Perception of our thoughts, feeling and emotions are all controlled by our inner world, our mind. The mind is a powerful instrument mankind has have been given for some reason. Some people like spending time thinking or writing about the purpose of the mind, questioning why we've been given such tool or how to use it for our best interest. Others explore the capabilities of the mind through behavioural examination, via intellectual stimulation and so on, but only few people actually experience the mind.
Because doing the simplest things is hard for us. We prefer to "do" something like talk, read, study, work, move, achieve, plan or schedule rather than just "being", sitting still and quiet witnessing the world with our internal sensors. Good news is that it's not our fault!! Not yours, not mine. What a relief.
Once we are clear on the basics I feel we can safely move on. I often talk to my clients about the ways we have to unlock our internal powers and how to make our mind our best friend so we can stick on a diet for example, or going back to feel energetic or heal from our conditions etc, but premises like the following ones are essentials.
When people are asked to locate the mind in the body, some would touch their head, as it is common belief that the mind is somehow linked to our brain. Yet, nobody can actually locate it, or find it, as a physical entity. If a neurosurgeon were to open your head and look through your brain it would not find it. I absolutely loved how the mind has been described by Jo Bowlby in a beautiful comparison to TV shows.
Programs we watch on TV are not in the actual physical device that project images but we are able to watch the shows because of its programming. That can be compared to our brain which is just a mean/device to understand and program our minds, which are the generators of our show of thoughts, emotions, skills, biological constitution, physical structure, intellectual capabilities and attitude. It is a very reductionist view to consider the mind as the confined seat of reason for example. The mind can be compared to reason but it can also transcend it, it can go beyond what we know or think we know.
The mind is so complex in this sense that we have used a lot of words over the course of evolution in an attempt to convey what the mind is for us. We have used and continue to use a lot of words. We sometimes feel the need of creating new words because the current ones are not encompassing the whole meaning.
We call the mind the psyche, the Self, the Universal Consciousness, the internal world, Pure Awareness, God, Eternal Energy, The Dark Matter, Unbounded Reality, Free Flux of Energy and so on.
I challenge you to find the next word for it, or just think for a minute what IS the mind for you. As this explanation you give yourself is the first step for you to unlock the potential of your own mind.
There is no right or wrong answer, so we might as well relax knowing that the greatest sages of all times didn't find their explanation overnight!
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