# RKS: THE MIND vs BRAIN - Mind Dictates - Brain Performs!
# RKS: THE MIND vs BRAIN
Mind Dictates - Brain Performs!
1st December 2021
MIND - AN ENIGMA: AN ATTEMPT TO DISSECT
Dear Reader,
The debate on the differences between brain and mind has been going on since the time of Aristotle - the Greek Philosopher (384 BC - 322 BC). Brain is physical and can be described in structure. Mind is mental and can only be ascribed! Mind and brain are thus separate but yet inseparable. Neurobiologists claim that brain drives the mind but Philosophers profess the opposite. The brain is the organ of the mind just as the lungs are the organs for respiration.
THE ROLES OF MIND
As per the spiritual tradition of India - philosophy of Vedas (Vedanta), the Mind (or Antahkaran) is made up of four functions or parts. These are:
- Manas: MEMORY - desires remembered
- Buddhi: INTELLECT - thoughts manifesting as I.Q.
- Ahamkar/Ahamkara: SENSE OF IDENTITY - feelings leading to attitude
CHITTA
The intellect or Budhi comes on and goes off but Chitta is always on – whether one is awake or asleep. If 'cosmic' intelligence within one was not always on, staying alive could never have been possible because everything happens because of Chitta.
Chitta is the last point of the mind and connects to the basis of creation within oneself as well as with consciousness. When LinkedIn with 'Chitta' dimension of the mind, it is called 'Ishwara Pranidhana' in Yoga. This means God becomes your slave - He works for you. Yogis commonly say, “Shiva is my servant. He does everything for me.” In a way, otherwise, I would not be here.
CHITTA OVERSHADOWS BUDDHI
If one goes by sheer 'Buddhi' today one thinks “this is it,” tomorrow morning the thinking could be “that is it” – like this it goes on endlessly. No 'ifs' and 'buts' when Chitta accessed since intelligence does not function out of memory – Chitta simply functions. This is many a times wrongly labeled as 'stubbornness' by the otherwise ordinary human.
Accessing of Chitta translates to firmness and not stubbornness!
CONSCIOUSNESS & MIND
The famed Austrian neurologist & psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1886-1939) believed that behavior and personality were derived from the constant and unique interaction of conflicting psychological forces that operate at three different levels of awareness:
- Preconscious mind: This contains unrepressed memories that one extracts for a specific purpose at a specific time.
- Conscious mind: This contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings and wishes of which one is aware at any given moment.
- Unconscious mind: This is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges and memories that are outside of one's conscious awareness.
This is akin to an iceberg's description: visible tip (conscious); visible below water portion (preconscious) and the invisible bottom (unconscious)! Every level has a role to play in shaping human behavior by influencing thoughts.
CONTROLLING MIND
The preconscious mind acts as something of a guard, controlling the information that is allowed to enter into conscious awareness. The conscious mind includes memory and its processing enables one to think and talk about rationally. The unconscious mind contains contents that are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety or conflict.
SLIP OF THE TONGUE
Freud believed that the unconscious mind is largely inaccessible, BUT its contents can sometimes bubble up unexpectedly, such as in dreams or slips of the tongue (also referred to as Freudian Slip)! Glaring example is the wide spread commenting by the common man on the current political scenario - everyone's unconscious mind has suddenly undergone the slip - a large-scale and massive Freudian Slipping galore. (Cherry K. The Preconscious, Conscious, and Unconscious Minds. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946. Accessed on 26th November 2021)
WHY FREUDIAN SLIP?
Why Freudian slip? Because one can only control a tiny part of conscious thoughts - conscious mind is responsible for the ego. Unconscious mind - represented as id (or drive) and superego. (Cherry K. The Preconscious, Conscious, and Unconscious Mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscious_mind. Accessed on 26th November 2021)
Ego is the balancing force for the tug-o-war between the id and superego. Let us take an example here. If one is hungry - come what may the id dictates to obtain food to eat even if one has to beg, borrow or steal. The superego is like a gangster which dictates that feeding oneself is the fundamental right and hence why beg - stealing and threatening for getting food is right way to go about. The ego is the reality and a diplomat in-between - facilitates need to satisfy hunger but first earning and then rightfully gorge on food rightfully purchased.
Besides a part of conscious mind (contributing to ego), only a fraction of superego portion of unconscious mind can be controlled by oneself.
COGNITION & MIND
Cognition is medically the dictator of the 'I.Q.' of an individual. It is a term referring to the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension. These cognitive processes include thinking, knowing, remembering, judging and problem-solving.
Cognition is thus a mere process of knowing whilst mind is the ability for rational thinking. Besides cognition, affection (or emotional connect) is also the decider for the mind. (Theories of Mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind. Accessed on 26th November 2021)
EVOLUTION OF MIND
The mind is an evolved over the Manas, Buddhi, Ahamkar and Chitta stages already mentioned.
Initially the mind is a blank screen and that is Manas - the everyday conscious mind. The thoughts and images that occur are collected (rather than allowed to shift about) for writing on the blank slate. Meandering thoughts settle down, and attention becomes focused in Manas.
After the Manas is calmed, the Buddhi awakens. The Buddhi assigns meaning and value to experience and, depending on the same, is defined the quality and quantity of intelligence. (Sovik R. Anatomy of the Mind. https://yogainternational.com/article/view/anatomy-of-the-mind. Accessed on 26th November 2021)
Ahamkara (aham = 'I', kara = maker) is the consequence of an 'oversized' and 'over-seized' Buddhi. (ahamkara. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ahamkara. Accessed on 26th November 2021) Ahamkara or egoism is the self-arrogating factor in man.
The Chitta is the unconscious storehouse of past thoughts and experiences - the bed of memory. Stored impressions are propelled back onto Manas in the form of habitual behaviours or desires. Hence, depending on what has been ingrained in the memory bank, the expressed opinions are emboldened.
WHEN THE MIND EVOLVES? AGE-GROUP??
The mind evolves as a 5-step process in childhood in between the ages of 3 to 5 years in the exact following order: (Theories of Mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind. Accessed on 26th November 2021)
- Diverse desires (DD)
- Diverse beliefs (DB)
- Knowledge access (KA)
- False beliefs (FB)
- Hidden emotions (HE)
This has been demonstrated in American, Australian and European children convincingly. [Wellman HM & Liu D. Child Development 2004; 75 (2): 523–541] It can be postulated that the DD, DB, KA, FB & HE lead later on to Manas, Buddhi & Ahamkar states of mind in adults.
CHITTA - THE RINGLEADER
INTELLECT vs INTELLIGENCE
In each & every cell of the body, there is memory and intelligence, but no intellect. Intellect is only in the brain. Intellect equates 'Buddhi' and, unfortunately, the modern education systems and modern sciences have largely limited themselves to importance of Buddhi. That is indeed a 'buddhu' (foolish) way of existence!!
If you can think a little better than someone else, it is considered as intelligence today. If someone says one thing and you can say ten things to that, you may be socially smart, but you are not any more intelligent. Unfortunately, in today’s systems of education and academics, everything is determined by this. If you can make more things out of it, you are considered intelligent, which is not true - you only have a sharper Buddhi. The Buddhi will not take you beyond limits in any way, because it can only function based on the data that is already there. It is not capable of accessing anything beyond that.
INTELLECT vs INTELLIGENCE
In each & every cell of the body, there is memory and intelligence, but no intellect. Intellect is only in the brain. Intellect equates 'Buddhi' and, unfortunately, the modern education systems and modern sciences have largely limited themselves to importance of Buddhi. That is indeed a 'buddhu' (foolish) way of existence!!
If you can think a little better than someone else, it is considered as intelligence today. If someone says one thing and you can say ten things to that, you may be socially smart, but you are not any more intelligent. Unfortunately, in today’s systems of education and academics, everything is determined by this. If you can make more things out of it, you are considered intelligent, which is not true - you only have a sharper Buddhi. The Buddhi will not take you beyond limits in any way, because it can only function based on the data that is already there. It is not capable of accessing anything beyond that.
INTELLECT USAGE ALONE: THE SOURCE OF STRESS
All though intelligence and memory are present all across the body people have never been trained how to use this intelligence. Instead, they use ONLY their intellect for everything.
There are 16 dimensions of mind and, if intellect ALONE is used, the whole weight is on only one dimension of the mind out of the sixteen. It is like loading a sixteen-wheeler truck and trying to drive on only one wheel – one can imagine the stress! No wonder people are generally stressed out whatever job is given to them - they each time employ ONLY their intellect & never their intelligence!
INTELLIGENCE: THE FINAL SALVO
Those using ONLY their Buddhi are because they suffer from a constipated conscious. They are very smart - they know everything about everything - but they do not know how to figure their own life.
Intellect looks good only in comparison. Suppose someone is the only person on the planet, his / her intellect will not mean anything. Also, only because there are a few idiots around, one can shine. Is the Buddhi is all such circumstances creditworthy?
By itself, 'Buddhi' is of no consequence. With only intellect one does not even know how to sit peacefully and be at total ease from within. If there is true intelligence, the first thing one can successfully figure out is how to make life happen. In fact, once Chitta is accessed everything that is needed will simply happen in the best possible way.
(The Four Parts of Mind – Harnessing the True Power of the Mind. https://isha.sadhguru.org/yoga/yoga-articles-mind-stress/parts-of-mind/. Accessed on 27th November 2021)
MIND DETERMINES CHARACTER & NATURE
(The Four Parts of Mind – Harnessing the True Power of the Mind. https://isha.sadhguru.org/yoga/yoga-articles-mind-stress/parts-of-mind/. Accessed on 27th November 2021)
MIND DETERMINES CHARACTER & NATURE
TRIGUNAS
One's mind dictates one's character of which there are three (Triguna) main types:
- Sattvika (7 subtypes): Firmness is forte.
- Rajasika (6 subtypes): Excitement / energy is but infectious.
- Tamasika (3 subtypes): Inertia is dominant.
Which one matches you? Ask yourself truthfully and take a vote from family and true friends like a KBC quiz to confirm (or otherwise) your take on the assigned on yourself the 'guna' and its subtype.
TRIGUNAS - ZODIAC SIGNS & PLANETS' CORRELATION
[1. Srivastava K. Ind Psych J 2012; 21(2): 89-93.
2. Healthiest Of All – Sattva, Rajas or Tamas. https://www.ganeshaspeaks.com/predictions/astrology/sattva-rajas-tamas-gunas/. Accessed on 28th November 2021.]
Would you like to change? (even now)? Can you?? Should you???
Why?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
BRAIN - THE ORGAN OF CHITTA
WHERE IS THE MIND?
Scanning the brain and pinpointing which regions are active has led researchers to identify in brain the the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) regions as the main structures that are responsible for theory of mind. (Ruhl C. Theory of Mind. https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-of-mind.html. Accessed on 29th November 2021)
MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX REGION
TEMPORO-PARIETAL JUNCTION REGION
These are supposedly the 2 regions in brain where possibly the governing mind is located and dictating from. If there is such a physicality of mind, then there is a distant and a distinct possibility of changing the character and thereby the nature of oneself - the path being via attainment of Chitta.
CAN THE MIND BE CHANGED?
There are a hundred billion nerve cells in brain that transmit and receive signals which are electrochemical in nature. These are all influenced by the mind. In fact, neuroplasticity is the mind's ability to change the brain. Even extensive studies by neuroscientists confirm that our mental machinations do alter the physical structure of our brain matter. So, when you change your mind, you change your brain. It is thus once again the prerogative of Chitta to foster the change.
This is great news for most of us ... but is it??? (Can backfire as well as is evident in changing character of many in today’s world!)
SUMMING UP
People always think if their dreams come true, their life will be great. This is actually a very poor outlook in life, because no one can dream about anything that is not at all ever experienced or known about. The wish should be for things and happenings that one has never dreamt of - in addition for things or events that were thought never to be possible. Only Chitta can lay the pathway for making happen even what one has never even dreamt about!
The Mind is the all-powerful dominant driver of our lives and livelihood and living. Because of the Mind either we sink, or merely float, or thrive in life. Do not blame circumstances, work forces, political policies, destiny or even God for being unable to attain bliss and health - it is because one has been incompetent and unsuccessful and failed to figure out one's own life and live a livelier and stress-free, disease-free life since unable to touch the 'Chitta' dimension of mind!
Delve deeper into oneself by attaining Chitta and do not projecting stupid ideas into the world and trying to make people think that is a great thing to do. More wise would be touching Chitta since this is pure intelligence that is unsullied by memory, unsullied by identification and is beyond Ahankar, beyond Buddhi, beyond judgment, beyond divisions.
DR R K SANGHAVI
Prophesied Enabler
Experience & Expertise: Clinician & Healthcare Industry Adviser
Doc as i read it , i assume your own thoughts on the matter is just there in the first para and the last two. Redt you have quoted.
ReplyDeleteSo your belief system is based on the vedas and other mythical texts.
I would rather prefer to look at the matter scientifically. Look at it rationally rather than camouflage the mening by using terms which means nothing and almost uninterpretable ( as done in religious texts).
The brain is just a physiological collection of matter mainly atoms ( electrons etc). The mind is a manifestation of what the neurotransmitters enshrined in the brain manages to coherently interpret. This is also based on the memory cells , experiences and images and impulses stored.
if electrical impulses among neurons within the brain – something well described by classical physics – are the immediate basis of thought and memory, a hidden quantum layer might determine, in part, how those neurons correlate and fire. I quote a sentence from one text i read
."......quantum computations in cellular structures known as microtubules have an effect on the firing of neurons and, by extension, consciousness"
.
In a trivial sense all biology is quantum mechanical just as all matter is quantum mechanical – it is made up of atoms and thus subject to the physical laws of atomic structure.
Spin dynamics, the behaviour of quantum particles in a magnetic field, is also at the heart of another theory that suggests that quantum effects play a role in cognition.
Freud uses the words " conflicting physiological forces" thus implying the functioning of the brain in various manner.
Mythology and ancient philosophy , mysterious and mystical in its presentation hardly allows for analysis but instead pleads for faith only. Modern philosophy, instead, alligns with science and keeps questioning the thinking a d thus makes progress. Ordinary humans can be part of that effort ulike all these ancient mumbo jumbo.
The challenge is not about understanding the Brain and Mind but how physiological process operates within known( or yet to be known) universal and physical laws.
The crux lies in science blended with beliefs albeit Brain with Mind. For a non-believer it would be very difficult to fathom and thereby grasp true reality. Somewhere we must question in life why an unforeseen event or happening occurs - sharp contradictory to Physics and calculated Science.
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