THE MIND
Spiritual aspirants who want to delve into any meditation practice or embark on any spiritual path must first understand the nature of the mind.

The subject of the Mind has been a long-debated topic. No one has ever seen the Mind or Spirit yet who could possibly doubt their existence? Although hidden by the cloak of our physical appearance, the existence of the Mind is only evident with our thought processes. Since we can think, we have a mind. All activities of Man are the result of the activity of the mind. As is the thoughts, so is the feeling. As is the feeling, so is the action. As is the action, so is the result.

We are all connected. Everything is energy. Ancient Hindu scriptures highlight that there is only Atma (otherwise known as Energy) that pervades the entire Universe. This is the ocean of ‘nothingness’ yet it is also the ocean of ‘all things’ as proposed by the Buddhists. This teaching of unity is the cornerstone of most sacred scriptures.

There is only ONE Universal Mind, though within it, there are many seeming ‘separate’ and ‘individualised minds’. The mind has no specific form. It is likened to a camera lens, which captures the form of whatever it is focused on. Just like the wind, the mind assumes the form of whatever object it conceives based on will. Therefore, the mind is illusory.



MAN IS BEYOND HIS SENSES
Man is beyond his senses but he is unaware of this. Life is nothing but a multi-faceted dream, which Man experiences as being ‘real’. However, nothing is ‘real’ as Man’s life is merely a projection of his mind. To emphasise on how we are living in a mental universe, let’s take the example of dreams. Man often dreams of interacting with others when he goes to sleep. In the dream, he talks, laughs, cries, walks, runs or jumps. The sensations or feelings experienced in the dream seem very real although his physical body remains still on the bed at the same time that he ‘thought’ he had done all these things. This goes to show that everything that Man experiences with his senses is only a projection of his mind. Without the mind, the senses are nothing. Therefore, we are all living in a mental Universe. There is no form, thought, feeling or action that is void of mind.



MIND: GOOD VS BAD?
The mind is like a knife. Man can use this instrument for either good or bad purposes (i.e. to feed or to harm). Any intention that you drop in this ‘pool’ of consciousness, whether good or bad, will create ripples that will spread throughout the entire Universe. The ignorant Man thinks that his one thought will do nothing to others, but he could not be more wrong. In fact, his every thought affects every sequence of events even in the subtlest way that he never thought possible.

Famous author Napoleon Hill once said that “if your mind can conceive, it can achieve”. The mind does not discern the good from the bad. It just occupies the form of whatever Man thinks and appears before him. This is why it is so important for man to utilise his spiritual discrimination to determine if what he fills his mind with is pure or tainted with impurities for it will be drawn to him.



THE ART OF VISUALISATION
The art of visualisation is a very powerful instrument that a meditator can master to change his or her life for the better. Visualisation is simply the deliberate creation of specific realistic scenes in the mind’s eye. Man experiences this selected scene in his mind’s eye as though he was really experiencing it on this third-dimensional plane. The key to master the art of visualisation is to have a vivid imagination.

With so many thoughts crossing the mind every second, Man’s mind is like a raging ocean. Just like dropping a stone in the middle of a raging ocean, the ripples are not clearly seen and not spread beautifully. Therefore, it cannot be stressed enough how important it is for one to still the mind through the practice of meditation. Introducing an intention to the pool of consciousness with a calm mind will create a fuller ripple-effect throughout the entire Universe.



MIND: THE CENTRE OF DIVINE OPERATION
Knowing now that your thoughts shape your life; be extremely selective of the thoughts your mind is nurturing. What you sow now is what you will be reaping. British philosopher Thomas Troward said:

“(The) mind is a centre of Divine operation. The Divine operation is always for expansion and fuller expression, and this means the production of something beyond what has gone before, something entirely new, not included in past experience, though proceeding out of it by an orderly sequence of growth. Therefore, since the Divine cannot change its inherent nature, it must operate in the same manner in (you); consequently in (your) own special world, of which (you are) the centre, it will move forward to produce new conditions, always in advance of any that have gone before.”



INNER CALLING
Thoughts generate feelings.  It is important for one to center one’s thoughts so that it harnesses enough energy to create an intense feeling. When the feelings become intense, one will be prompted from within to act accordingly that will contribute to the desired state of experience. This is otherwise known as the ‘inner calling’.



HOW TO VISUALISE?
Meditation will help the meditator tap the centre of his or her being. One can meditate in many different ways. Meditation is not only confined to sitting in a lotus posture with one’s legs crossed. One can meditate while seated on a chair or lying down as well. At the meditative state, start imagining vividly the desired scene. ‘See’ what you will see when the ideal is fulfilled. ‘Hear’ what you will hear if it is already so. ‘Feel’ what you will feel when your desire has materialised on this third-dimensional plane. Hold onto this feeling for some time and let this feeling penetrate all levels of your being. When you have allowed this feeling to penetrate deep enough into all levels of your being, you will no longer desire it for you know it already is. You will go about doing your daily chores with unwavering faith that it will soon become a reality in your third-dimensional experience.

Visualisation practices before bedtime is also very effective. To do this, lie in your bed quietly and relax all muscles. When you begin to feel that the body is completely at ease and you are about to drift off to sleep, you have reached the border between wake and sleep. According to Mental Science, this is the Alpha state. This state is achieved when the mind has been stilled from its endless chatters and is highly favourable in the art of visualisation for it is the bridge between your conscious and subconscious mind. This is the best time for you to take control of all your senses and redirect them to play the image of the ideal you so desire so that your subconscious mind will be impregnated by the ideas you introduced by your conscious mind. Remember to only ‘experience’ the end.



THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MIND AND DISEASES
People are beginning to discover that the mind is responsible for the shaping of one’s experiences, which also includes affecting the physiology of man. The mind-body connection is often ignored by contemporary scientific medicine in the past, though it is observed to be gaining recognition in recent years.

Nonetheless, the correlation between the mind and one’s experiences is not new. This concept has long been professed by ancient scriptures. The Vedas declares “Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati” (as is the feeling, so is the result). Feelings are a result of the thoughts man harbours in his mind. With so many thoughts crossing his mind every day, imagine what effect his thoughts can do to his physiology. According to Georg Groddeck, a physician who is regarded as the pioneer of psychosomatic medicine, all physical illnesses are the product of the unconscious mind.

Spiritual Guru Sivananda also says that: “There is an intimate connection between the mind and the body. Whatever you hold in your mind will be produced in the physical body... If evil thoughts are destroyed, all bodily diseases will vanish.”

Modern day proponent of the idea is celebrity author Louise L. Hay who wrote the international best-selling book ‘You can Heal Your Life’. The theory of psychosomatic causes of diseases is also supported by the idea put forward by Indian Board of Alternative Medicine alumni Dr. Masaru Emoto, who claims that external suggestions (such as human vibrational energy, thoughts, words, ideas and music) can affect the structure of water crystals because water is an excellent conductor of vibrations. Since the body is comprised of 60 percent water, our thoughts play a major role in determining the molecular structure of water in our bodies that result in either health or sickness.

Founder of Vibropathy Mataji Narayani too believes that behind each disease, an emotional cause is usually present. In her Soham Series of Natural Healing (Volume 2) book, she narrates a story of a man whom suffered from fits twelve years after the Second World War. It was discovered that these exhibited symptoms were due to grief. Instead of being treated for the physical symptoms, the remedy that cured the soldier was a remedy called “Ignatia”, which is Vibrionics’ great remedy for grief, whether immediate or long-concentrated grief.

Therefore, to be able to deliver an effective treatment to patients, a physician must first understand the actual cause of diseases. This notion is supported by the late Dante scholar, theologian and medical doctor, Helen Flanders Dunbar, who hoped that psychosomatic medicine would integrate the treatment of spiritual, emotional and physical suffering into a single framework.

Perhaps, this is the reason why it is not uncommon to see Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioners assert to their patients on the importance of regulating the mind since most practitioners are aware that man’s health is the result of internal harmony between the biological and psychological processes.

The area of psychosomatic medicine today is however, still limited and requires further research. Western allopathic medicine has, to date, only recognized a handful of diseases as being psychosomatically-caused. However, if we take note of all the points I have introduced in the above, it is possible to conclude that not only ‘some’ but ‘all’ diseases are a result of our thought processes.


Author: Genevieve Tan Shu Thung

Copyright © 2013 Sandhya Maarga Holistic Living Resources
Holistic Living Annex (JULY 2013)