Science says we all are evolved
organisms and initially we were complex chemical combinations from which we
became single-celled, went on to become multi-cellular creatures then fish,
amphibians, reptiles, mammals to ape-like ancestors and finally Homo sapiens
that we are today. Accepted that we have evolved as the Darwin theory has explained. We need to know
what is that which takes us to a level higher than animals. Man is considered a
social animal. What made him be social animal???
We have many things in common with
animals like the way we eating, commuting, reproducing, and protect ourselves.
One more extraordinary trait is the fact that animals are conditioned by their
environment and by experiences. Just imagine how an angry and vicious animal
can be trained to be gentle at the hands of a ringmaster. Though the natural
instinct of a few animals is to behave wild, man has conditioned them to be his
slave. And while animals some have this adoptive mind which needs no one to
interfere like for example it took thousands of years for the giraffe species
to have long neck so that they can eat the acacia leaves on the tree tops. It
was the adoptive mind at work. But having said that animals can use their
conditioned and adoptive mind to better their live only in four features namely
food, shelter, sleep and procreation. It does not and cannot use its mind to go
beyond these.
We humans have intellect (Buddhi) along
with mind (Manas) which can be used to change the way we live and excel from
one position to the better. When I say to live a better life it is not life of
comfort, an animal with conditioned mind is able to find means to make its life
comfortable. The intellect has to be used to understand things in spiritual
aspect. Intellect is an ability to choose Shreya (Beneficial) against Preya (Pleasant).
If we can use our intellect to choose then we can strengthen it by having
confidence on it when a choice has to be made. All we need is awareness to
choose our intellect instead of our conditioned mind or adaptive mind.
Is Intellect different from mind
then???? Yes, if intellect is the program the mind is the processor. Intellect
is higher than mind if the intellect is the boss the mind is its secretary.
Mind provides all the necessary inputs for the project that is imagined by
intellect, suppose the intellect has decided to go to a place the mind provides
the route and the means to reach the same.
Often conditioned mind is mistaken as
intellect. When we see animals which behave extraordinary we say they are
intelligent but they are either using their conditioned or adaptive mind. If
they were intelligent they would have started to think like we human about
emancipation. It is unfortunate to see some humans also use conditioned mind
and adaptive mind instead of the unique faculty called intellect. Conditioned
mind is limited and it is like uploaded non-writable files while intellect is
infinite with lots of writable files which can be uploaded or downloaded.
A conditioned mind is a small package of
typical thoughts. When a conditioned mind seeks answer to questions it has to
search for answers within that small package since it cannot go beyond it.
Intellect can provide answers to any of the questions the mind puts to it
simply because it is connected to something which the mind cannot comprehend
to. Reading
scriptures and knowing about them is in a way conditioning of mind but with
those input if we use our intellect we will know the essence and significance
of what the scriptures say, so that we can put those to use in our daily life.
Intellect is sharpened by the unconditioned UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS.
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