The Mind Is a Concept, and This Concept Is the Mind - Understanding Our True Self - Part 24
The Circular Nature of the Mind - The Mind as a Reflection of Identification - Seeing Through the Illusion - Resting in the Silence Beyond the Mind
The Mind Is a Concept, and This Concept Is the Mind
The mind is perhaps the most fascinating human experience - elusive, dynamic, automatic, creative, and seemingly unstoppable. How we experience reality depends on our mind structure and the kind of mental filters we use. At its core, the mind itself is a concept. It is not an object we can touch, see, or measure directly. What we call the "mind" is a construct, a way of explaining the collection of thoughts, memories, emotions, and perceptions that pass through our awareness.
The Circular Nature of the Mind
When we reflect deeply, we see that the mind is both the concept and the conceptualizer. It creates narratives to explain itself. For instance, when you think about your "mind," what or who is doing the thinking? It is the mind itself. This circularity highlights that the mind operates within a closed system of definitions, sustaining its existence through its own activity.
In reality, the mind has no independent existence apart from the thoughts, concepts, and ideas it generates. Like a river defined by the water that flows within it, the mind is defined by the stream of its contents. Remove the thoughts, and the river of the mind becomes still—revealing its true nature as an empty concept.
The Mind as a Reflection of Identification
The mind’s power lies in identification. We habitually identify with the mind’s contents—our thoughts, opinions, and memories—believing they define who we are. Yet, when observed carefully, these are transient phenomena, arising and passing away like waves in the ocean.
To say “I am my mind” is the same as saying “I am a personal identity”—accepting the mind's concept of itself as reality. But if we pause and observe, we see that we are not the thoughts themselves, but the silent witness of them. This witnessing presence is unchanging, while the mind is ever-shifting. Here lies the key realization: the mind is not who we are, but rather a tool, a construct, and ultimately, a concept.
Seeing Through the Illusion
If the mind is a concept, why does it feel so real? The answer lies in conditioning. From childhood, we are taught to equate our identity with the mind's contents—our name, our achievements, our failures. These ideas become deeply ingrained, creating the illusion that the mind is the foundation of our being.
However, once we question this assumption, the illusion begins to dissolve. To see the mind as a concept is to liberate oneself from its grip. When the mind’s conceptual nature is exposed, it no longer dominates; it becomes a servant rather than a master. This shift allows the clarity of true awareness to shine through.
Resting in the Silence Beyond the Mind
When we stop engaging with the mind's endless chatter and rest in pure awareness, we realize something profound: the mind, as a concept, does not need to define us. In this space of stillness, the mind loses its solidity, revealing its transparency. What remains is the essence of being—pure, vast, and untouched by the fluctuations of thought.
In this silence, we discover that the mind, while useful, is ultimately a shadow cast by the light of consciousness. To live from this understanding is to move beyond the limitations of concepts and into the freedom of being.
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