What is more important, objects or the senses? Senses are more important than objects of the sense. Your eyes are more important than television. Ears are more important than music or sound. Tongue is more important than the tasty things. Our skin is more important than what we touch.
Many do not realise this. They think sense objects are more important than the senses. They know that looking too much into the TV is not good for the eyes, yet they don’t care about their eyes and keep watching television. They know that their system does not want a lot of food, yet they will give into the taste and eat more.
Mind is more important than the senses. When mind is not cared for, only senses are cared, you get depressed. When your craving for things becomes more important than the mind, it causes depression. You want to see something and if you don’t see it, you get depressed. So you are more attached to the senses and less to the mind. Wiser is the one who attends to the mind more than to the senses.
What is the nature of the mind? Your mind goes up and down. That’s why mind is connected with moon. The word “lunatic” is used to indicate that someone is crazy. The mind is like the moon, in constant movement.
What is beyond the mind? It is your intellect. If you just follow your mind, you will have no commitment in life and you will become more miserable. The mind will say, “Oh I want to go away for some time. I want silence.” You take silence, you will become more miserable. That’s why in many schools of thought, they say, “Kill the mind.”
The intellect harbours inhibitions, likes and dislikes approvals and disapprovals. When you are listening, you are either agreeing or disagreeing. Notice whether you are saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This something by which we say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ - is called the intellect. Life is very complex. There is no set formula. When you think that you are very honest, that you are righteous, you become a little stiff inside, without even knowing it. You point your finger towards others and become intolerant. When you recognize that there are flaws in you, you are then able to accommodate the flaws in other persons. That’s why it is said, ‘‘do a good deed and forget about it’’. It is not only your vices or bad qualities that will harm you. Even your good qualities can make you stiff, rude and angry. That is why you should surrender both bad and good qualities. With meditation, you can relax and let go - of the judging nature of the intellect. The intellect also harbors wisdom, which brings forth intuition. Intuition is beyond intellect but it shines through the intellect.
