Student: Should we give preference to our mind over our heart? Speaker: Akshay has come up with a remarkable first question. His question is,Should we give preference to our mind over our heart? We will understand this because this question is relevant not only to Akshay but to many of us. I think, most of us. What you call as the mind is not one but many entities. What we normally call as the mind is not one but many entities depending upon the extent to which the mind is conditioned. During the course of the day, we operate at different levels of the mind. The bottom most level of the mind is called the machine. What is it called? The machine. This is the lowest place from where the mind can function. As would be obvious, this lowest place is the place where the mind is totally conditioned. You understand conditioning? What is conditioning? Quickly. What is conditioning? Student: The patterns that we are taught while we are growing up. Speaker: The mind being programmed to do something by external forces or by ones past, that is called conditioning. The mind has been programmed to perform in a certain way. Others have controlled your mind, that is what is conditioning. So, when the mind is fully programmed, fully conditioned, it is called a machine. It is the lowest level of mind and then as one understands the conditioning, gradually the grip of conditioning loosens. You start becoming human. The more you are conditioned, the more you are like a machine. As the grip of conditioning upon your mind starts loosening, you start becoming more and more human. So, de-conditioning, freedom from conditioning, is the movement from becoming or being totally mechanical, totally programmed to being human. And all the while it is the mind that is operating. Just that, at its lowest level the mind is totally conditioned. Right? And this totally conditioned mind, we are calling as a machine. Is this becoming clear? As the same mind starts losing its conditioning, it starts becoming free, it starts becoming pure. Now, it is on its own, others are not controlling it. Others are not controlling this mind. It starts becoming free, free, free, you are more of a human, more of a human, more of a human. And then, when the mind is totally free of conditioning, it is called the heart. So, these are two extremes. When the mind is completely conditioned, it is called the machine and when the mind is totally free of conditioning, it is called the heart. Are you getting it? So, never ask that how should I choose between my mind and my heart? Mind and heart are not two different things. Heart, the heart really is a free, unconditioned, pure mind. That is what is called the heart. Are you getting it? At one end lies the heart, at the other end lies the machine. You are getting it? Good. But, I understand why Akshay is asking this question, because in our normal parlance, or in our everyday language, we use the word heart in a very different way. We think that the heart is the center of feelings. So, whenever we are feeling something, we say that this is coming from my heart. That is an incorrect, improper way of approaching the heart. Because, your feelings do not arise from the heart. Your feelings arise from the mind itself. Your feelings arise from the very same source from where thoughts come. Thoughts come from conditioning, feelings also come from conditioning. After all, feeling is intensified thought. So feeling come from the same place from where thought comes. Do not be under the impression that there is something sacred about feelings. Do not think that feelings are pure and thoughts are not. Do not think that emotions are special. There is nothing about emotion. These regular, normal, conditioned thoughts that you have, always, when they become very intense, when they start having an impact over the body also, then you call it feeling. That feeling is nothing but the conditioned mind. In fact, feelings are very close to the mechanical nature of mind. Are you getting it? So, do not confuse feelings with the unconditioned mind. Whenever you say heart, always understand that it is the pure mind that I am talking of, the intelligent mind, the uncorrupted mind, the free mind. What is heart? The free mind is called the heart. Heart is not something here. Heart is not the place from where all the sentiments and emotions arise. No, that is not heart. Sentiments and emotions arise from the corrupted mind itself. Are you getting it? There is nothing special about emotions. You look at a girl and you start feeling a particular sentiment thats because you are physically conditioned. And even the sentiments and the emotions depends upon the physical characteristics of the girl. Is that not so? So, what is so sacred about the feeling, that emotion? That is not heart. You are mistakenly giving it the name of the heart. My heart says, I love you. Now it is not the heart, it is your conditioning which is saying, I love you, and this conditioning does not even understand love. It is only claiming love, it does not understand love. You are irritated with something, when that irritation becomes very powerful, then your hands start shivering, you say, I am angry now. Till the time you say I am irritated, you are confined to the mind. When that same thought of irritation becomes intense, becomes powerful, then your eyes also become red and your whole body starts trembling, then you say it is an emotion, a feeling. This feeling is nothing but the same thought amplified. The thought of irritation, when it gets amplified, it shows up, it manifests itself as the emotion of anger. It has nothing to do with the heart, it is the same mind. The same mind that is frustrated also causes anger in the body. Heart is something totally different. Heart is not emotion, heart is understanding. Heart is not somebodys influence upon you. Heart is pure intelligence. Heart is not when you start feeling weak in the knees. Heart is when you know what real love is. Heart is the expression of your ultimate intelligence. Heart is not the things that is commonly used by the singers in your mainstream movies. They always keep singing of the Dil ,they do not understand. They are misusing the word, they are abusing the word. I repeat, the heart is the mind itself in its purest form, in its unconditioned form, in its free form, when it is not strained, clean,simple, innocent, that is heart. Heart does not mean that you have kept intelligence aside and are thinking from your emotions. No. But in popular culture, you do have such expressions. You say, he thinks from his mind and the other fellow, well, he thinks from his heart. Heart is not feeling, heart is not emotion. I repeat, heart is intelligence, pure intelligence. Heart does not mean that I am acting emotionally and I am not acting sensibly or rationally. Heart means that I am super intelligent now. That is when you are operating from the heart. So, now onwards, use the word heart with little alertness. When you say that I am putting my heart in it, it must mean that you are doing it out of your own understanding. Yes, by all means, use the word heart but use it with due care. Its a sacred word. Heart is really very very sacred. When you say, I love you with my heart, then it must mean that I understand you. It must not mean that I am attracted towards you. We abuse the word heart, when we are attracted towards somebody then we say that my heart has fallen in love with you. No, this is not heart, this is just the conditioned mind. When you say that I love you with all my heart, it must mean that I really understand you and our relationship. I understand who I am, I understand who you are, and I also have a clear understanding of our relationship. In fact, my relationship is flowing out of understanding. That is love coming out of heart, not that sentimental thing, which you call as falling in love. Assure me that you are understanding. Are you understanding? Speaker: What is the exact opposite of heart? Students(In unison): Machine. Speaker: You act completely mechanically. Right? When you are acting out of the heart, then how must you act? Intelligently or emotionally? Students: (In unison) Intelligently. Speaker: What is emotion? Student: Conditioning. Speaker: Conditioning. Is that becoming clear? So, heart is wonderful, heart is sacred but heart is pure intelligence. Heart is not emotion. Emotion is conditioning. Emotion is your mechanical nature. Are we together? Alright. Student: Sir, what should I give preference to , emotion or intelligence ? Speaker: Anubhav, we said heart is pure intelligence and we said that the mind has many levels, many gradations. The lowest is when the mind is acting just like a machine. The highest is when the mind is heart and heart is pure intelligence. So, what should you give preference to? What is better, acting as a machine or acting in pure intelligence? What would you prefer? Student: Intelligence. Speaker: Even if you want to understand what I am saying right now, can you understand me as a machine? There is Anubhav and there is the camera, which of the two is a machine? Which of these two is intelligent? Student: Anubhav. Speaker: Who will understand what I am saying ? Who will understand? Anubhav. So what should we be, mechanical or intelligent? So, the answer is clear. Clear? Emotion or Intelligence? Students(in unison): Intelligence. -Excerpts from a samvaad session. Edited for clarity.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 02:28:42 +0000