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