This article is not mine. I read it in "express buzz" and thought will blog it in my site. For a change, this type of articles are soothing for the mind..
Swahilya
First Published : 22 Mar 2009 07:21:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 22 Mar 2009 01:09:47 AM IST
Mind is the feature that distinguishes man from the other mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects, plants and other forms of life. The mind is expressed in man fully, while it is dormant in most other creatures such as dogs, monkeys, elephants, dolphins and crows. These
express a sort of intelligence and emotions that are in tune with and recognised by the human mind.
The research in this area is vast and deepening further. Patanjali has put the scope of yoga in four simple words — Yogaha Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha (Through yoga, you can stop the thought patterns of the mind). The mind is like an ocean and the water is a composition of our thoughts. We are always immersed deep in this ocean of thoughts, which keeps moving in waves.
There are many schools of yoga today, each claiming that theirs is the best. There are people who do not just debate, but also fight about which is a more superior form of practice. Many are confused on which path to take. Such people need to realise that any form of yoga is but a road leading to the same goal — to stop the modifications of the mind.
It is impossible to stop the flow of thought. However, by stopping Chitta Vrittis or mind modification, the individual can become aware of what they’re thinking. This is akin to riding the crest of a wave or setting sail to the direction of the wind. Patanjali, a researcher of the human mind with utmost clarity, outlines five functions of the human mind. Each is the wave or the vritti that we speak about.
Pramana
Basis of cognition or understanding names and forms around you. This happens in the following three ways.
l Pratyaksha is that which is perceived by your five senses. You are reading a newspaper. You may even get a whiff of the smell of newsprint. Hence, you directly know that it is a newspaper. You don’t need another person to explain this to you. l The next is anumana. It literally means guessing. If smoke rises high in a distance, you guess that there is a fire. l Agama or relying on a treatise, is a text, a code of ethics or a law to base your understanding of the abstract concepts such as god, karma, life before and after death etc. These are the grey zones of knowledge that we cannot directly see or infer.
Viparyaya
It means wrong understanding or misunderstanding. This happens when you see an object outside, but you entertain a different idea within. You have an understanding from something you heard, read or saw as a child that ghosts are white in colour and that they appear at night. This knowledge makes your mind mistake anything in white for a ghost.
Vikalpa
Vikalpa means uncontrolled imagination. In a few moments, the little boy sitting in a boring math class can imagine that he has passed the air force examination, become a pilot, and riding a plane which suddenly crash lands when the teacher in the classroom throws a piece of chalk on his desk to get him out of his day dreaming. Sankalpa is focused imagination. If you wish to become a doctor, you can make a sankalpa in your mind, imagining yourself with a coat and stethoscope, even while you are just now appearing for your class 12 board examinations. Many of the self-help techniques have its basis in sankalpa.
Nidra
It means to sleep, when all thoughts go on an eight-hour holiday.
Smriti
Smriti or memory is the last function where the mind recalls experiences of the past that are stored in the conscious and sub-conscious layers of the mind.
A time for yourself
You can try this exercise for about half-an-hour a week.
1. Sit down in a comfortable place. 2. Keep a notebook
and pen beside you. You may keep your eyes closed. 3. Once you settle down, you will be able to watch the steady flow of thoughts. 4. Watch if the thoughts are angry, depressed, hateful, sorrowful, jealous, morbid or tragic. 5. Do not interpret those thoughts as good or bad. Simply observe them and write them down. Most often, your mind wanders when you are doing something or listening to someone. This is totally unconnected with the present moment. Watch how your mind takes on such flights of fancy. Plain awareness can help bring the mind back to the present moment. This way you train yourself to get what’s commonly known as ‘presence of mind’.
