The mind's process"Return to Contemplation #4: Sources of Thought" The mind's process normally involves 4 different processes: 1) It perceives Study the image below and then read the text for clarification: 
The mind's process always begins by perceiving something. Some sort of impuls touches the mind's awareness. This impuls can consist of an inner thought or memory, but in the most obvious examples the mind is distracted by something in the external world: Some “Action” takes place (see red arrow under Action in the drawing) in “The external world” and we perceive it through one or more of the bodily senses (see first quarter of the mind).
1) A certain stimulus is perceived by the senses as it enters the mind; i.e. a smell hitting the nose; a reflected ray of light that brings an image to our retina; a sound-wave that vibrates against our tympanic membrane; an object that hits our skin; or a taste touching our taste bud.
For example the smell of pancakes touches your nose, then it becomes processed into the intellect and then the intellect recognises this stimulus, this smell. It remembers this stimulus from a previous experience, for example: it reminds you of the delicious pancakes your grandma used to bake you. Now the stimulus is no longer a neutral stimulus to your mind, but it becomes a labelled thought-form. Now your mind altered reality and clouded your vision from perceiving things just the way they are. Your mind no longer experiences the stimulant/smell as it is, but it experiences a labelled concept within the mind field. It is now a colored, or distorted thought-form.
3) Now the mind's process continues as the stimulus enters the third quarter of your mind: It judges the already discriminated stimulus. This is where the altered stimulus is added to the ego; sense of individual/personal identity. The mind now judges the stimulus as pleasant or unpleasant; as positive or negative. Because of that judgement the stimulus becomes a liked or a disliked impression in your mind. Every thought-form, every action, every memory within the mind is called an impression. This impression is now added to the ego; sense of self. To continue with the example of the smell of pancakes; your mind has now personalized the stimulus by judging: “Ah how delicious those pancakes of my grandmother were, I liked it, and now I should get some of those pancakes.” So now the stimulus is personalized and added to the ego. It is now added to your false sense of self.
4) The mind's process continues into the fourth quarter of the mind. The part of your mind that forms your ego has now decided that it should get those pancakes. The impression has turned into a desire: the desire to get a pancake. It is only until you obey your mind by actually undertaking Action to get that pancake that you will be able to have some inner peace again, or rather some false sense of inner peace. This little glimpse of peace won’t be for long, because selfish desires are continuously present; if not on the surface, it will be on the bottom. This is what the mind's process and its desires cause you: They disturb your concentration, your peace and tranquillity like waves disturb the peaceful surface of a still lake. They force you to look for outside pleasures in order to experience a glimpse of satisfaction. If you would be truly free from selfish desires, you would always be at peace; you would always be Self-aware and content. It is our job to stop and control the mind's process so that we can stay unitied with pure consciousness. This is done through essential practices like mindfulness meditation and the more advanced approach of stopping this process: no-mind meditation. These meditations are most important if we want to realize the important distinction between the mind and consciousness. Unfortunately most of us do not possess the right knowledge nor are they conscious enough to be witnessing the mind's process. They live life unconscious of their own captivity. They are lead and lived by the mind and its processes and desires. The mind desires to express the completely altered stimulus by undertaking action through the body. This is the final part of the process, as now a “Re-action” to the external world is given by you (i.e. you move your body and use it to get and eat that pancake). Becoming aware of the mind's process by witnessing it when it is active is essential to discover the mind's structure. "Continue to Contemplation #6: Mind and Consciousness" Return from The Mind's Process to Mind Control |