Reject your mind

In a world where ” mind ful ” living is a buzz word and exploring the potential of your mind is  perceived as the ultimate achievement….here I am asking you to reject your mind. Yes , if you want to feel and live your life, then don’t listen to your mind . It is the biggest hindrance in the learning and the growth of an individual.  Does this come across as a complete paradox ? All conventional thinking suggests that  learning happens through the mind only. Yes that’s true for conventional learning and a conventional life ; in which an individual doesn’t want to go and grow anywhere. However if one wants to grow then one has to shed this mental conditioning.

Every mind has its own power. That power comes from conditioning over a period of time during its existence. Most of the time that power is stronger than the holder of the mind. That’s why most of the times we are forced to do things against our own inner voice. It’s like a dual existence of the individual. First is the unique individuality of the individual & second is the social conditioning stored in brain.

The stage in life that we are at present, we didn’t reach here in a single step. It was a continuous learning process which kept us growing continuously. As a child we had an unconditioned mind which made us explore things, feel them, experience them, form conclusions which today we find in our mind etched strongly. This etching comes across as the conditioning of the individual. As the time passes we become enslaved to this conditioning and forget the process through which this conditioning actually happened. The process that differentated us from all other individuals.

The experiences of the life are stored in our mind and our mind makes images and stereotypes of objects, actions and words according to those experiences. As soon as some object appears or an action happens or a word is spoken, we create an immediate comparison with the images of our mind & react accordingly. This is a conditioned process, which makes our lives easier and risk free. At the same time this process hinders any possibility of further evolution. This process converts the river of life, into a pond with still stagnant water which then begins to stink. The life which has infinite possibilities is restricted within set parameters. This is like capping a volcano, with an inevitable explosion one day extinguishing the fire of life.

Gradually but surely , this conditioning overpowers even our existence. This becomes more important than the individual himself. We forget life. It is such a gradual and natural process, that we are not even aware of it. Even when there is limited awareness, we take cognizance of the change but not of the process, which brought this change. That’s why we are not able to come out of it. Despite being aware of the change, we try to find the remedy within the parameters of our mental conditioning only. If something out of box is presented to us, the conditioned mind rejects it instantaneously. It tries to find reasons and excuses for this rejection, in the name of the society, duties, norms etc. It does not allow the individual to even attempt trying anything out of box as that threatens its own existence. Over the years we become completely accustomed to this conditioning that we are not even aware of this duality. We lose the power to distinguish between this mind and our real self.

The way out can only be found by going inside us. As soon as we want to do that, the conditioned mind cautions against that journey. It shows us imaginary fears. The fear of becoming a social outcast. The guilt of trying to live for ourselves and becoming selfish. The only way to break this vicious cycle is to  learn to ignore the conditioned mind. Listen to your inner voice. In the beginning this can be scary, as there are multiple contradictory thoughts seeking attention. Neither suppress them nor get associated with them. After some time, the flow and count of thoughts will lessen. The feeling of comfort will settle in. During these moments, we start realizing the separation between us and our thoughts. These moments urge us to come out of our conditioned world. During this period whatever one hears from within, that is the voice of our true self. This voice shows us our real & natural path of life.

Put aside all the serpents shown by our conditioned mind. To do this, it is important to understand this dual existence of ourselves. We have to learn how to separate these two existences and go along with our real existence. Believe that it’s not going to harm anyone. It’s not going to distract anyone from one’s responsibilities. The only thing it will bring is peace. Once we are deep into this way of living, then life will become very easy. Life will become smooth and free flowing.  It is your choice now , whether you want to stay on the beaten track with nothing at the end of life, or want to feel the pulse of the life throbbing within you along this whole journey of life.

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