Acharya Prashant addresses the question of how observing the conscious mind can dissolve subconscious tendencies (vrittis). He begins by defining the conscious mind as the small part of the total mind that becomes accessible to our senses and knowledge. It is not that the mind itself is conscious, but rather that we become conscious of a fraction of it. The rest, which is hidden in the deep cellars of the mind, is termed the subconscious or unconscious. This hidden part cannot be accessed directly by our senses or memory. The contents of the conscious mind—our thoughts, actions, and feelings—are manifestations that arise from the subconscious depths. Therefore, the only way to understand the subconscious is to observe what surfaces into the conscious realm. By keeping a close watch on our thoughts, resolutions, and emotions, we can discern the underlying knots and tendencies. This self-observation is an indirect method of shining a light on what is hidden in the darkness. The very act of seeing or knowing these hidden aspects brings them into the light of consciousness, and this seeing is itself the beginning of their dissolution. When light falls on darkness, the darkness ceases to exist. Thus, to know a tendency is to begin its erasure. Acharya Prashant clarifies a previous statement about the indestructibility of tendencies. He explains that while the various branches and sub-branches of tendencies can be completely cut down through observation, the fundamental ego-tendency (mool aham-vritti) or basic egoism (mool ahanta) will remain in a minimal, seed-like form as long as the body exists. This is a necessary acceptance. The practice of spirituality, therefore, is the constant and necessary method of self-observation. Our daily choices, from the clothes we wear and the movies we watch to our political leanings and the food we eat, are not random; they are expressions of the core of our personality. By observing these expressions, we can understand and cleanse the deep-seated impurities within. In essence, by watching our thoughts, we come to know our tendencies, and in knowing them, we dissolve them.
