Mind Should Be Awakened

Sage Vasishtha

They who are well versed in the scriptures declare that the fictitious movement of energy in consciousness is known as the mind. And, the expressions of the mind (like the hissing of the snake) are known as thoughts or ideas. Consciousness minus conceptualization is the eternal Brahman the absolute; consciousness plus conceptualization is thought. A small part of it, as it were, is seated in the heart as reality. This is known as the finite intelligence or individualized consciousness. However, this limited consciousness soon forgot its own essential conscious nature and continued to be, but inert. It then became the thinking faculty with reception and rejection as its inherent tendencies. In fact, it is the infinite consciousness alone that has become all this: but until it awakens to its infinite nature, it does not know itself in self-knowledge. Hence, the mind should be awakened by means of enquiry based on scriptures, dispassion and control of the senses. This intelligence when it is thus awakened shines as brahman the absolute; or else it continues to experience this finite world.