Summer was fun and school has started for a month, it seems that I have not written a blog in forever. While school is not as much fun as summer, this is the time when my mentor, friend, and guru, Rajen uncle visit us in California and I wait for this all year round. He was with us for 3 weeks and I had an amazing time with him. While he was here he had several seminars where he spoke on several topics, that apply to our day to day lives. Some of these topics were how events occur in our lives, the journey of the soul, and self-observation. The one big takeaway for me this year was how is the rush of life possibly we may have become a slave of reaction. This raised a question which I am trying to figure out. How would life be different if we did not react all the time?
Being a kid I approached this question like a video game. Let’s see if what I am saying makes sense and would love to get your feedback I call it the game of life. The game is played between 2 players. The players are the heart and the mind. Each player has a unique characteristic and they have their own set of strengths and weaknesses. The mind is like a camera. It can record things, whether they are positive or negative events. The heart has no memory, and can only live in the present moment and does not remember anything from the past. Now the game begins and life events start occurring. An example of this, in my day to day life, my sister loves to sing. My mind records this if I am happy as a positive event and if I am occupied with something it irritates me a lot and it is recorded as a negative event. The next time when she sings my mind automatically will want me to react. The magical question is now what happens will this reaction be positive or negative? Will, I get irritated or not? Well, I noticed is I was in a good mood so this time I did not get irritated? So now the question is who is winning the heart or the mind? Rajen uncle explained this is a nice way reminding me of the story of the turtle and the Rabbit. The heart is like the turtle, while the mind is like the rabbit. The heart needs time to go up and ask God what to do, and the mind has a monkey in it who jumps around and reacts without thinking. At the end of the day both of the players have strengths, but how they are used is what matters.
The main question is that in the end, who will win. Who will it be, the camera of the mind with a jumping monkey or will it be the heart who stays in the present and pauses, that wins? I think that the heart would win because even though it can not remember the good things in the past it still forgets all the bad things which are more powerful than remembering everything. I would love to hear who you think is going to win most of the time in the comments below.
Mind n heart are a great example, the way to control the Reaction – is simple if v can control our five senses, for that is what sets or upsets the Mind to react,
The monkeys jump to get reactions. The heart is listener to God only but still guided by the mind
Control yr 5 senses all will calm down
Hi Anuj,
Awesome blog! So proud of you! Fortunate you got to learn all this knowledge from Rajen uncle at such a young age. Now together let’s convert this knowledge in to understanding!!!!
Mamma
Dear Anuj,
This post is so deep and makes us think about how we react and how are mind/heart are connected or rather, disconnected. I think sometimes my mind takes over and sometimes my heart. I don’t know what the ideal balance is. What I do know, is that I would like to be able to think before I react and not react so aggressively at times. We will continue this discussion. You have given me food for thought.
Sheila Fai
Really beautiful blog. I think I’ll have to agree with you Heart over Mind since most of the time mind will always make a choice which is beneficial to you but the heart will try to see things from someone else’s perspective and make a right choice. In today’s world, we need more and more people who can see the world from other people’s perspective.
Keep up the good work!
Anuj very good blog and very deep thinking frankly speaking in my case mind takeover heart which is negative but I am trying to make balance of it now a days .
Well thought out Anuj and you raise some very important points. Definitely needs more thoughts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Dear Anuj .. feeling great , reading your such deep thoughts ?love u beta.
Don’t believe in reacting immediately for any event in life. Then too anger sometimes take over both mind and heart …
But have experienced many times , whenever confused … it’s my mind making me confuse more…but my heart has the correct answer . Heart should always win ?
Dear Anuj
This post coming from you is indeed a GREAT THOUGHT , the mind that is developing in you is faster and getting a better place :
Just a point I will love to add – the REACTION is basically because of our FIVE SENSES, these 5 monkeys keep the Human being on their toes, and make them REACT, and that’s where the Problem starts – and the best way is to CONTROL THE FIVE SENSES — One can be a finest.
Goodluck – and keep posting and keeping me updated>
Loves Raj Uncle
Dear Anuj
The very thoughs coming from your tiny brain at this age, shows lots of development and cultural pick-ups you are getting — Its just grand reading you.
Just let me add – the very point of REACTION is from the FIV3E SENSES of the body/monkeys , THEY DO NOT LET human being rest in peace –But HEART IS INDEED PURE.
rEGARDS – keep writing and keeping us updated
Dear Anuj,
It is a very tricky and on-going battle – where it is always hard to predict “who will win”. You dotted very well especially on the scenario of your sister singing. To listen to your heart requires practice and constant reminders while listening to your mind is kind of a default reaction for most of us.
I always call it Reactive vs Proactive where Mind plays the reactive while giving the priority to your heart is Proactive – you have to stay calm, analyze and then respond. The heart is pure so it always believes in forgiveness and enjoys the moment – so I would love to practice more on listening to the heart as at the end – it is HEART who will win and who should win.
Very nice blog – keep writing and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Ketan