The Mind

A clip from the Look Again Podcast where we discuss the mind. The conversation covers the difference between the brain and the mind, what role consciousness plays in all of this, as well as how they influence your life.

Transcript

So I guess what the basic question is is is there and what is there a difference between mind and consciousness?

How do you see consciousness and mine being similar and working together or and or how do you see them being different?

I know for me.

I mean,

This is just my opinion because I mean,

I don't know what the answer is or isn't I think Consciousness is all expansive like consciousness is one of those universal things I think the mind it helps to limit our consciousness because it puts that individual perspective on it It's like the lens that we're seeing the world through Kind of like the mind is the one that's translating or the mind is one receiving the signals.

So I think Consciousness is there consciousness.

It just isn't in the mind consciousness is universal But the mind helps to limit our consciousness and makes it a part of this Our individual being and it's like our vantage point for the world.

I guess to build on that you know,

I kind of agree with Ali and It's like mind has to do with being the observer or having this human experience Like we're put here to have that human experience and with our mind we have it that individual identity Consciousness is you know,

We can have our individual consciousness universal consciousness and in yoga you're trying to unite the individual self with the universal self or consciousness and You know to me they are different,

But they do play off of each other if that makes sense Well,

Like how are they different to you?

Like how do you see them as different?

Because saying they're different is like I think what we're trying to agree with but how do you see them being different?

I think one is more of an individual ego Which is the mind and not saying ego is somebody with a big ego,

But like your ego I individual consciousness self But the whole idea of consciousness is that the universal mind I guess you could say that Universality of it all our Swami Shankar Nana used to always talk about conscious awareness Consciousness is there and it's universal.

But what is it?

What is it aware of?

Like are you being aware of your breath?

Are you being aware of your light?

Are you being aware of your connection to everything?

Are you being aware of your physical body?

So like I think your consciousness is is again It's just like this all pervasive thing that that once you you get in touch with it like it's your connection to everyone and everything in the universe,

But The mind again is like like I think it was I was really close to saying the witness your mind is that thing That's that's observing the universe like your inner and outer universe and putting your spin on it Like you're gonna like none of us see the see the world the exact same way Like we all have differing opinions on it like visually I doubt that we all see it the same But I think that our mind is where that's all played out and where that whole thing is actually Like it's the vantage point like the lens that you're looking through I think the mind is the lens that you're looking through but the consciousness is like the universe I would just want to say something Dolly will you said about like?

The how we all see the world differently we do in some sense because like the actual vision all the photons So all those we don't share those so every piece of light that you're seeing doesn't come into my eye So every piece of light that comes in my eye doesn't go into your eyes So our vision of the reality is way different.

But yeah,

I think that beauty is an eye of the beholder some real shit I mean like everybody sees the world differently I think your emotions play a role in it,

But I think like you're saying that energetically it plays a different role into it Cuz like,

You know,

I mean,

You know,

You're drawn to certain things certain things are gonna seem beautiful to you certain things you're gonna be kind of repelled from and it's such an individual thing that I think it's Literally everybody's seeing and feeling and observing the world Differently like there's gonna be some commonalities,

But for the most part everybody's seeing things totally differently Mm-hmm.

Yeah,

So photons are what emit light or our light and Photons are very unique to your eye.

So we never share the same photons So like reality is definitely different when it comes to vision Yeah,

And what do you think about like the different separation or similarities of consciousness in mind?

I don't know.

I'm kind of stumped here.

I'm not gonna lie.

We talked about this a lot You know when I heard Ali say what he said I'm like,

Yeah that makes sense and then what I said because I once Ali said I was thinking the same thing that I'm gonna kind Of said about how we got a separate conscious.

This is not one type of consciousness You know,

There's like that self and then the universal consciousness,

Right?

So now I need to break consciousness down even right to figure out what really is Consciousness because it's not just one type of consciousness.

There's a multitude of consciousness,

Right?

There's more than one there's the consciousness of that whole concept of me identifying with My physical and my memories and where I live and who I am and what I've gone through all that type of stuff And then there's this this universal consciousness,

Right so that in my mind like those are two separate things,

Right?

Those constants are separate.

I definitely think mind is separate from consciousness for sure.

It's like mind if anything For me is like the tool that we have For like things like memory and and you know,

Your memory is part of your mind your intellect You know the part of the ego of identifying with hey I am Andy and this is a pen type stuff when the supreme conscious and for me the universe would say that I am NOT Andy and this does not append that we just are you know,

So I know that mind is it's an aspect of I would say like our being kind of and so is consciousness is like the real truth to me,

You know what I mean?

Like now sometimes I think mine gets a bad rap too because You know the concept of we're just talking about it earlier today We're talking about Chitta and stuff like that about this this cosmic intelligence,

Right?

You know what?

I mean it that's part of the mind and if you're able to tap into that cosmic intelligent universe and intelligence That's almost like the concept of the universal consciousness,

Too So it's an aspect of it,

But I definitely would say that Mind and consciousness gun to my head final answer like you have to say something.

I would say mind and conscious are different For sure.

Yeah A lot of that.

I mean there's some of them.

I don't know as Andy was talking to me think of like the fact that The mind tries to rationalize things and define things but I don't think you can do that with consciousness consciousness like pure Universal consciousness,

You can't really describe with words You have to experience it like people come back and they try to use these words like bliss or Nirvana or love like there's all These different words they use to describe it and that's the mind trying to rationalize consciousness,

So I think it kind of has to be two different things where where one is like the words or the Trying to talk it out or think it out.

But you know when you get to consciousness like it's beyond thoughts.

It's beyond words It's it's like that It's just being yeah,

I can feel that too.

There's a sense of consciousness integrating feeling and Mind doesn't feel it.

It's kind of like very mathematical.

It's just like okay a to B,

You know,

It's not like oh Well,

I went to see because I felt this way but I do agree that it is like some sort of apparatus and I think I wrote that question because Because they throw consciousness in with imagination perception thinking intelligent judgment But the thing is is like you can make a judgment and have a conscious judgment You can make a judgment without consciousness and make a dumb judgment You're still using your mind but I just I find it really weird to like integrate consciousness into mine because consciousness is so Vast so here's here's another little thought like do you think?

Consciousness still exists without mind does mine exists without consciousness.

You know,

I think consciousness exists within mine or Consciousness exists without mine,

But mine doesn't exist without consciousness.

So I think like one needs the other to exist it's kind of like ego won't exist without mind and consciousness,

Yeah,

I mean I feel like consciousness can exist without mine because once you Transition from this body your the mines not there anymore at least in my opinion The mines not there anymore,

But your consciousness is and always will be like this hasn't been a point where your consciousness hasn't been around But I feel like you need that physical vessel for mine to be there But I don't think the mind can exist without consciousness I think consciousness has to play a part and that's what consciousness means is translated through is the mind in his physical body.

I Agree,

I agree with what I say not I mean can anything exist without consciousness.

I Don't know maybe not I don't know either Maybe existence is consciousness.

That's kind of where I lean towards,

Right?

That's deep.

What do you guys do?

Where are you leaning?

When you just said that it takes me back to something that our teacher always talks about and like,

You know Well,

He always has the holy Trinity of the different principles it's consciousness existence and bliss absolute and that is universal truth and I think that all those three are part of what makes up our reality which in Our individual cases we use our mind to perceive Yeah,

I was definitely about to say sake the Nanda like that was definitely I was going where I was thinking I was just like that's what it all boils down to like when you're looking for Like the capital T truth like that such it Ananda what I'm saying consciousness existence bliss Absolutely,

Like that's what it is.

Like the mind isn't really anywhere in there again The mind is trying to define it and rationalize it.

But again,

You got really experienced to really understand Yeah,

I really like the way I'm I said it the mind is like the tool to I don't know exact exact wording It's like the mind is tool to perceive The consciousness I think that's deep and then my thought was and it's crazy Did you all both saw such it Ananda to because when David was asking it before you said the first time?

That's the same thing was popping in my head.

Like I could hear that word in my head those words in my head but I'm thinking about so do we Because I agree with what you're saying I liked it a lot like if you just can't see it because they can't see me and I'm like,

Oh when he said I Was like,

Oh that was really good right in my mind I like the way that was worded,

But do we need the mind then to perceive consciousness?

Is that like Is it necessary to have the mind to perceive consciousness that the only way we can perceive consciousness is through the mind?

Kind of makes sense.

I think it's I think it's once again like,

You know You always saying that it's your vehicle to comprehend things on an individual way and it depends on what you focus your mind on whether it is consciousness or whether it's truth whether it's you know,

Whatever you focus it on that mine is our individual tool to be able to be the witness or the perceiver of The consciousness existence or bliss,

You know,

I think that's our tool on a human level Well,

I was just thinking like say our mind is the vessel and consciousness is the water,

You know And you pour water in a tea kettle It takes the form of the vessel But when the vessel is not there water is just water it does what it does So it doesn't mean that consciousness doesn't exist without the mind But I think mind I think how you said Andy earlier like mind is a tool to feel to think to use ration and judgment and Whatever faculties that we we use with the mind But consciousness is the quality in which it's done in Like we can all do the same yoga stretch,

But whoever's more advanced is gonna do it better So that's the quality of the thing in which you know,

It is Well,

I think that you have to go beyond mind to get to consciousness I know a lot of what is done in the meditative like the people who spent tons of time in the meditative practice fighting with their mind and try to empty their mind and clear their mind and They get frustrated and they stop or they keep going.

They spend a lot of time in contemplation They spend a lot of time like having that internal dialogue those long drawn-out conversations with themselves or imagining But I feel like to really get to the essence of meditation You have to go beyond mine Like you have to go beyond that to actually experience what pure consciousness is like you're not gonna find it in the mind Like you got to be able to get beyond that point and it's it's a struggle.

I mean,

It's not easy to do actually not I mean It's actually I think it might be easy to do when I think about it Cuz like when you spend your time fighting in meditation you come out of your meditation tired like I remember Reading this book man's eternal quest and they talk about having to meditate for six hours one day a week Paramahansa yoga not a fantastic book if our listeners haven't read it yet,

But I remember reading that I remember sitting at home They will fuck it.

I'm gonna meditate for six hours one day.

I remember doing it I came out of it and I was fucking exhausted and I'm gonna go in uncle Will's house the next day I'm about and he just busts out laughing.

He's like man.

You're doing it wrong Like you're obviously in there fighting like meditation is supposed to be easy meditation supposed to be peaceful Like if you're not coming out of six hours of meditation Totally refreshed and renewed you're doing it the wrong way the next time I did it I wasn't fighting with my mom because most of time I was spending was fighting with my mind fighting with my mind fighting with my Mind it was just and it wore me out Like I was just energetically exhausted when I came out to put the next time I tried it I came out and I felt like I'd slept for like a week You don't I mean like it felt amazing because I went in there with ease and tranquility and peace And that was what I got out of it and I didn't fight with the line.

I was just kind of working on Transcending mine for backup from a better turn and I think that was how I got to experience consciousness was going Going beyond it when you just said that Ali will popped in my head is you know what those great masters that achieve Samadhi You know that union with the true Universal self it's hard for them to put into words what they're really experiencing and I think it goes back to once again what you were saying is like your mind is a human or a manifestation in this incarnation of the human experience and the human mind cannot comprehend the consciousness true consciousness or bliss or knowledge or you know For the simple fact that it's beyond the beyond.

It's you know past What our human?

Comprehension or mine can really grasp and that's why it's so difficult That's why people looked at as Masters when they have gone over to that level of true consciousness Trying to bring that information back and trying to guide people there It's hard for them to really put it into words But they put it in to the best words they possibly can because they're back in their human mind trying to explain it to other human minds

Reviews

#AWESOME!!!! #Great to hear various opinions on the subject of mind and consciousness. Thoroughly interesting 👌 👍 👏 🤔 👀 😀 👌 #inmyhumbleopinion #iwholeheartedlyenjoyedTHIS!!!!

Nice guys! Easy to comprehend each of your descriptions of mind & consciousness!!! 😊

I love your talks. 😊

Very interesting.. … just found these podcasts / talks and I will listen to more .
Thank you 🙏

Thank you for sharing the blessings of your lives. Peace.