What is the Mind?

Aum Sairam

Mind is different from the soul [Atma]. We are not our mind. But
without the mind it is not possible to know our self. The states of
bondage and emancipation are possible only with the mind. The Self is
unchangeable--it is the mind only that undergoes changes. In this
drama of existence, the mind is both the act and the actor; it is both
the reflection and the reflector. That is, what we perceive with the
mind is not the Self, but the mind only. For example, you have met many
persons, and many different people have met you during the span of your
life, yet not a single one of those persons will perceive you in
exactly the same way as another perceive you.

Mostly what people see is what they project with their own mind; that
is, they perceive their own mental projections. The same applies when
we try to understand our lives through our own mind. Generally what we
perceive is our own mental images; hence, we misunderstand ourselves,
and we misunderstand others also. When we misunderstand ourselves and
others, we are in a state of bondage. All that this means is that our
mind is bound by its images and that we imagine we are bound by our
mind. We only imagine we are bound by our mind when our mind is bound
by images. The state of emancipation [Total Freedom] is attained only
when all the samskaras [mental imprints] of the mind are erased. To
erase the samskaras, the presence of the mind is required.

Allah Malik