Page 112 - Journey to Infinity
P. 112

but a novel condition has so set in it that he becomes hesitant. He has no firmness to take a quick decision. Whereas the stupid acts without any hesitation, a fickle minded person always hesitates. This is the difference between these two. The fickle man, due to his habit of excessive hesitation, becomes ignorant. He has sufficient experience of the working of lower regions, and has developed better discrimination due to which he knows that such and such an action yields such and such a result. This very thought qualifies it for reward and punishment. And when it goes on enriching its experience by receiving rewards and punishments, wisdom begins to dawn upon it. With the help of this knowledge or wisdom it journeys into the lower, middle and higher regions and gets mastery over the knowledge of cause and effect of their action. It takes care of itself by accepting the way of equanimity. Its sphere is comparatively limited.
That which is stable and at rest is called peaceful. It (peaceful) is the name of the subtlest originality. Its Sanskrit root is Sam which means peace and stability. This is the higher state of the mind.
For example, you take your food. If you are stupid you pounce upon the food like an animal without caring for the consequence, just as a dog and a cat do. But this will not be the condition in case of a human being. You will have the knowledge of the state of eating with tastes, which knowledge is limited particu¬larly to the tongue, teeth and upto the neck. As soon as the food goes down the throat, again you will not have any knowledge of it. This knowledge is the characteristic of the middle state of the mind, which state is a combined knot of knowledge and ignorance. The same is called the knot of matter and spirit - consciousness. Now, lend your attention to the region of stupidity. The food has been eaten. It has entered the stomach which digests it under the influence of the phenomenon of ignorance. It turns it into fat, blood, semen, seed, and glow of the personality and takes it from heel to top. But nobody can show, nor does anybody know, how all this is done although it is your lower mind and yourself and none else that do all these things. But there is ignorance and unawareness. The same is termed as stupid action or stupid movement. This occupies a vast region. Something has already been pointed out regarding the middle or mental region. There is knowledge of the taste of eating, of pleasure, and of more or less, which is limited. This is its first condition (stage). Developing this, it becomes ignorant, in which state it is conscious of the conditions and events of the gross body but it does not know its own self. When due to its wide experiences it goes on progressing, it becomes wise, gnostic, and its knowledge is increased. Even then knowledge is not so vast. When this mind becomes wise and attains peace, it acquires bliss. And, if kindled in this state of peace and stability a sort of super- conscious state comes in when it can report even unknown things. These three
































































































   110   111   112   113   114