THE POWER OF THE MIND

Whatever appears in one's consciousness, that seems to come into being, gets established, and even bears fruits! Such is the power of the mind.

It is the mind that makes things appear here.

It brings about the appearance of the body. Nothing else is aware of the body.

The individualized consciousness (mind) has in it its own manifold potentialities, even as spices have taste in them. That consciousness itself appears as the subtle or ethereal body and when it becomes gross, that itself appears to be the physical or material body.

That individualized consciousness itself is known as the jiva or the individual soul, when the potentialities are in an extremely subtle state.

And, when all this jugglery of the jiva ceases, that itself shines as the Supreme Being.

I am not, nor is there anyone in this universe; all this is nothing but the infinite consciousness.

The pure and infinite consciousness alone thinks of itself as the jiva and as the mind, and then believes itself to be the body.

When this dreamlike fantasy is prolonged, this long dream feels like reality! It is both real and unreal: because it is perceived it appears to be real, but because of inherent contradiction it is unreal.

The mind is sentient because it is based on consciousness; when viewed from something apart of consciousness, it is inert and diluted.

When there is perception, the mind takes on the role of the object of perception - but not in reality - even as when it is perceived as such, the bracelet is seen, though in truth it is gold.

Because Brahman (infinite consciousness) alone is all this, even what is inert is pure consciousness; but all of us, from me down to the rock, are indefinable - neither inert nor sentient. There can be no apprehension of two completely different things: only when there is similarity between the subject and object is perception possible.

Concerning what is indefinable and whose existence is not certain, 'inert' and 'sentient' are only words with no substance. In the mind, the subject is believed to be sentient and the object is said to be inert. Thus, caught in delusion, the jiva (individualized consciousness) hangs around.

In truth, this duality itself is the creation of the mind and hallucination. Of course, we cannot determine with certainty that such a hallucination exists. The infinite consciousness alone Is.

When this illusory division is not seen for what it is, there is the arising of the false egotism.

But when the mind inquires into its own nature, this division disappears. There is realization of the infinite consciousness, and one attains great bliss.