Chitta This is that aspect of the mind that is the storehouse of all our experiences our memory bank. It contains all the information and experiences gathered in all our past lives. Ahankara This is the consciousness in the mind that observes and experiences all the activities of the mind and identifies with them. This is the ‘I' with which we are familiar. Mind is created by food In yoga food is not just what we eat or drink. Food includes all that we take in through all our five senses. Everything that we see, hear, taste or touch act as food for the mind. Children watching television for hours seeing sex , violence and the unceasing commercials act as junk food to their mind. It is also in this respect meat eating is considered harmful. Every animal subconsciously knows that it is being taken for slaughter. In the animal mind fear, anger, resentment creates toxic substances which enters the blood and from there it enters the flesh. We eat this flesh. The negative emotions in the animal mind will become a part of our mind. News papers, cheap novels and pornographic literature adds to the bad food. High power jazz music though entertaining has a tendency to excite the nerves instead of soothing them. Yoga recommends soft instrumental music, devotional singing, classical dancing, reading inspiring literature, value based education to act as spiritual food to the mind.
Concept of Kleshas The word ‘klesha' means pain or suffering and also that which causes pain or suffering. The philosophy of klesha is an analysis of these causes and the way in which it can be eliminated. The ancient sages who expounded this philosophy were great adepts who combined in themselves the qualification of a religious master, spiritual scientist and a deep thinking philosopher. They observed the phenomena of life not only with the help of their senses and mind but in full conviction that the solution lay beyond even the intellect and therefore they dived deeper and deeper into their own consciousness, tearing aside veil after veil, until they discovered the ultimate cause of the Great Illusion and the misery and suffering which are its inevitable results. They discovered incidentally other subtler worlds of entrancing beauty hidden beneath the visible physical world. They discovered new faculties and powers within themselves. They however did not rest content with their new discoveries but went ahead and discovered ultimately not only the original cause of human pain and suffering but the means of effectively destroying them permanently. |