The Ultimate Battle of Mind
Synopsys
The ancient Indian scripture the Bhagavad Gita has many literal and religious interpretations. One of the oldest interpretations is purely metaphysical. In this short article, I try to explain a particular aspect of The Bhagavad Gita in terms of another popular book: The Art of War.
Fisticuffs from the Fifth Century BCE
During 5th Century BCE, the great Chinese military tactician, Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War. In 13 chapters, the book contains pearls of wisdom about the skills, science and philosophy of warfare.
However, around that time, another book was written which also discussed warfare. That book was the Bhagavad Gita containing 700 verses spread over 18 chapters.
The Art of War
Briefly and arguably, the main points from The Art of War are:
- Know your enemy and know yourself.
- Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
- Attack where the enemy is unprepared.
- Make use of spies.
- Use terrain to your advantage.
- Be flexible.
- Concentrate your forces.
- Strike at the enemy’s heart.
- Use deception.
- Know when to retreat.
Needless to say The Art of War has become a timeless classic. It has been adopted for use in a multitude of situations. From battles between corporations for market share and profitability to individuals competing with rivals.
The Bhagavad Gita
Though the Bhagavad Gita was put into written form by Sage Vyasa, the actual story is much older from 3000 BCE, at least. It is part of the 100,000 verse epic, The Mahabharata. Some of the Bhagavad Gita is based on the Upanishads. These are the final metaphysical knowledge sections of the ancient Indian Vedas. The Upanishads are collectively called: Vedanta.
The Bhagavad Gita is set at the start of the great Kurukshetra War. In the middle of the battlefield, Prince Arjuna of the Pandavas is with his charioteer and best friend, Lord Krishna.
Arjuna is full of despair because the cursed enemy, the Kauravas are well-known to him. They were his childhood friends, inspiring teachers and loving relations. To help overcome Arjuna’s doubts and fears, Krishna gives Arjuna a pep talk. He advises Arjuna to think of the bigger picture which is to set aside his short-term misgivings and focus on his duty. After all, Arjuna is a Warrior Prince sworn to protect and uphold the Pandavas, the rightful heirs of the Kurukshetra kingdom.
The moral and ethical dilemma that Arjuna, a good-natured person, faced gave rise to the postmodern literal meaning of the Bhagavad Gita: When is war justified and at what cost?
Furthermore, Krishna is no ordinary human. Krishna is the incarnation of God! A fact that Krishna reveals to Arjuna. Krishna’s divine nature forms the basis of many religious interpretations. The first dualist interpretation was by the theist, Madhvacharya, c. 1300 CE.
The information that Krishna provides to Arjuna, is about the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Krishna covers a wide range of topics including: What is individuality? Why do people have thoughts and raging emotions? What is suffering and how do we overcome it? How can we attain lasting peace and harmony?
If only Arjuna could wrap his mind around Krishna’s pointers and understand, then Arjuna might overcome his fears, doubts and sorrow. His seeking for answers would end and freedom would be attained.
Krishna’s instructions cover ontology, epistemology and axiology. These metaphysics were systematized by the great Advaita Vedanta philosopher, Shankaracharya, c. 700 CE.
Shankaracharya used the ancient Upanishads, logical reasoning and the reader’s own direct experience to show that Krishna is teaching Arjuna about Advaita Vedanta. Advaita Vedanta is the nondual interpretation of the Upanishads. The term Advaita means Not-Two, hence Nonduality.
Nonduality is a metaphysical concept that points to the Wholeness of Experience. Shankaracharya shows that the implied topic of Bhagavad Gita is The Reader.
Understanding Mind
A key aspect of understanding Nonduality is that whatever is experienced is between the subjective experiencer and the object that is experienced.
Commonsense indicates that the experiencer is ourselves and the object is something out there in the Universe. What is our reality? A reasonable place to start is that we are our minds. However, note how easy it is to talk about the mind and it’s state? We can readily speak about our mind in the third person. For example, My mind was all over the place.
Furthermore, for statements like I feel tired we can effortlessly drop down a level to, My mind is tired. Both statements convey the same meaning yet have a different feel. The latter indicates some sort of spatial gap between Me and Mind. The subtle point here is that we can talk about our minds as if the mind itself were an object.
Appreciating the mental gap between ourselves and our minds can be startling! We can go deeper into this enquiry but let’s stop and take stock of where we have reached.
Most people have felt regret over past actions or anxieties over the future. During these moments, it might be hard to focus on the task at hand. This is because we are identified with the mind which is having some troublesome emotions. Often, precious time and energy are wasted over these thoughts that hinder whatever activity we are currently in. Worst of all, the egoic mind could project onto another causing them to suffer.
Art of Knowledge
The Bhagavad Gita reuses the Upanishads to intuitively define the mind. Together with memory, intellect and to collate all sensory data, the mind has individuality, as denoted by the ego.
However, the Vedic concept of the ego is simpler than modern Western psychology. The ego is the notion of self-identity or possession. Examples of egoic thoughts are: I am tall or My hand hurts. Whenever we notice thoughts containing I-ness or Mine-ness then these are egoic thoughts.
A dominant ego pushes the mind into an egoic state. For example, I get angry quickly, My life is hard, I want others to like me, My body looks strong and attractive, I am determined to achieve my goals and My happiness is more important than anyone else’s.
The egoic mind state is a coupling of strong personality traits or deep emotions with the ego. It is then arguably similar to modern psychological concepts of ego.
To be clear, none of the thoughts are bad in themselves. However, if our minds are occupied by the same set of repetitive thoughts, especially the egoic ones, then we might find that life feels restrictive and not free-flowing.
Just like our senses and limbs, the Bhagavad Gita considers the mind as something to be used. We can control our senses and physical movement to carry out our actions. For example, to endure a bad smell, to closely examine an object, to listen attentively or to reach out for the next sip of coffee. How is the egoic mind controlled?
What follows is a basic attempt to restate some of the guidance given in the Bhagavad Gita, in terms of the Art of War. The points indicate how we can control our egoic minds, by simply becoming aware of it.
- Know yourself. The egoic mind is not the real You because you can perceive it. This is the most important point.
- The egoic mind can appear weak when You are strong. Don’t fall for its deception. Simply notice thoughts about I and Mine.
- Attack the egoic mind when it is unprepared. Self-enquiry during calm moments can help lessen the identification with it.
- Make use of Self-Identity. In Deep Sleep, the mind is dormant. If it weren’t then we would either experience dreams or our typical waking state. Yet when anyone is asked about their Deep Sleep, everyone reports I did not know anything. Something must have been there to notice the absence of experience!
- Use experience to your advantage. In the external world, external objects are experienced and can not be You. The mind is nothing but thoughts, feelings and emotions which are also experienced. Likewise, these internal thought objects are experienced and can not be You.
- Be inflexible. The experience of mind, body and universe is constantly changing. Notice that you are choicelessly experiencing.
- Concentrate on Being. Instead of churning the mind with thoughts, just Be. Your mind will still function properly without apparent interference.
- Strike at the egoic mind’s heart. The heart is the ignorant intellect. Articles like these strengthen your intellect by giving it knowledge about your true identity.
- Don’t be deceived. Be honest. Good thoughts, happy thoughts, bad thoughts, sad thoughts. All thoughts are known. Who is it that knows? Even to ponder I am the knower of thoughts is a cognized thought! You are that which knows the I am the Knower thought.
- Know when to retreat by simply staying unattached to any triggering thoughts. You don’t have to give energy to thoughts and suddenly you’re back into drama. You can simply observe and stay back.
- Bonus Pointer! Rediscover Consciousness-Awareness as our identity. A strong intellect helps us overcome the natural ignorance of our Consciousness-Awareness. By being aware of the egoic mind, identification with it is reduced. Identification as Consciousness Awareness becomes natural.
Results
Learning to control the mind or at least maintain a healthy distance has a key result. This result is a sense of peaceful inner calmness. From this calmness, both awareness and objectivity can increase, towards ourselves and our surroundings. There is a sense of protective detachment yet we are fully engaged, involved and able to contribute.
For example, work tasks are dealt with purposeful actions performed in an undramatic manner, despite the pressure. Alternatively, when relaxing with others, these moments have a greater chance of being savoured. Our inner calmness can inspire calmness in others. Instead of reacting (or perhaps overreacting) in a stressful way, we can calmly respond in a manner appropriate to the situation.
When in solitude, inner calmness helps to generate a deepening self-awareness and gratitude. This feeds back to stabilises our inner calmness across a greater variety of potentially destabilising scenarios. We are better able to use the full capabilities of the mind, to rationally decide and execute the appropriate action.
Alternatives
There are other systems that help a person to control their mind.
From about 300 BCE onwards, Stoic philosophy flourished in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Stoicism is a popular system that teaches self-control as a means to overcome destructive emotions.
Similar to Stoicism, Cognitive Distance is a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. A professional Psychotherapist uses this technique to help an individual disconnect from their traumatic emotions using rational means. By distancing themselves, the individual can overcome their trauma.
Some people have the natural ability to distance themselves from their minds. For others, the skill was learned for their survival. For example, the Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl wrote about his time in various Nazi concentration camps:
I was giving a lecture on the psychology of the concentration camp! All that oppressed me at that moment became objective, seen and described from the remote viewpoint of science. By this method, I succeeded somehow in rising above the situation, above the sufferings of the moment, and I observed them as if they were already of the past.
Final Remarks
Not everyone can immediately relate to the possibility of controlling their mind or at least, to maintain a spatial gap from it. However, sometimes all it takes is a little effort and trust that such a thing is possible.
We are all in some way, just like Arjuna. By understanding the Bhagavad Gita through the lens of Advaita Vedanta, we too can overcome our sorrow and existential angst. To experience a life full of activity yet maintain a rock-steady inner peace and calmness.
The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads are the earliest texts that explain in intricate detail, the dynamics of self-control. However, self-control and maintaining a distance from the mind is only an initial step.
To understand the whole story of Krishna and Arjuna is beyond this article. But you can always read the Bhagavad Gita with Shankaracharya’s commentary yourself.
Try for yourself and see what happens!
