Core Teaching

The mind is the central point of all yoga systems - whether Ashtanga, Karma, Jnana, or Bhakti yoga. While science and technology have advanced dramatically in the 21st century, we still cannot control the world situation or eliminate misery. Why? Because if we are internally disturbed, we reflect that disturbance onto the external world. The biggest challenge today is the identity crisis: “Who am I?” Understanding our real identity (spiritual consciousness, not material body) and learning to control the mind is essential for achieving lasting happiness. The mind acts as the intermediary between our senses and intelligence - it is the reservoir of all ideas of sense enjoyment, unfulfilled desires, and past experiences. Whether it becomes our friend or foe depends entirely on whether we learn to control it or let it control us.

Key Concepts

The Subtle Body - Three Components

1. False Ego (Ahankara)

  • Causes spiritual consciousness to identify with the material body
  • Creates the “I” and “mine” conception: “I am this body,” “I work at this place,” “I have this house, wife, children”
  • Called “false” ego because everything in this world is relative (I may think I’m important, but someone else thinks they’re more important - ego clash creates conflict)
  • Source of identity crisis

2. Intelligence (Buddhi)

  • The decision-maker and discriminator
  • Weighs various options presented by the mind
  • When empowered by spiritual knowledge, has sufficient strength to control the mind
  • Sends signals to the senses to act based on its decisions

3. Mind (Manas)

  • Center of all sense activities
  • Reservoir of thoughts, unfulfilled desires, and previous experiences
  • Storehouse of ideas for sense enjoyment
  • Simple functions: Thinking, Feeling, Willing
  • Manifests as: Accepting/rejecting ideas, hankering for what we don’t have, lamenting the past
  • Nature: Like a jumping monkey, never stable, never satiated no matter how many desires are fulfilled

Sanskrit Terms:

  • Ahankara - False ego, false identification with body (pronounced: ah-hahn-KAR-ah)
  • Buddhi - Intelligence, discriminating faculty (pronounced: BOOD-hee)
  • Manas - Mind (pronounced: MAH-nahs)

The Chariot Analogy - Understanding Mind-Body-Soul Interaction

The Material Body = Chariot

  • Five Horses: The five senses (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell) - always ready to bolt after objects of desire
  • Passenger (scared, anxious): The spiritual consciousness (soul) - you, the real person
  • Reins: The mind - used to control the horses/senses
  • Driver: Intelligence - guides the chariot using the reins

The Problem: The horses (senses) constantly pull in different directions, creating anxiety in the mind. The passenger (soul) feels scared because there’s no clear permanent goal to focus on.

The Solution: If intelligence is empowered by spiritual knowledge, it has sufficient strength to control the mind. The mind then controls the senses, and coordination is achieved - the passenger travels safely and happily.

How Senses-Mind-Intelligence Coordinate - The Pizza Example

  1. Senses perceive: Eyes see a pizza shop, attracted by the picture of pizza
  2. Mind receives information: Mind has two inputs - previous taste experience of pizza + current visual of pizza
  3. Mind consults intelligence: “Should we get this pizza?”
  4. Mind may convince intelligence: “I really like it, we should get it”
  5. Intelligence decides and signals senses: Hands and legs receive command to go to shop and purchase

Key Insight: If the mind is strong and already has preconceived notions, it doesn’t give free reign to intelligence - intelligence becomes a figurehead, just rubber-stamping what the mind wants. This is when the mind becomes an enemy rather than friend.

Scriptural Foundation

Bhagavad Gita 7.4:

“The gross elements are earth, water, fire, air, ether. The subtle elements are mind, intelligence, and false ego.” Meaning: We are spiritual consciousness covered by two types of material energy - gross (physical body) and subtle (mind, intelligence, false ego).

Bhagavad Gita Teaching:

“Dedicate your activities to Me, absorb your senses, mind and intelligence in Me, and you will attain Me.” Meaning: Finding a permanent, fully satisfying goal for senses, mind, and intelligence is the solution to permanently controlling and engaging the mind. That goal is Krishna/Supreme.

On Mind Control:

“It is very difficult to control the mind and senses without experiencing a higher taste of spiritual bliss.” Meaning: You cannot control the mind by force or suppression alone. The spirit must experience a higher taste (through chanting, spiritual association, etc.) that is more satisfying than material sense pleasures.

Stories & Illustrations

The Dark Room Analogy (Understanding Ignorance)

Imagine being dropped in a completely dark room. You don’t know how big it is, if it’s even a room, if you’re alone, or what’s around you. How would you feel?

Answer: Anxious, fearful, scared.

This is Ignorance: Spiritual darkness where we don’t know who we are, where we came from, where we’re going, what we should be doing. This false ego (identifying as body) creates constant confusion and fear.

Role of Mind: In the dark, your anxious mind fills in the blanks, creating stories - all potentially wrong, causing more anxiety.

Role of Intelligence: Intelligence would say “Find the light!” But only if you know light exists. Many people don’t even know there’s a light to find.

The Spiritual Path: Learning there is light (spiritual knowledge), using intelligence to seek it, and the mind becomes your friend in that search. Stay in darkness (ignorance), and the mind convinces you of anything - becoming your enemy.

Lesson: Ignorance (spiritual darkness) is the cause of all miseries. Knowledge (spiritual light) guided by intelligence makes the mind your friend.

The Baby and the Wooden Spoon

Bri’s son at age 1-2 became attached to a wooden mixing spoon - took it everywhere, wouldn’t let it go. When she tried to replace it with a nice shiny toy, he would cry, fight, and stress completely. He only saw the spoon, not the “better” toy being offered.

Parallel to Human Condition:

  • We’re attached to temporary material things (the spoon) and stress when they’re taken away
  • The Divine offers us something infinitely better (spiritual bliss, eternal happiness), but we don’t see it
  • We fight and struggle to hold onto what causes us suffering

Lesson about Surrender: Sometimes despite doing everything “right,” things don’t work out. We can either:

  1. Surrender (“It’s above me, I did my best”) - leads to peace
  2. Keep pushing, fighting, forcing - leads to further stress, anger, bewilderment

Wisdom: We’re not the cause of all causes. If we were, we’d have everything we want and never be stressed. Accepting this brings freedom.

The Two Pregnancies - Ignorance is Bliss?

Shruthi shared: First pregnancy, she didn’t know much - took each day as it came, less fear. Second pregnancy, she knew what could go wrong - built tremendous fear, anxiety about doing things right.

The Paradox:

  • Material ignorance can feel like bliss (less worry)
  • BUT spiritual ignorance causes the greatest suffering (identity crisis, meaninglessness)
  • Jnana Yoga teaches: Liberation comes through gaining knowledge, conquering ignorance

Resolution: Not all knowledge creates stress. Material knowledge about problems can create anxiety. Spiritual knowledge about who you are, your eternal nature, and higher purpose creates peace and freedom. The question isn’t whether to seek knowledge, but what kind of knowledge to seek.

Practical Application (Sadhana)

Daily Practices:

  1. Mind-Intelligence Awareness Practice: Throughout the day, pause when making decisions and ask:
    • “Is this my MIND wanting this (previous experience, habitual desire, sense craving)?”
    • “Or is this my INTELLIGENCE advising this (wise, considers consequences, aligned with values)?”
    • Practice giving intelligence free reign rather than letting mind be the dictator

  2. Reframe Stress - “I am experiencing [emotion]”: Instead of “I AM anxious,” “I AM angry,” say “I am EXPERIENCING anxiety,” “I am EXPERIENCING anger.” This separates your identity (eternal soul) from temporary emotional states. You are not your emotions; you are the conscious observer of emotions.

  3. Breathing & Pranayama: Deep breathing resets the nervous system. When stressed or mind is racing, practice:
    • 4-count inhale, 4-count hold, 4-count exhale, 4-count hold
    • Repeat 5-10 times
    • Notice the mind calming as you focus on breath
  4. Practice Forgiveness (Mental Technique):
    • Identify someone (or yourself) you haven’t forgiven
    • Recognize: holding unforgiveness means that person/situation occupies your mind daily (consciously or subconsciously)
    • Forgiveness doesn’t condone wrong action - it frees YOUR mind from the burden
    • Practice: “I release this. I forgive [person/self] and free my mind from this thought.”
  5. Mantra Meditation (Spiritual Technique): Chanting Hare Krishna mantra for even 8-15 minutes trains the mind to focus on one thing rather than scattered thoughts. Over time, builds concentration from 8 minutes → 30 minutes → 1+ hour, dramatically reducing anxiety.

Contemplation Questions:

  • In what areas of my life is my mind acting as my friend? Where is it acting as my enemy?
  • What “spoon” (material attachment) am I clinging to that prevents me from accepting something better God is offering?
  • When I’m stressed, am I fighting against fate/destiny or surrendering to “it’s above me, I’ve done my best”?
  • What would my life look like if I found a permanent, fully satisfying goal that my mind could rest in?

Common Obstacles & Solutions

Obstacle 1: “I try to control my mind through silent meditation, but it brings only temporary relief. My senses need to act eventually.” Solution: Exactly! You cannot permanently control the mind by stopping the senses. They must act. The solution is finding a HIGHER TASTE that fully satisfies senses, mind, and intelligence. Silent meditation is good, but must be combined with spiritual practices (mantra, devotional music, spiritual association, service) that provide positive engagement for the mind.

Obstacle 2: “My mind is too strong - it always convinces my intelligence to do what it wants.” Solution: This is the human condition. The key is EMPOWERING intelligence with spiritual knowledge. When intelligence understands consequences, higher purpose, and spiritual identity, it gains strength to say “No” to the mind. Also practice: Learn to IGNORE the mind. When it says “Fifth cup of coffee!” just say “Thank you, no. I’ve had four already.” Treat the mind like a child who needs boundaries.

Obstacle 3: “I experience so much stress from things outside my control - other people, natural disasters, society.” Solution: Three sources of misery exist: (1) Our own mind (biggest), (2) Others (relationships, neighbors, boss, drivers), (3) Nature (weather, disasters, government unrest). You can only control #1 - your own mind. But when you control your mind, you handle #2 and #3 much better. As Angelina noted: “Everything works together for our good” - traffic jam may save you from an accident, spilled sauce may delay you for divine timing. Accept, don’t fight.

Obstacle 4: “I don’t know the difference between knowledge and realized knowledge.” Solution:

  • Knowledge: Facts acquired through reading, hearing, learning (knowing fire burns)
  • Realized Knowledge: Direct experience and understanding (touching fire and understanding “I will NOT touch fire again”)
  • Practice creates realization. You can know all about meditation intellectually, but until you PRACTICE and EXPERIENCE the peace, it’s not realized. This is why daily sadhana is essential.

Connection to Bhakti

In bhakti, controlling the mind isn’t about force or suppression - it’s about ENGAGING the mind in something infinitely more satisfying than material sense pleasure. Krishna’s very name means “the highest satisfaction.”

When we dedicate our activities to Krishna, absorb our senses/mind/intelligence in Him through:

  • Chanting His names (Hare Krishna mantra)
  • Hearing about Him (spiritual discourses, kirtan)
  • Serving Him (deity worship, service to devotees, sharing spiritual knowledge)
  • Associating with devotees (spiritual community - satsang)

…the mind naturally becomes controlled because it has found what it was always seeking - unconditional love, eternal purpose, complete satisfaction. The mind becomes our FRIEND in this journey, helping us progress rather than dragging us down into material entanglement.

Bhakti provides the “higher taste” that makes controlling the mind possible and even joyful rather than a constant struggle.

Integration & Reflection

Essence (Sara):

The mind is neither inherently friend nor foe - it becomes what we make of it. When controlled by intelligence empowered with spiritual knowledge and engaged in higher spiritual taste, the mind becomes our best friend, carrying us swiftly to liberation. When left uncontrolled, dominated by sense demands and material desires, it becomes our worst enemy, creating endless stress and suffering. The choice is ours: elevate by controlling the mind, or degrade by being controlled by it.

Personal Insights:

[Reflect on moments when your mind has been your enemy - creating stress, anxiety, convincing you to act against your better judgment. Also reflect on moments when your mind has been your friend - focused, helping you achieve goals, remaining calm in difficult situations. What was different between these states?]

This Week’s Focus:

Contemplation: “Is my mind currently my friend or my foe? In what specific ways?”

Practice: This week, practice the “Is this MIND or INTELLIGENCE?” awareness exercise. Before each decision (especially around eating, spending, reacting to people), pause and identify whether desire comes from mind (habit/craving) or intelligence (wisdom/values).

Intention: I will practice “surrendering” to outcomes beyond my control, saying “It’s above me, I did my best” rather than fighting and creating unnecessary stress.

Further Study

  • Scripture Reading:
    • Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 (entire chapter on mind control and meditation)
    • Chapter 3.40-43 (on senses, mind, intelligence hierarchy)
  • Recommended Resources:
    • Practice journaling - especially “write advice to yourself as if to a friend” technique
    • Study the three categories of mind control methods and try one from each
    • Explore different breathing techniques (pranayama resources)
  • Related Topics:
    • Next lesson: Modes and Moods - environmental factors affecting mind
    • How mantra meditation specifically controls the mind
    • The relationship between diet and mind state

Quick Reference - Key Terms

Sanskrit Translation Pronunciation
Manas Mind MAH-nahs
Buddhi Intelligence BOOD-hee
Ahankara False ego ah-hahn-KAR-ah
Indriya Senses in-DREE-yah
Sankalpa Will, intention sahn-KUHL-pah
Vairagya Detachment vai-RAHG-yah
Kshama Forgiveness kshah-MAH