Some defne mind as ‘consciousness’.  Others call it a continuous flow of thoughts.  I; Id; ego; and self are other terms used to define mind. Please note that they only replace a word with another word. They do not explain the nature of mind.  What then is mind?

A soul, to function, needs a hardware called body and a software known as mind. Software has four components = an operating system, application, user generated files and the ability to share. In the same way the mind too has four aspects, which the Hindu scriptures call – Manas, Sid, Budhi and Ahankaar.

Manas is that part of the mind that merely records or memorizes. It is the most dominant aspect of the mind. In most occasions the manas is mistaken to be the mind itself.

Sid, sifts through the forest of information stored by Manas. One crudely call it a search engine but more than that. This makes a person knowledgeable.

Budhi, ultimately makes the decision. This makes a person intelligent or idiotic.

Ahankaar means relishing. It is the final  part of the mind that shares the decision so taken with the soul. . In other words the soul relishes the decision.

Let me explain with an example.  You see an apple. The Manas recalls all objects that matches its shape, colour, smell and texture.  The list may include a tennis ball, which more or less matches the shape but not other attributes. Similarly there may be traffic light which matches the colour and not other features. There would be a countless number of objects.

Sid, selects the best fit and arrives at a conclusion that this is an apple. The Budhi  decides what to do with it. Ahankaar passes this decision to the soul.

Mind & Its Role in Re-Birth

According to the Hindu belief system, You, He and I refers to the soul and not the body. The soul is always accompanied by its mind. Like the limbs, eyes, ears and mouth are the tools of a physical body, the mind is the tool of a soul. A soul is so used to its tool, that when in a body it forgets its identity and thinks it is the mind.

Mind has the record of every experience a soul has had in its innumerable cycles of birth and rebirth. More number of births means more data and therefore more information. This makes a person mature or wise or intelligent.

Mind is domineering tool. When you look at the moving pictures in a television set, you completely ignore the components which make the set and electricity which is the driving force.  But the mind is something internal and manifests as part of you. Therefore you don’t have an external reference to realize that the mind is not you. Body and mind imposes two limitations to the soul, which is truly without any limitations. Body introduces a limitation which we call space.  Mind imposes a limitation known as time.

Meditation is an attempt to calm the mind and limit its dominance. It only makes the mind sharper and focused. But never helps in conquering mind. A person with a focused mind, will be able to accomplish certain mental feats such as extraordinary memory, reading others mind, multitasking.  The practitioner is tricked into believe he is realized. By chance if he has a group of followers they will make sure he is a realized or enlightened soul.

These are attributes that are natural to any mind.

Rebirth: Is Desire is the root cause ?

For a moment let us assume that there is rebirth.  It is a hypothesis for which we shall try to gather proof. Why do we need this hypothesis in the first place? Firstly to explain the unequal opportunity that is given to each individual. We have explained this in the previous video.  Secondly to explain the child prodigies. Thirdly, to account for the differences between identical twins. Even at a young age their mental and physical heath show remarkable differences. And lastly to accommodate persons who claim to remember the past.

Now the question is – what is the reason for birth and rebirth?  The Hindu scripture has straight explanation only for rebirth. The reason for the first birth has not been explained. Let us also grapple with rebirth to start with.

The Hindu scripture states that the good and evil deed, one does, is credited in his account. Both never get cancelled.  This is the outer limit. You cannot enjoy or suffer more than you have accumulated.

Next deciding factor is your desire. When you die, the experience of your life leaves you with a few lingering or unfulfilled desires. You might want to be rich or famous or beautiful or powerful. Or perhaps you wanted to unravel the mystery of the universe or mathematics. It could be anything.
If your credit balance is sufficient, your desires are completely fulfilled. You are given a body that is conducive to fulfill your desire. Who allots the body? What if there insufficient credit balance?

Life : After death & Before birth

Christians and the Muslims do not believe in life after death. Their scriptures teach them that the dead, wait for the day of judgement and go to heaven or condemned to hell. This reward or punishment is for eternity.

Such a belief poses some logical challenges. What happens immediately after death and until the Day of Judgment? Should we not be given a level playing ground to face the day of judgement? Health, wealth, beauty and intelligence are not equal to every one. Take an extreme case.Son of a jet-setting, billionaire and the malnourished son of an African peasant. If both were to be judged by the same yardstick, is it not unfair?

Another problem is that of the child prodigies.  At a very young age, specially gifted boys and girls accomplish feats which even adults find to do. How do they do that?

Is there a rebirth?  Hindus and the Buddhists are the only people in the world who believe in the cycle of birth and re-birth. Even in this expression they are scared to use the word death.  The correct expression should be “the cycle of death and birth”. Nobody wants to face death, even if it leads to heaven.

Let me unravel this mystery step by step.  Please see my next post.