subject: What do we use - the brain or the mind: [print this page] What do we use - the brain or the mind: What do we use - the brain or the mind:
When an individual is alive, both brain and mind exist. He or she works with the mind which is the invisible and the extended but the subtle part of the brain. If the brain is hard ware, the mind is software. But when the individual is dead, the brain becomes defunct and since it is a physical organ. Thus when the dense plane becomes defunct it will not have any relevance any more. The mind then takes the flight along with the soul shrouding it.
Hence the mind is only the cloud of consciousness and the brain is a seating place during the life for the consciousness to work through. The brain is the connecting medium between the body and the soul. Body is a lump of flesh with organs, each determined for certain specific purpose. But the brain controls all of them as the leader. Soul is the subtlest part of the individual and to connect them there needs to be an organ which can access both at the two ends. Brain can be defined as the softest and the most subtle part of the body. In relation to the Soul it is not, but has the in thing to access the soul through the mind.
Brain dead. Does it mean Mind dead
Brain is an organ of the body. It's the central control room for the body. The body as such is capable of doing certain specific functions through the various organs but the command as to what to do comes from the brain. Brain is the only thinking organ which instructs the body organs to function based on its knowledge stored in it gained out of experiences, theoretical and practical. No other organ thinks, only brain thinks. Brain has the subtle part in it which communions with the mind and the other subtler parts and in the lower plane it accesses with the body organs and instruct them to do the functions as decided by the brain. Brain is not the self. The self commands the brain and the brain commands the body. Between the Self and the brain, there is the mind, which is knowledge, experiences stored as impressions and memory. They are words and visual impressions. There is a constant conflict between the Self and the Mind. The mind most often wins and supersedes in taking control of the body. Naturally so, as the knowledge will be able to substantiate its supremacy. Self actually is unaffected by Raga or dvesha (attraction and repulsion). Mind through its experiences stored as memory instructs the body through brain to go after the pleasure-experiences and be away from pain-experiences. Since Pleasure and pain have more relevance to the body of sensuous nature mind gains control of the body. Mind, most of the time gains supremacy over the self. Self is manifest through the Conscience. Conscience is the custodian of codes virtues. It advises and insists, but many a time, fails in its attempts to convince the mind, as the mind overrules. In spiritually evolved persons, mind fights the battles with the self; wins sometimes and loses many times. Higher the evolution in an individual, lower will be the mind power. In the sense, the memories though available at the beck and call, cannot convince the self and hence cannot insist the Self going after the attractions or to be away from repulsions. The neutral stage it advocates. Neither the pleasure nor the pain affects the self, which confronts both in the same magnitude.
