Minding the Mind

One thing I've noticed about myself is how ready I am to dismiss my mind as having anything at all to do with my quality of life. And yet, it is the mind that holds the ability to process data, perceive inspiration, retrieve and conceptualize information, to analyze options, and so forth. Mind can only do what it is designed to do - and that's all right. Depending upon how we're wired, our thinking is, generally speaking, more of a fixed or a fluid process - neither of which is any better or worse than the other. The trouble comes when we use our mental energy, in the form of its conditioning, as our authority for making important decisions. This point brings up a host of weighty questions, among which may include: How do we balance and integrate the basic functions of our mind's mental energy with the cultivation of spiritual awareness?; If some information is good, wouldn't more information be better?; Are there different kinds of intelligence?; What about learning?; Is 'mind' held exclusively in the brain or is it more diversified?, and so on. One of my favorite inquiries is, 'What is the difference between 'mind' and 'mindfulness'?

My teacher Spotted Eagle often speaks to the qualities of mind in terms of its biological nature, how its function is influenced by our emotional system, and then how it is expressed in our existential issues. He likes to say, "Never let the Mind go unsupervised!" What does he mean by this? One way to approach this concept is to notice that when we are employing mindfulness we direct our attention to the experience of essence as opposed to tethering it to a narrow craving for form and its illusion of security. A good place to begin a personal inquiry on these sometimes confusing matters is to recall something in the past that made you either excited or worried about the future. 

"What was the picture that Mind painted about the future that made you feel excited or worried? What fantasy did this picture promise to deliver? What fear did this picture hope to resolve?

Which of the following qualities played a part in the story you imagined? 

1. Money
2. Security
3. Prowess (or health)
4. Reputation
5. Sexual attractiveness
6. Power over others
 

What action did you take to make this future happen? What truths did you ignore in order to maintain your belief in this future? How did the excitement, and whatever action it prompted you to take medicate your fear? or fuel your fantasy?

This inquiry illustrates an important point: Mind puts its faith in the illusion of a future that can be avoided, made to happen, or forced into being. Mind prays for certain outcomes for itself and others. Mind puts its faith in action and in inaction; it puts its faith in the illusion of control. It seeks outcomes that medicate our fears and/or support our fantasies.

There is an oft-repeated Buddhist proverb about a man who came repeatedly to his teacher, asking for advice on all sorts of matters, especially about the difference between how his teacher experienced his life before enlightenment compared to after. The master’s answer was always the same: "Before enlightenment, 'Chop wood. Carry water.' After enlightenment, 'Chop wood. Carry water.'" 

From this simple yet profound story we can notice that it is in the act of mindfulness; the observation of the self - what it thinks, what it perceives, how it behaves, and what it chooses - all of these things, especially when we are under pressure - that this is where the information we need is located and waiting for us to retrieve it." ~ Spotted Eagle

I would not call myself a Buddhist, although at times I do find its teachings can bring me wisdom that evolves my life and opens my heart. In the spirit of this then, I offer the following piece by Susan Piver on the hidden treasures of being which are held both within the natural world and within the human mind:

You are brilliant. I have proof.