Love is not torment, and cannot torment
Question: Dear Sir, I have read many theories on mind given by many philosophers. I have observed that these theories complicate the mind rather than simplify? What is the need of such elaborate theories based on thoughts and ideas?
Answer: If the mind is not active, even the desire to be liberated won’t be there. In a way, we must be grateful that the mind is chanchal , restless, desirous.
Thereafter comes the role of one’s discretion(intelligence). Having seen that the mind is desirous and reactive, what direction does one give to the desire? Mind is desire, but mind is also the faculty that can observe and understand the desire.
To give a theory is not bad, but to give a lousy theory is not very good either 🙂 We know all theories are untrue, but we would still benefit by a good, robust theory. The theory regarding mind for example, and the theory regarding conditioning, and the theory regarding Brahm. That is wholeness of action.
Question: Sir, I have heard so many times about how our thoughts are fragmented and competing with one another, how every action from the conflicted mind brings sorrow. Is there an action which is not in conflict?
Answer: Every conflict in some way is the conflict due to the interaction between the unconscious and the conscious.
Unconscious and unconscious do not fight with each other. They are in perfect inertness, and there is no duality because even oneness cannot exist.
Utter consciousness too is conflict free, obviously.
The pain(conflict) comes when both are simultaneously present.
Buddha is conflict-free, so is the stone. Only we have conflicts.
Self-consciousness is semi-consciousness.
Points from one of the Clarity Session’s read as follows:
- Without contact, there is no desire. Contact may be at any level, but without it there is no sensation, no response, no desire.
- It is when there is an awareness of conflict, of disturbance, that there is the cognizance of desire.
- Desire is the inadequate response to challenge.
- Self-consciousness is desire.
- Conflict is self-consciousness.
- Are conflict and desire two separate states? Conflict is self-consciousness.
An action not in conflict will surely come from a state of completion(fullness) or annihilation (zeroness). Let us say that state itself is the action. Whatever happens in a state of completion is conflict-free.
There is a karma that you do because you are incomplete and you are acting out of a desire to be complete. There is a karma that happens because you are complete and satisfied.
Come to think of it, what remains when conflict is not there? Love is a good name for it. From a state of completion, only giving happens.
Approach it from the opposite side also. Suppose there is love (dropping of self, dissolution of ego boundary, etc). Now where is the space for conflict? What for?
What this also shows is that there is nothing called the conflict of love. Love is not torment, and cannot torment.
-Based on my interactions on various e-media.
Dated: 6th November,’11
