Learning
A mind is dominated by thoughts.
What do you find when you go inside your mind? A forest of thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, hopes, wishes, dreams, and fears.
Distinction between brain and mind:
Most people think of the brain and the mind as being one and the same thing. Doctors, scientists, and other highly trained persons share this belief. People from all walks of life use the words “brain” and “mind” interchangeably. In reality, they are two separate and distinct creations. The brain is a biochemical organ – a part of the human body. Which coordinates all our functions. The mind, on the other hand, is a psychic organ that is attached to thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, hopes, wishes, dreams, and fears.
Do you love your mind? For many people, the answer is “no” or “not all the time.” They often feel trapped inside their thoughts and emotions, at the mercy of a host of uninvited guests – the fear that roams the mind at will, the dark depression that takes up residence and refuses to leave, the anger that blows through the circuits and ignites in turmoil.
How, then, can you set your mind free? The first step is understanding that your mind traps itself by spinning an elaborate story about who you are and what you believe, and then fiercely defends that story. Observing this human tendency, the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote, “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” The most common story the mind tells is that you are your ego, a fixed “I” that is separate from the rest of the world. If you believe this story, it keeps you in bondage. The ego is limited, subject to fear, and consumed with the idea that it has to know what is going to happen in order to feel safe.
The truth is that we don’t know what is going to happen. Really feeling safe, peaceful, and content comes from experiencing your true self, which is pure spirit, unbounded in time and space. When you know the real you isn’t inside your head, you have been set free, like awareness itself. Embracing the wisdom of uncertainty not only frees you from the ego’s illusion of control, it puts you right in the middle of the joyful flow of cosmic creativity.
Meditation is one of the most powerful practices for awakening to your true self and the peace that lies within. In meditation, you go beyond the mind’s noisy chatter and chaos into inner quiet and expanded awareness. You begin to see that you are not your thoughts, emotions, and the stories you tell yourself. As you experience this silence on a regular basis, your mind begins to shift. Instead of being dominated by fear, guilt, and other forms of inner pain, it is dominated by a quiet, steady state. From this state blossoms a sense of wellbeing and a feeling that you are safe. If you remain on the path and keep experiencing inner silence, peace dawns and then joy and bliss.
Learning from Forest: Drop Your Mind
