The Structure and Function of Mind-An ancient Indian
insight
Human
consciousness creates conscious relationship between body functions and mental
functions and also can dissolve such relationship.
When such relationship is dissolved the right identification of “I” happens.
The real identification of ‘I” provides the natural or normal or ground state
of mind.
The natural or normal state of human mind
is peace; bliss; silence. Mental functions form veil over this natural state
and superimpose themselves on this pure consciousness as awareness and pure
consciousness transforms into simultaneous existence of consciousness and
awareness. The awareness creates self-consciousness also in the individual and
then the individual relates oneself to the body, gender, social status,
nationality, mental traits etc., and “falsely”
identifies with all of them with an egoistic mind.
Human consciousness is the source, guide
and energy-provider for the human mind and its activities. Human mind possesses
three kinds of awareness consecutively/simultaneously. They are: (i) unoccupied
awareness or pure consciousness (ii) awareness of within of the body and (iii)
awareness of without of the body (last two together is known as occupied
awareness).
Human mind tunes itself to without of the
body through sense organs and acts, reacts or interacts through action organs
for cognitions and perceptions created by external stimuli from physical world
outside the body. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin, stimulated by light,
sound, chemical, mechanical and thermal forms of energy respectively, are sense organs.
Movements related to hands, legs, vocal chords, reproductive organ and bowels
are action
organs. Information from external physical world is stored as inner mental
world consisting of cognitions, perceptions and cognition-created or related
experiences. All external physical world is projection of individual’s mind,
with associated limitations and individuals deal with these mental projections
some times in a biased way depending on individual’s ability to know, perceive,
reason, feel, intuit, understand and experience the reality.
Human mind tunes itself to the within of
the body and senses aches, pains, inner mental world and also does intellectual
operations. Inner mental world is made up of information known, sensed by sense
organs and perceptions and experiences created by such cognitions and knowledge
in the form of external stimuli. The same are retrieved by mind to create
moods, intuitions in the form of verb, meaning, sense, understanding, insight,
intuition, experience, urge, which
become thoughts, perceptions and feelings in the form of sentences. The
information about individual (self-consciousness with egoistic mind), the
languages learnt together with meanings, senses of sounds (words) and
utterances, forms of alphabet and objects of external physical world as words,
sights, sounds, tastes, smells, touches and the perceptions and insight and
understanding gained by the contemplation of perceptions, all form the inner
mental world. All this knowledge acquired through sense organs in tune with
mind can be termed as biophysical..
Instincts, urges and similar impulses
created and guided by hormones and gland secretions-which also constitute the
knowledge possessed by the individual organism can be termed biochemical - also
inspire and stimulate mind to act, react and interact. Human mind is also
capable of being in a state where and when all mental functions and cognitions
cease to be or the mind transcends ongoing mental functions and effects of
stimuli from external physical world and will be a mere witness to them as an
uninvolved and unaffected spectator or seer. This state is the original state
of human mind similar to zero in number system and vacuum in physical sciences.
Then the state of mind is pure consciousness or unoccupied awareness and exists
as peace, bliss and silence. Thus human mind is sourced from human
consciousness both materially, energy-wise and functionally. Human consciousness
is always present. Human mind rises and sets depending on the phase or
conscious state.
Conscious states or phases of mind in terms
of virtual mental energy-reflection series and its transformation:
Wakeful/Awakened, Dream (Swapna), Deep Sleep (Sushupti) and Wakeful Sleep (Jagrat Sushupti) - are different
conscious states of mind creating different phases of mind. They are structure and phases of mental
Time-Space and time created by the presence of mental energy source and
transformations associated with virtual mental energy reflection. Mind
functions or ceases to function in these phases of mind.
(i)
Jagrat Sushupti (wakeful sleep):
A
series of ‘I -I’ pulses’ issue out and
virtual energy creation and transformation, when necessary, takes place. Mind
is active if willed. Sense and action organs are alert and ready to function. Through
meditation one reaches this state. State of Unoccupied awareness Purport
Silence, Bliss, Peace, Pure Consciousness Divine consciousness, Real
‘I’ state etc. Normal, original, natural or ground state of mind. State of Being of mind
(ii)
Sushupti (deep sleep):
A series of ‘I-I’ pulses’ issue out and mind is in absorbed
state. No transformation of virtual mental energy reflection takes place..
Sense and action organs are
not in functional state. No
awareness of within or without of the body-cognitions or remembrances-cognition related or created experiences or
understanding or insight or intuition or urge. State of cessation of mental
activities- State of Being of mind
(iii)
Jagrat (wakeful):
Mind is active. Sense and Action organs are active are in
working state. All
knowing/expressions take place in this state. Meditation starts in this state. (awareness
of without of the body) Becoming of mind Excited state of mind.
(iv)
Swapna (dream):
Mind is active. Sense organs are in dormant
state. Action organs will be functioning
if necessary. Meditation becomes one-pointed in this state (awareness of within
of the body).Becoming of mind Excited state of mind
Manas, Buddhi, Chittam and Ahamkaram
are inner mental tools. Experiences created by perceived or retrieved
object-energy forms are remembrances and cognitions-stored and retrieved
collection of perceived object-energy forms is inner mental world Jagrat Sushupti (Wakeful Sleep) is Unoccupied
awareness. Knowing/learning
expression/teaching , thought, perception, experience, understanding, volition,
urges etc., are occupied awarenesses,
happening in Jagrat (wakeful) and swapna (dream) conscious
states. Sushupti – State of
cessation of mental activities.
Humans know/learn and
express/teach in these conscious states of mind. These conscious states or
phases of mind are the result of transformation of psychic or mental energies
in the Unchanging and Ever-Present
Consciousness/Awareness present during all these conscious states as
Energy-Presence. Upanishadic awareness calls such awareness as Atman or Brahman or
Prajnaanam. Atman is normally referred to as Self. It is already informed above
that Atman is present in us and is
the result of the breathing process and is the Source of Mental-Energy. In
modern scientific terms it is also is
termed as a infrasonic bio-mechanical oscillator which issues out psychic or
mental energy pulses of frequency10Hz. Thus Atman
is the oscillating (with infrasonic frequency of 10 Hz) psychic Energy-Presence
denoting and providing Mental Consciousness/Awareness and Time-Space.
As Prajnanam, or Continuous Conscious
Awareness, Atman witnesses all our
mental activities, related body activities and happenings within and without of
the body and body’s reactions as thoughts and organ-movements to these
happenings. Present as such a Consciousness/Awareness, Atman provides the energy required for guiding the mind to know/cognize/learn through sense
organs, perceive, think, experience, understand, etc., and store such an information and retrieve the
same in the four conscious states described above and makes us conscious of
within and without of ourselves and ourselves. Such continuous and simultaneous
or alternate rise and set of the conscious states or phases of mind is an
aspect of psychological time and its flow.
Upanishads term
Awareness of Self as psychological time-space. Awareness of the Self is the mental phase
without cognitions or cognition-related experiences taking place or retrieved
(the Wakeful Sleep Conscious State). The
three other conscious states – the Wakeful/Awakened, the Dream and Deep Sleep-
Conscious states are alternate super-impositions over this continuously present
conscious state. This state of mind transcends
both physical and psychological times and time-flows. This is the normal or original state
of mind and all mental activities are excited
states of mind.
Inner mental
tools perform various mental activities which are transformations of psychic
energy (virtual mental energy-reflection) to cognize and create or retrieve
thoughts/perceptions/experiences/understandings/meanings etc., in us.
Thought-flow within us, which is the psychic-energy change during conscious
states, also constitutes psychological
time and time-flow. Thought process and
thought-flow is the becoming of psychic energy which makes us conscious of time
and time-flow. This insight is further explained in the following sections.
The
mechanics of mind:
The following is an interpretation and explanation of being and becoming of mind i.e., formation,
structure and function of human consciousness, formation and retrieval of inner
mental world and cognition-created experiences/senses/moods participating in
the cognitive processes and explanation of
mechanism of sensing/ knowing/
learning/ expressing/ teaching/ thought process/ perception/ experience/
understanding and experience of meaningful experience and experienced meaning
as expressed in the Upanishads.
Human mind has four conscious states or phases, seven cognitive states
and five kinds of functional states. They are:
Conscious
states or Phases of mind:
Wakeful Sleep, deep sleep, wakeful or
awakened and dream. These are discussed in detail above. Human consciousness is
always on as conscious awareness and only mind rises or sets during these
conscious states of mind causing cognition and cognition-related experiences, storing
and retrieving them in respective phases. Human consciousness is the form, the
structure and the consequence of breathing process and generates psychic energy
that does all human cognitions and cognition-related functions. Cognition and
cognition-related functions are the result of reversible becoming of this
psychic energy and human consciousness bifurcates as consciousness that is
aware of the cognitions and related activities and the occurrence of the
activities themselves. When these activities are taking place, such a dual role
is played by the human consciousness. There is also a phase when no cognitions
or cognition-related activity is taking place and it is the original or normal
or natural state of human mind, the non-dual or peaceful, blissful or silent
phase of mind.
Cognitive
States of mind:
Seven states of cognition are identified in
relation to ego-transcending or egoistic or self-conscious state of mind. These
cognition states function around the, ‘I’-consciousness, ‘I-sense, the
I-thought or feeling and I-expression or utterance or in the absence of such
identification. Then no individual- specific information will be in the mental
awareness and the mind transcends to a state or phase when the mental awareness
becomes one with the consciousness and non-duality in the form of peace, bliss,
or silence is experienced. Cognitions cease to take place but will take place
if willed or necessary. The seven
cognitive states of mind are:
Pure
consciousness: Normal or original state of mind:
(I)
“I” Consciousness – No “I”
Awareness of and about individual
(II)
Meditative state of mind. One
pointed awareness.
Egoistic State of mind
(III)
“I” Awareness/Sense/mood- Ego
Sense - State of verb/meaning/understanding/experience/intuition/urge- Infinite
form or present continuous form of verb without subject or object attached.
(IV)
‘I” Thought/Feeling (awareness
of within of the body)- State of sentence with subject-verb-object-perception
(V)
‘I” Thought/Feeling (awareness of without
of the body) in relation to outside physical world. Mind tuned to outside world
through sense organs
(VI)
“I” Utterance/Expression/also
reception of stimuli from outside world and expression through action organs.
(VII)
No “I” Awareness of or about
individual- No Self consciousness or ongoing of mental functions. State of
cessation of all types of mental functions.
Kinds
of functional states of mind:
(a). Getting tuned to and sensing stimuli
from external physical world through sense organs and reception.
(b). Actions, reactions or interactions
with external physical world activated by hormones or stored information.
(c). Perception/thinking/reasoning/feeling
in accordance with the stimuli from external world or information retrieved
from inner mental world.
(d). Conversion of above information into
intelligible information as understanding or insight or experience
(e). Awareness of
Understanding/intuition/urge/mood/experience/meaning/experience.
All this happening in the consciousness of
Self or Atman or Brahman-the infrasonic mechanical oscillator forming and
functioning as human consciousness.
While
mind is functioning, there will be a differentiated perception of
knower-knowing-known or subject-verb-object, which will be missing and absent
when non-dual (advaita) awareness or
pure consciousness becomes unoccupied awareness. Experiencing or understanding
or getting insight of verb is state of experience and then knower-known or
subject-object are not attached to the verb. Verb will be in a present
continuous form or infinite form depending on it is absorption of information
or understanding cognition or experiencing cognition or urge (to express or do)
or intuition (result of perception or instinct took form or genetic knowledge
expressed through hormones or like them) or sense or meanings of utterances
received or to be expressed.
We
knowingly or unknowingly alternate between non-dual (advaita) and dual (dvaita)
awareness while functioning mentally.
Wakeful and dream conscious states of mind represent and account for the
phase of mind when functioning and then we also are aware of and sense or perceive
self-consciousness. Once mind ceases to function, we experience peace, bliss
and silence within. If these are experienced our being aware them, the phase of
mind then is known as wakeful sleep. If we are unaware, but are conscious of
these, the phase of mind then is known as deep sleep. The phase of cessation of
mental functions (also self-consciousness) is similar to zero in number system
and vacuum in physical and biological sciences. Vacuum is inherent in matter
and holds matter and is manifested when matter is missing or absent.
Consciousness is awareness of mind when no mental functions are taking place.
In Advaita (No Two or
non-dual) state, human mind possesses consciousness only. As Prajnanam, Atman gives Consciousness and
Awareness to observe, be aware of and
be conscious of understanding, meanings and senses of cognitions and cognition
created experiences. During advaita phase, no transformation of virtual mental energy reflection-no
creation, transformation and functioning of inner mental tools takes place but
the current of awareness is connected
to sense organs and action organs which are ready to function but not in a
functioning state. In dvaita (two or dual) state of mind,
human mind exists as consciousness and awareness. Upanishads call consciousness
as Aham and awareness of experiences/meanings, perceptions and cognitions as inner mental world- idam. The
awareness, the manifestation of human mental functions is transitory and exists
or ceases to be depending on the phase of mind. Awareness is present in Jagrat (Wakeful) and Swapna (dream) conscious states or
phases of mind. In Jagrat Sushupti
(Wakeful Sleep) or Sushupti (Deep
Sleep) consciousness states or phases of mind, awareness of mind as being
intelligent to mental operations and doing mental functions will be absorbed in
pure consciousness. In Wakeful Sleep conscious state awareness will be always
on and mind functions if willed.
We, humans learn, know, communicate, teach,
perceive, think, experience, understand etc., when an interplay of wakeful ,
dream conscious states happen simultaneously making use of dual (dvaita) and non-dual (advaita) conscious states during which
timevirtual mental energy reflection-
maya, the reflected chit energy transforms reversibly to facilitate us to
perform mental tasks. This two-way- forward and reverse transformation ofvirtual mental reflection- is
technically known as vivartanam
(reversible becoming) in advaita
thought. In dual (dvaita) state of
mind, sense organs and action organs are active and function forming mental
operations and thus enable us to perform all mental functions with the help of
inner mental tools (antahkaranas--manas,
buddhi, chittam and ahamkaram) which are two-way transformations of virtual
mental energy reflection-maya. The
alternating and simultaneous rise and set of dual mental state and ever present
non-dual consciousness give us cognizing, communicative and other mental
abilities.
Human mental
process is generally a combination and quick successive transformations of four
modes i.e.,
I Speaker/Teacher:
(a) Purport/Awareness (Meaningful
Experience or Experienced Meaning (b) Understanding/Experience (c)
Perception/Thinking (d) Utterance /Expression
II
Knower/Listener/Learner: (a) Knowing (through sense
organs) (b) Perception/Thinking (c) Understanding/Experience (d) Purport
(Meaningful Experience/Experienced Meaning)/Awareness.
Sources for this
article:
1.
Ramabrahmam, V., The physical structure and function of mind: A modern
scientific translation of Advaita philosophy with implications and application
to cognitive sciences and natural language comprehension, Paper presented at
national seminar on Sanskrit in the
Modern Context conducted by
Department of Sanskrit Studies and the School of humanities, University of Hyderabad between11-13, February (2008).
2. Ramabrahmam, V., Concept of mind in yoga sutras and vedanta panchadasi: A comparison, Paper
presented at Patanjaluiyam, tetradic national seminar on Bharatiya Scientific
Heritage Patanjaliyam-Kautilyiyam-Parasshariyam-Bharadvajiyam (Exploration into the interface of Spiritual,
Social, Agricultural and Engineering Sciences) held at SDM College,
Ujjire-Dharmasthala, Mangalore, 13th-16th May, (2008).
3.
Ramabrahmam, V., The infrasonics of human cognition and communication, Paper
presented at Bharadvajiyam tetradic national seminar on Bharatiya Scientific
Heritage Patanjaliyam-Kautilyiyam-Parasshariyam-Bharadvajiyam (Exploration into the interface of Spiritual,
Social, Agricultural and Engineering Sciences) held at SDM College,
Ujjire-Dharmasthala, Mangalore, 13th-16th May, (2008).
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