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You are here: Experts > Cultures > Indian Culture > Hindus > Why minds are different?
Hindus - Why minds are different?
Expert: Raja Subramaniyan - 11/6/2009
Question
QUESTION: Everyone has soul or the consciousness, how is it possible a person who has the purest thing, the consciousness develop like and dislike and ego or the ignorance.
ANSWER: Dear Rajesh,
It is not right to say 'everyone has soul'. The correct statement could be 'soul has everyone'. There is ONE without a second which is formless, nameless, attributeless, beyond time and space. This ONE is referred as Brahman in the scriptures. Soul or Atman is also identical with the word Brahman.
We do ask the question "Is there space in the room?" but the truth is room is in the space! Space is same whether it is outside the room or inside the room. Just as the phrase 'room-space' refer to the space within the room the word SOUL or ATMAN refer to the very same Brahman in the context of an individual.
Therefore, it is not appropriate to say 'a person who has the purest soul'. There is only one soul which is common to all. What differs person to person is the quality of the mind.
Mind is influenced by our sense organs. Those who do not have strong intelligence to control the mind will be weak minded. This means they will be under the control of sense objects of the world. They have strong likes and dislikes. The world will have power to hurt such people.
Consciousness NEVER develop any likes or dislikes. It is only the mind that develops likes and dislikes. (As you know consciousness is yet another word for Soul/Atman/ Brahman)
There is nothing wrong in developing likes and dislikes as long as it is under the control of intelligence. The desires of wise people are called non-binding desires. It is like the roasted seed that does not germinate. Desires of wise people do not have strength to grow into suffering.
It is natural for all human beings to be ignorant. Through systematic study the ignorance can be removed.
Ego is part of the mind and it will also be naturally present in everyone.
I am not sure I answered your question since the question is incorrect in most places. After reading this answer you may want to ask me a specific clarification.
Thanks for asking this question which might remove the confusion that surround the words like soul, consciousness etc.
Best wishes,
Raja Subramaniyan
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for the answer.
What you have answered is when there is a difference in the quality of mind which differ person to person and also the desireness and therefore the suffereing, which i could understand but what i couldn't understand is that how mind start differing from the same level of intelligence and cause ignorance as you said as "soul has everyone", how in the very beginning endowed with the same intelligence developed into having different mind .
So my question is before a person got a different mind , and what causes it, if it is ignorance how could ignorance develop at the first place and what causes differnt mind as it is said soul itself is supreme intelligence so what causes the ignorance or the attachment and why at the very beginning the intelligence or the soul allow it to happen.
Plz notofy if still, i'm not clear.
Answer
Dear Rajesh,
The quality of mind depends on our action. We all learn from what we do, what we read, what we study, what we think and what we talk. This learning determines the level of intelligence. Your assumption that we started with same level of intelligence is wrong. Each one of us are responsible for our own development of intelligence.
Our accumulated level of intelligence/ mental maturity/ quality of mind comes with us even after death to our next birth. Thus, birth after birth, in many life times we have accumulated our present level of intelligence/quality of mind.
There was never a FIRST BIRTH. The universe is manifested, sustained and dissolved in cyclical manner. This is happening eternally. This means there was no FIRST CREATION. All of us have infinite number of lifetimes and since each one is doing varied level of actions our quality of mind is also accordingly different.
I have now answered your question why mind varies among people. If you have any doubts in this please ask me. If there are any other questions please post a separate question.
Thanks for your question.
Best wishes,
Raja Subramaniyan
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