Projection of the mind

“The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing. It receives but does not keep.” – Chuang-Tzu

One of the most useful quotes I have found to explain the reality of “no- mind,” is the one above. If we have ever observed our thoughts, our perceptions through the mind; the above will make perfect sense; but if we have not, the above will be difficult to understand and even considered as nonsense.

It is in each of us to go as deep as we would like. It depends on our level of experience; how often we are able to put the above in “practice” in real life and identify how it works.

Nevertheless; awareness, observation, requires no practice. It is like breathing, a normal, every day affair, but as we go through Life in automatic-mode, where the mind is our world, then we will need to stop, breath in and out consciously for a few times and realign with how present we could be in the “now.”

The mind will give us information all the time. We believe it. We make forecasts as to how the future will look like, we even play victims by recalling experiences which are no longer here. If the mind acquires, grasps some information, then “we” will believe it. It happens all the time. If I read something or someone “important” said something, or someone writes a quote from a spiritual teacher, then it must be true. I believe it. That information will stay with me. It has been grasped.

The other day someone wrote a post in a group that a particular well known spiritual teacher was making a fortune out of his teachings which were only recycled in every book. Many fans of that spiritual teacher reacted defending him, that is rejecting the post. That is a form of regret, that is declining something. The other form of regret is when a state of sorrow is triggered from a memory.

Someone could be angry at us. Someone could react toward us in a negative way. Do we keep that experience so it will be nagging us and producing a bias against a particular individual or someone who looks like her? That is to keep something within us.

A mirror reflects. How we perceive something only talks about ourselves, it is a description of ourselves. However, what we typically do not examine is how we could project previous information into a new experience. For instance, while living in the USA; I met someone who asked me where I was from due to my Spanish accent. I told her: ”From Peru.” She said: “ I am glad you are from there and not from Colombia for all the drugs in this country come from that place.” Imagine, that is an extreme case of lack of awareness: That person was projecting information that she either read or even experienced ( her brother was an addict,) but nonetheless it was projected to someone who probably has nothing to do with importing drugs to the USA, just because he was coming from a particular country. The mind likes to generalize and put items in containers, something like: “ You are from Colombia then you are part of the problem I have.” The Colombian container.

That sort of projection has caused plenty of sorrow in the world. Jews were treated all under the same bag due to some projection. Similarly is the fate of snakes and the belief of them being representatives of evil.

Generalizing is easier to observe than projecting, for a projection can include many other unobserved beliefs to uplift or degrade a person, an idea or ideal.

When a mind is not observed, we believe the information it gathers without doubting it, without seeing how it could affect us emotionally, in that case we are still sleeping although believe that we are fully awake.

*** Will resume writing on December 15th. Until then!!

The belief in mind control

BK Raja Yoga is the “Yoga of the mind.” What does that mean? It is the link through the mind with the Supreme Soul. The path of Raja Yoga is to “remember our original nature of being a soul and then the realization of God.” Accordingly, this is acquired through the practice of meditation. Basically, we sit down and concentrate in a point of light with the belief that this point is God, not allowing other thoughts. Those who have “practiced” that will need to realize at one moment in their journey that using force, controlling the mind is a short lived path. However; it is said that after awhile, the connection will be “natural” for there will be a pleasurable sensation known as “bliss,” which will be there. Many will take that as the “proof” of connecting.

Observe that pleasure (bliss) becomes a sensation craved by the mind. Observe that love, which is a keyword in that link or connection with God, is not of the mind. Those are the 2 main points to observe.

Am I saying that Raja Yoga as defined by BK is “wrong”?

NO! I am saying that as it is defined, is necessary for beginners who are conditioned to relate with Life only with their minds. It is rare to have there a person who already relates with Life through the heart center or beyond, for otherwise BK will not be a needed experience in their path. However, there may be exceptions as those individuals are needed for “service” within the BK system.

It is very important to observe the mind. As far as I am concerned, that should be the trademark of any religious or scientific path of some ‘spiritual’ value.

The mind complains, the mind agitates our surrounding, the mind wants to control and understand things in a logical way. The mind remembers selectively what has had some importance to us in a “positive” or “negative” way. The mind is extremist, “black or white.” The mind is easily influenced by the surroundings, the collective mind. The center of ego is none other but the mind. The center of conditioning resides there.

The ones who haven’t initiated their “spiritual” journey, identify fully with their minds. Their “I” is in their minds. That is their unawareness, which is the first level of awareness.

No wonder, Brahma Kumaris’ task is to give importance to the mind as a second step in the journey. However, it is for the follower to look deeper than that second hand information given, and beyond the memorization of definitions and beliefs, for there is more.

Beyond the mind, there is no-mind. There, may be the natural link.

What could be no-mind? When there is no difference between the observer and the observed.