Emotions are the product of the mind. Emotions are what make us suffer or enjoy pleasure. So everything you enjoy or that makes you suffer is essentially emotions. Emotions are called ‘Bhava’ in Vedic Sanskrit and are a net result of the mind’s attachment or aversion. Contrary to common assumptions and presumptions, pleasure and pain happen only when the mind is active.
The mind is inactive at three points:
- When we are deep asleep without dreams, naturally.
- When the brain is completely defunct, either through intoxication and/or sedation.
- When the brain ceases to exist or death.
So, the scientific idea that the brain is the place of pleasure or pain doesn’t hold water since the brain does exist when the mind is in deep sleep or sedation.
The key to health, wealth, and prosperity in life is the mind, not so much the brain. But we must bear in mind that the mind cannot function in the absence of the brain; when the brain dies, the mind ceases to exist. So, emotions are a complete manifestation of the mind and not of the brain.
When the mind is elated through a chemical reaction in the brain, it feels high, and it is the same chemical reaction that makes us feel low. But let’s not forget that it is the mind that makes us feel the need to eat/consume things that cause or induce the chemical reaction. While addiction does make us consume things that aren’t healthy, if only we know our consciousness, we can overpower the brain as well as the mind.
It is when the mind is unable to process certain emotions like fear, anxiety, and depression that we begin to suffer, and when the suffering is hard for the brain to process, it begins to seek medication or addiction. The fentanyl crisis gripping the country is essentially a result of the crisis of emotions in the mind, and it’s a more potent threat than anything faced by humanity thus far. It has the potential to wreck anything run by the mind, including families, institutions, work, societies, nations, and even the world at large. And this has a direct bearing on the mind’s emotions.
So what exactly are emotions? In simple terms, emotions are impulses that affect the responses of the mind and body in a predictable way. These responses can be external or internal. Emotions make us weak, for as the Rishis say ‘anything that brings pleasure will bring pain.’
If you love someone today, it may not take a lot of time to hate. Emotions are irrational and unsteady; the more unpredictable your emotions are, the more intense your suffering. This is why calmness is extremely recommended by the Rishis – and the most desirable way to achieve this is by practicing detachment.
But what exactly is detachment? A lot is made of detachment by Hindu cults. They want people to relinquish their families and friends and join those institutions and give their absolute devotion to cults, their ‘guru,’ and their gods. This is more like brainwashing. True detachment is when there is neither attachment nor aversion. Also, detachment is not in the absence of lust and hate. If your presumed ‘detachment’ is making you hate or get extremely attached to something, then that’s an obsession.
Emotions in the mind can be conditioned as well as manipulated. We are all conditioned as well as manipulated by people around us—our parents, relatives, friends, colleagues, teachers, mentors, etc., all condition and/or manipulate us. This conditioning or manipulation can be intentional as well as unintentional. Parents condition and manipulate their kids most often in the same way as their parents may have conditioned and manipulated them. What we call culture and tradition are nothing but conditioning and manipulation, whether positive or negative. So, if you have emotions that appear exhaustive or intensive, it’s wise to check if they stem from such conditioning and manipulation. This is where Yogic Counseling can come in handy.
Never underestimate the potency of your emotions; they can and often cause irreparable damage and loss, both mentally and physically. And if those around you aren’t helping, it could be because they are the trigger. And since the mind has no sense of accountability, it will only hate those around you more, thereby worsening the situation internally as well as externally.
The only way to resolve the challenge caused by emotions is to realize that we are neither the body nor the mind – to realize that we are ever-blissful consciousness. The same consciousness that we experience every time we are in a state of deep sleep and dreamless sleep. We explain this in our course MIND & POWER. Of course, it’s easy to KNOW these concepts, but to UNDERSTAND them fully and REALIZE them completely requires some help. You may consider our free Yogic Counseling session.
Also, do not forget to download and read our FREE ebook – Understanding and Unleashing the Potential of YOUR MIND.
