How Mind Maps Distort Reality?
Ram S. Ramanathan MCC
Systemic, Sustainable, and Spiritual Self Development Coach Author: Coaching the Spirit & Re-creating Your Future Books & Programs
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The object itself does not depend on any one mind, for if it did, then what would happen to it if it were not being experienced by that mind? ||16||
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Samskara are subtle and latent impressions of unfulfilled desires. Some are carried over from the pre-birth vasana essence of last living desires. These are the prarabda karma, the invisible blueprint of one’s purpose and meaning in life. If only this were not veiled by maya and known to us, our life would be so much simpler, more meaningful and fulfilled. For the most part, these pre-birth prarabda samskara are our needs in life.
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So, we struggle looking for stuff to live for. Most often, we mistake what others have, and covet them as wants. This is why in every religion there is an injunction against coveting what others have. It’s not merely about taking away from another. It’s also about not realising our genuine samskara needs and seeking borrowed wants. Such wants arise from greed. They will never be fulfilled. Ramana said, ‘This planet can fulfil the needs of billions, but not the greed of even one person.’
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Wants arising out of greed breed evil. They are the source of all negativity and unhappiness. When the Wise Buddha says. ‘Life is Suffering’, this is what he means. All wants cause suffering. How do we discriminate and distinguish between wants and needs? Patanjali says we can differentiate through cause, intent to outcome, root and object. These are related.
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The cause is about why we need what we desire. What causes the desire? Is there a genuine value to what we seek? Is it mere sensual temporary pleasure? What will we realise when we fulfil it? Will it be fulfilling or lead to another or more such desire?
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Intent to outcome, phala, is what Krishna tells us to disengage from and surrender to him. Why? Do we control the process of intent to outcome? We don’t even control the next inhalation. Is that want in our control and to our benefit? Is it in line with the dharma of Yama?
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Root underlies the want. Where does it come from? Is it about our survival? Is it about our safety? Is it a validation, emotional or cognitive, that we are as good as someone else? If fulfilled, will it lead to another such validation?
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The object is what we desire. Is it someone else’s that we covet? Or is it because someone has it and we need to possess it for validation? Is that object permanent? How transient is it? When experienced what happens to that object? Would it add value to our lives and others?
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These are desires that may be carried over from the past, as in prarabda, or something we feel would add value in the future. Whichever is the time frame, past or future, desires arise in the present moment. They may confuse you with the differing forms they appear in and in what sequence. However, they all arise from the present reality. If one’s desire is lust for bodily pleasures it may appear at different times, in different forms and for different reasons, built around the present moment reality of bodily pleasure.
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The desires may be subtle as in lust as an emotion, or manifested as in an object of lust as with a man or woman. These desires arise from the three guna of satva, rajas and tamas. Let’s take the case of a man looking at a woman. To a person in satva guna, the woman may appear to be a mother, sister or daughter, one to be cared for. To one in Rajas Guna, that person would treat that person with respect. A person of tamas guna would only be interested in fulfilling one’s lust and not concerned about the other.
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The object does not change because of one’s guna. The perception of the viewer changes. The behaviour of the person viewing changes as a result of the perception. Different minds have different guna and therefore, different perceptions, and view the same object differently.
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Patanjali says that the object is not the mind's experience, for if it were so it would need to materially change each time. This is the truth of the statement ‘the map is not the territory’. The territory, the object is manifested, not abstract. It does not change. However, the map changes depending on who draws it, or whose mind it is.
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Reflection
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You see a couple, a man and a woman, close together in a dimly lit area speaking to each other animatedly. What would your mind see?
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90% of us would assume that they are in a romantic relationship. That’s the nature of our mind. They could be mother and son, father and daughter, sister and brother, colleagues at work or friends. The perversion level of our mind would distort what we see in alignment with the present reality of the guna we are in.
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How do you get out of this perverse judgmental mindset?
Ram is a co-founder and mentor at Coacharya.? Ram's focus is the integration of Eastern wisdom with modern science, spiritually, systemically and sustainably.