IS THE MIND A MYTH?

Ramana Maharshi

-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 11:25

What is the mind? If one searches to find out there would be no separate entity as the mind.

The mind stilled by breath regulation gets destroyed by pursuing a single thought.

Intelligence is the nature of the mind. The mind is pure and undefiled like ether.

Having heard Muruganar about Ramana and the uniqueness of his teaching, Santamma comes to Sri Ramanasramam with eager longing to quench her spiritual thirst. Straightaway she asks Ramana, 'Please destroy my mind'. Ramana tells Muruganar, 'Ask her if there is such a thing as the mind? If so what is its form?' She is baffled, not being able to grasp the true import of Ramana's words. But Muruganar tells her, 'You have been initiated'. What had she been initiated into? Was it the secret about the mind's nature and the need to enquire about it? But then if one looks at the statements in their naked form the question would arise as to what one is to enquire into if the mind is non-existent? Ramana's statement in 'Upadesa Undiyar' – 'Manam ena onru illai', 'there is no such thing as the mind' also makes one ponder about the exact meaning of Ramana's words.

Does Ramana then subscribe to the view that the mind is a myth, that it is non-existent? Does he say that it is as illusory as the waters of a desert mirage or a barren woman's son? Surely 'No'. why do we say this? Were it to be so the quotes at Nos. 2 and 3 above would have no meaning would they? If there be no mind, it would be idle to refer to its lulling or destruction. Again where would be the question of going into its nature, as to whether it is consciousness or whether it is pure or impure? So we must find out what exactly is the notion which Ramana is declaring to be false. It is the notion that the mind is a separate entity. What Ramana is constantly bashing is this erroneous idea of an independent existence to the mind..2 For the mind is only a bundle of thoughts. "Because of emergence of thoughts, we surmise something from which they start and term it as the mind". Where was your mind in deep sleep when thoughts were not there? If it were permanent as it is imagined, can it be non-existent sometimes and existent at other times?

If thoughts constitute the mind some further questions would arise. "Are you distinct from your thoughts? Can you exist without them? Can thoughts exist without you?" If one questions thus it would be found that thoughts cannot exist without you. Why do we say this? It is common knowledge that thoughts are innumerable and varied but at any given moment only one thought can exist. Why? Because the individual's attention is needed. The moment this attention is withdrawn or switched on to another thought, the first thought recedes and the later thought to which the attention has been shifted sprouts up.

Therefore, Ramana points out that other thoughts are dependent on the individual 'I'-thought. What about the opposite position? Can one exist without the other thoughts? Can one be totally free of thoughts? 'Yes'. Sleep and the state of a jnani are enough evidence for this. It follows that the individual is the mind and not the individual and his mind, as we have all along been thinking.