions and profound commentaries on the Vedas [holy scriptures], the Upanishads [treatise commenting on the Vedas], and other texts.

Shankaracharya’s life was one that was conducted along the lines laid down in the scriptures. Because of his glorious achievements, he is considered as the very incarnation of Lord Shiva. It may, therefore, appear perplexing and even paradoxical for a person of his standing to have prayed in this vein. What were the sins committed by him, one might ask? Shankaracharya himself gave the answer as follows:

“O Lord Shankara! In spite of knowing and having taught others that God is beyond mind and speech, I have tried to describe You through the many hymns I have composed. This is evidence of the lack of harmony between my thoughts and my words.”

“Having faith in what the scriptures say about God pervading every particle in the manifested universe, I have been preaching this truth to one and all. Nevertheless, I have come to Benaras [city on the banks of River Ganga] to seek Your darshan. This is evidence of the lack of harmony between my thoughts, words, and deeds.”

“I firmly believe, as the scriptures teach, that the self is present in all beings and that there is no difference between the so‑called individual soul and the Over‑soul. While I have been proclaiming this truth in all of my discourses, I am standing before You as if we were separate from one another. I pray that I may be absolved of the sins of which I am guilty.”

From the above episode in the illustrious life of Shankaracharya, we must learn an important lesson. It is commonly believed that accusing, abusing or physically hurting others alone constitutes sin. It is not so. Thinking one thing, saying another, and doing quite a different thing, constitutes sin. This is a sin that is committed by the majority of people today.

He alone is a “perfect” man whose thoughts, words, and deeds are in harmony. It is said in the Upanishads that a man with a high soul is one who practices unity of thought, word, and deed, and a wicked man is he whose thoughts, words, and deeds are not in harmony. In this connection, it is important to remember that man can, through proper use of the mind, ascend to the greatest heights. Improper use of the mind, on the other hand, results in man descending to the level of a beast. The mind must be mastered, not given free reign. Mastery over the mind is the challenging task facing mankind today.

Cherish high ideals

Man must cultivate noble thoughts and feelings in all spheres of life—physical, moral, religious, and spiritual. He must not be content with sensual pleasures, which are temporary and leave a trail of misery. It is the mind that is responsible for one’s uplift or downfall. One must not heed the mind’s call to rush into action. A person with a disciplined mind acts only after considering whether the action he or she is about to perform is good or bad, right or wrong. Such a person is sure to reach the goal of self‑realization.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Oct. 1993