Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have another mind operating our current one, or to playfully place our mind somewhere “outside” the body for a while? This line of thought carries a profound implication: how can we detach the mind from the body? In some traditions, this “outside” is described as “Universal Consciousness.” But keeping the mind at ease doesn’t necessarily require abandoning the body.
Now, you might ask: if the mind has been removed from the body, how can it be brought back? And then wonder wouldn’t it be easier if there were yet another mind to govern this second mind? If such questions frequently arise in you, it may indicate a deeper quest: the search for awareness or higher consciousness.
It’s widely accepted that we do, in fact, possess a second mind to oversee the first—what we call “consciousness.” Beyond this, there is yet another level of mind, often termed “super consciousness.” If our mental consciousness is but a small component of the vast “Universal Consciousness,” then your original idea—of placing the mind into the “Cosmic Mind” and drawing from it as needed—may reflect a deep metaphysical truth.
I’ve had similar thoughts since childhood. And now, after years of teaching, research, reading, and writing, I find myself fully immersed in mindfulness and Vipassana meditation. With that practice has come a sense of urgency to express these reflections. Whatever we have accomplished in terms of development, innovation, and civilization stems from our mind, especially its rational faculties. Yet the mind has also been misunderstood by many and has become a burden for nearly one-third of the global population. One in three people suffer from unhealthy stress, and one in six children live with the trauma of war.
Even today, many including spiritual gurus harbor misperceptions about the nature of the mind. Some assert that the mind’s nature is to “ruminate on the past” or “project into the future.” But the true nature of the mind, perhaps, is to dwell in the present. The mind longs to be present and to act in the present. It is our thoughts, especially those that are conditioned or manipulated, that propel the mind into anxiety or fantasy.
Widespread confusion also exists around the mind-brain relationship. Many people equate the brain with the mind. Even neuroscience is still ambiguous on this matter. Western paradigms often misconstrue the nature of the mind. While the brain may be studied in a lab, the mind must be observed within oneself. You cannot understand the mind through brain scans or mouse experiments alone; you must observe your own mind with deep awareness.
More than 2,500 years ago, the Buddha explored the nature of mind, describing it as a process composed of consciousness (viññāṇa), perception (saññā), sensation (vedanā), and reaction (saṅkhāra). Later Buddhist teachings expanded on this, describing “chitta” (mind) as encompassing sense perception, thought (verbal and abstract), emotions, joy and sorrow, attention, concentration, and intelligence.
Some spiritual traditions argue that the subjective mind and objective brain are interdependent, linked by the “nature” and “culture” of information processing and neural activity.
But where does the mind come from? What are its components? How does it function? While you may examine your own mind, can you truly observe someone else’s? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio poses two vital questions: “How does the brain construct a mind?” and “How does it make that mind conscious?”
Current understandings may still fall short of explaining the complexity of the mind-brain connection. That’s why I encourage you to observe your own mind with careful awareness before accepting external theories.
A thorough understanding of how your mind works—what it prefers, what it resists—can resolve nearly half your life’s problems. All human minds attempt to discern right from wrong. Some are more aware, others less so. Unaware minds struggle to confront their mistaken beliefs, which leads them to generate even more distorted thoughts. This creates a web of negativity—a feedback loop that becomes hard to escape.
In such cases, the mind lashes out, blames others, and becomes abusive. The brain, under such conditions, starts to release harmful chemicals, weakening both mind and body. Yet, escape from this toxic cycle is possible with passion, patience, perseverance, and a deepening awareness.
Buddhist teachings say: one who realizes that negative thoughts harm the heart will only understand that positive thoughts bring joy once the curtain of consciousness is lifted. How often do you feel angry with yourself or others? Anger, after all, is a symptom of a weakened and mistaken mental state.
Those with weaker mental states often harbor malicious thoughts, criticize harshly, and express themselves through anger, aggression, and suppression. Buddha said that those who harbor anger toward themselves and others are incapable of loving themselves. They suffer deeply—mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and eventually physically.
Many of you reading this may have experienced rude or uncivil behavior from teachers, bosses, elders, or partners, whether in academic, professional, or personal life. These interactions may still be sapping your energy, attention, and enthusiasm. I, too, have faced such moments in my life. And at times, I may have also behaved unconsciously. For this, I offer my humble acknowledgment.
Christine Porath, in Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace, highlights how incivility at work and in schools is eroding our emotional well-being and weakening human connection—threatening both present vitality and future prosperity. Unfortunately, South Asia’s spiritual marketplace isn’t immune to illusion either. Some self-proclaimed gurus, adorned in dyed hair and beards, glistening with makeup, preach mantras like “Accept the Self” or “Know Yourself,” even though they may not understand their own minds. Still, crowds gather, wash their feet, and revere them as deities.
But “accepting the self” means embracing who you truly are—not who you appear to be after layers of cosmetic manipulation. If you manipulate your appearance, your thoughts and mind are manipulated as well. A manipulated mind can hardly understand or meet the authentic self, let alone attain true awareness. Have you ever felt your mind or body being manipulated, or sensed a thought not your own entering your awareness? In subtle ways, we often receive thoughts as sensory messages. During challenging times, whether in professional, academic, or personal life, the way you manage your thoughts, emotions, and intelligence will shape your growth.
Ultimately, the only person who can truly uplift you selflessly is you. Others may exploit, control, mock, or drain you. But as they grow weaker, your resilience strengthens. Their mental fragility is the root of their negativity.
Emotions and consciousness, or unconsciousness, have deeply shaped world politics too. From the Westphalian order to World Wars, from the Cold War to 9/11 and beyond, mistaken or unregulated minds have played a role. The rise and fall of empires, the unpredictability of leaders like Donald Trump, and today’s global chaos may be less about rational statecraft and more about emotional dysfunction.
Wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and other regions reflect not just geopolitical rivalry but possibly the actions of minds clouded by hatred and fear, not balanced reasoning. While nations are not inherently enemies, statesmen, influenced by negative emotions, become antagonists. Realists often act out of fear and hate, while constructivists might lean on empathy and rationality.
India and Pakistan, for instance, have sometimes managed to de-escalate tensions with measured restraint. Meanwhile, powers like Israel and the US seem to navigate deterrence through over-rationalized emotions, which is perhaps the product of cognitive bias. Today’s belligerent global climate, from Iran to Taiwan, may be more a product of mistaken minds than deliberate balance between soft and hard power.
