The Nature of Mind

Topics from the Book of Brain

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Book of Brain

Table of Contents

Author S. J.Gislason MD

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The Philosophy & Neuroscience Series.

Brain Center

The term "mind" is the most inclusive word, embracing all human experience, thought, perceptions, knowledge, feelings and beliefs. Mind could be thought of as an all inclusive container which tends to expand and contract. Little mind is local and personal. I can refer to my mind as distinct from your mind. We have many terms and phrases that refer to the condition of mind such as mind as clear or unclear, decided or undecided. Many refer to the mind as if they were outside of it, using phrases such as “I made up my mind” and “I changed my mind.”

The term "Ego" has been used to describe the "I-self" who assumes more and more personal characteristics, develops boundaries, habits, skills, values, preferences and limitations: " I am the kind of person who..." The value of individuation is celebrated in our society and people are encouraged by pundits to “know yourself; become your own person; stand up for your rights, express your feelings; and to seek your own truth.”

The Ego, however, tends to shrink into a reactive mind. Survival is difficult. We interact daily with other humans who challenge us. Everyone wants something from you. Everyone has opinions about you. The more you are involved with other humans, the more you become defensive. You react more and more to the aggression of others to defend your boundaries. You get caught in behavior loops that you did not choose, do not like, and cannot control. You thought that individuation was a path to freedom. But now you are becoming less free. What is wrong?

The worldly tendency of the Mind is to shrink to accommodate the survival needs of each practitioner of mind to focus on local conditions. The spiritual tendency of Mind is to open up, to expand beyond the limiting specific and local conditions. This spiritual tendency generates a tension between the limiting needs of daily existence and the deep and persistent call to expand beyond local conditions, to open up to the universal and the eternal nature of mind.

Albert Einstein suggested: “The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mystical. It is the power of all art and science. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend in their most primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness. In this sense, and this sense only, I belong to the ranks of devoutly religious men. A human being is part of the whole... he experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated form the rest - a kind of delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but striving for such an achievement is, in itself, a liberation.”