MIND AND SERENITY - SWAMI TATWANANDA

[Guest guest]

"He who is without attachment, who on encountering anything good or bad

neither rejoices nor hates, his wisdom is well established." (Chap.2.Verse

57-B.G.)

 

Situations or events always involve people and things. In life, we hold on to

things that are incapable of satisfying us and miss out and let slip from our

memory what can really bring us fulfillment. The one in whom the wisdom is

operative is aware of one's own limitations and the limitations of

situations. The wise man's simple attitude is "Do what I should and face what

I must meet."

 

In life, one knows one's expectations and demands but one does not know what

the demands/expectations are of another who has pinned his faith for

satisfaction on the same situation. This can lead to misunderstandings,

hatred, jealousy, etc. But if the wisdom is operative in you, then you are

not blind to your own limitation and capacity and equally you are aware of

the other's qualities. This attitude makes you accommodative and

accommodation is an expression of love.

 

To live as an "adequate person" is the goal of life. What stands between this

natural ambition and its actuality is the mind. Bereft of the mind your

physical body being of inert and unintelligent matter has no capacity to

comment upon this creation. Atman ("I") which is in the nature of

Consciousness reveals the creation without comments. Then where does the

sense of limitation/inadequacy arise? It does so in the "mind."

 

The existence of a thing can be understood either by its structural form or

functions. The mind being made up of subtler matter than the constituent

material of the physical body, we are unable to perceive the mind's form with

our eyes. Its existence is known only through its own functioning such as -

knowing, assessing, remembering and owning a sense of "I-ness."

 

The mind constituted of highly evolved subtle matter realms is capable of

reflecting the very source/basis for the creation-"Consciousness" - and thus

comes into being the "conscious" entity. This mind is an upadhi-limiting

adjunct - for Consciousness, just as, for instance, the mirror is an upadhi

(medium) that reflects your face true to its capacity. For Consciousness the

whole creation is an upadhi. But not all objects though upadhi reflect the

nature of Atma/Consciousness.

 

When the mind, which is of subtle matter realms enlivened by Consciousness,

reveals through its capacity along with its nature the presence of Atma, the

mind reveals a simple relationship as an upadhi to Consciousness. Here, the

function of the mind is to reveal the Satchitananda svarupa of Atma. When it

is reflective of its source - Atman - it is conscious -intelligent- peaceful

- silent - enjoying the nature of Atman, which is Consciousness-Intelligence

- Peace - Silence. *(In Vedanta Sastra - Intelligence stands for that which

knows its own presence without any function or movement on its own).

 

However, the mind though enlivened by Consciousness, being of subtle matter

(ignorance-anatma) is limited by time, space and quality. Due to ignorance it

misses the inner essence of Consciousness and imposes its own qualities

(limitations) upon Atman. Here the mind plays the role as an attribute

(visesana) by imposing its limitation on Atma. As such, Atman (Self) is seen

as limited by time, space and quality. When the mind is ignorant, disturbed,

etc., - "I" (Atma) is taken to be ignorant, disturbed and so forth. Thus the

mind with all its potencies becomes a problem due to ignorance, which is the

root of judgements. Extensions of wrong judgements are the likes and

dislikes. Therefore, fundamentally, our likes and dislikes are the problems,

which we attribute to the mind.

 

We love to own both the peaceful and active aspect of the mind. The problem

lies not in the function of the mind but in the expectation over those

innocent functions. Being discriminative of the characteristics of the dual

roles of the mind (as upadhi and visesana) and the Satchitananda svarupa of

Atman helps the mind to be purified of its impurities. Such a mind is

reflective of Atma without imposing wrong judgements. In that purified mind

wisdom neutralizes the likes and dislikes.

 

That steady mind free of attachments has a balanced response in all

situations - good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. This understanding is an

expression of a total acceptance of the fact that life contains more than

what we create and manage. There is nothing present in this creation that is

really redundant and purposeless. For the wise man this creation contains not

only objects for perception but behind the whole panoramic picture there is

an absolute assurance of Joy!

 

(Excerpted from Swamiji's talks published in Mind and Serenity-1984)