‘My mind does not allow me to do so.’ Does this statement suggest that Myself and My mind are different, and My mind has command over Myself? They are different, but irreversibly interconnected.
‘Whatever mind does not know, we can’t see.’ Does this mean that whatever solutions and reactions we give for any situation is based only up on our past knowledge? Yes, indeed!
So we are made up of three components.
1. My mind (Subconscious Mind/ Soul/ Atma / Spirit)
2. Myself (Conscious Mind)
3. My body.
Science frees you, because it is based upon hard facts. There is no place for hypothesis. There is nothing like ‘unless proved otherwise’. There is no place for imagination. Let us compare scientific facts of brain with the mind.
Out brain has autonomic and voluntary nervous systems. Autonomic nervous system deals with the divine reflexes and the formed habits. Voluntary nervous system deals with the day today continuous work.
Voluntary nervous system deals with the situations occurring. While doing so, the available knowledge is used. If new situations occur, new knowledge is sought for dealing with it. It represents ‘active present tense’.
(image couresy google images)
(image couresy google images)
While learning new things, repetitive actions form habits. Once a habit is formed, there no need of active thinking about it, it is sent to autonomic nervous system.
Autonomic nervous system deals with the natural reflexes allotted to us by nature. Respiration, blood circulation, digestion, excretion of wastes, flipping of eyelids, sleep, immune system, healing, clotting, hormone production, growth and aging of body, reproduction are few of the natural reflexes stored in autonomous nervous system. Every reflex has its own range of minimum to maximum working capacity. For example, depending on circumstances normal heart beats can vary from fifty to two hundred per minute; normal blood pressure may vary from 100/70 mm of hg to 180/100 mm of hg; normal respiratory rate may vary from eight to eighty cycles per minute. Accordingly every naturally occurring action has a minimum and a maximum capacity. During normal working pattern approximately thirty percent of the maximum capacity is under use. Minimum working is required during sleep. Maximum working is required during strenuous tasks. It represents ‘passive present tense’.
Autonomic Nervous System
(image couresy google images)
In addition to natural reflexes, new habits are being added every day. Some habits are in the line of the natural reflexes, and help the body to stay fit. For example-habit of walking, swimming, yoga, pranayama, smiling, helping, forgiving, politeness, etc.
But some habits are adverse to the natural reflexes. They interfere with normal mechanism of the autonomic nervous system. For example-smoking, alcoholism, junk fooding, sedentary life style, fighting, craving, hatred, anger, overthinking, excess savings, etc.
Once a habit is stored in autonomic nervous system, next time reactions to similar situations occur without knowledge to the voluntary nervous system.
All the habits are created by voluntary nervous system, which are later saved in autonomic nervous system. Many habits have been formed when we were immature, right from our life in Mother’s womb. Consider a situation where a fetus is exposed to constant fear of death due to mothers ill-health. This baby will have developed highly skilled survival instinct for sure. Think what was your first habit formed after birth, and for what. It was when you felt fear of death due to clamping of umbilical cord. Then you started taking respiration for your survival. Respiration is your oldest habit formed. So it is the most powerful reflex of all reflexes. So it is the last one to go when you die. So it has the highest impact on your body with slightest variation in speed, depth or rhythm.
1. Now let us substitute ‘Autonomic nervous system’ by 'My mind' (Subconscious Mind/ Soul/ Atma /Spirit)
2. ‘Voluntary nervous system’ by ‘Conscious mind’ or ‘Myself’.
3. And understand that‘My body’ is under control of both of them.
To Be Continued…
