Learn about creating a narrative of
Guru Nanak's dialogues that make up
the 260 verses of the SGGS.
Click here to download your gift

 

 

Will you support SikhNet today? 

Our inherit instinct believes in what does not exist. This very instinct either leaves us in the past or takes us into future. Ironically both past and future are non-existent, yet impact of these two non-existent entities is profound on our life. We make most of our decisions based on past or future, thus we exist in duality. Duality is the mother of disaster that rips us right in the middle leaving us scrambling for balance, giving rise to insurmountable complex problems in our life. These are the very traits of a finite mind that we are in this moment because we do not see ourselves separate from our finite mind to explore beyond the limits. Thus, we become finite in terms of existence and perceive everything as such. Our existence in form of our physical body and our thoughts becomes our constraints. Thus, our world is limited and there is not enough for anyone. Our life, our friends, our resources, our possessions, our dreams, our aspirations, our goals all come with limits and expiration dates. In other words, we live in finite world.

Due to no distinction between our mind and our present state of being, it is an illusion to consider ourselves a Soul. We might be a soul when we do not exist in past or wander in future. Those moments are few and far in-between the duality we are. In our current state, we are a mind and we have not realized we are a soul. Soul is infinite mind for which there is no past, present or future, no expiration of anything, no constraints of time and time. By accepting our present state of existence as limited mind, we can learn to be honest and truthful to ourselves. This will save us from our own darkness of beliefs.

The finite mind lives on periphery of its limits, bumping against glass walls and ceiling of its finite room. Frightened and scared of pain from hitting glass walls of own finiteness, the finite mind keeps fixing what is not broken and is not the cause of its suffering. You can imagine a finite mind like a rubber ball that keeps bouncing off invisible glass walls of its finiteness. Thus, the limited mind remains in constant motion. It seeks rest or a break without any success oblivion to existence of glass walls and ceilings of its own finiteness.

A limited mind can only create limited systems. All systems including systems that influence us on daily basis like educational system, political system, an economic system, religious and spiritual systems are created out of need(s) of the limited mind. A dynamic and mystical phenomenon transpires in front of our eyes day and night missed by us when we are the limited mind in constant multi-directional and multi-dimensional motion.

To a mind in perpetual motion, it appears that a system is created by a single mind or multiple minds in form of people coming together for a reason or a cause. All systems are accumulation of enough thoughts that manifest as an educational system, political system, and economic system, and governing system, religious and spiritual system. A nation is also a system. For that matter, this universe is also a system. Unless there are not enough minds supporting a given system, it cannot take birth. In other words, there are not enough of same thoughts collectively in form of cumulative energy

A Mind is the womb of creation and not the creator because the mind did not create itself. It can be argued that mind is the creator of a system. This argument stems from finiteness of thoughts of a limited mind. Mind is simply the womb from which systems are born. The phenomenon that happens inside the mind as womb is like growth of a child inside a mother's womb. Mother is not creator of a child, but is a mean for a child's birth. Mind is a means of creation to create. A finite mind is collection of thoughts of limits. Consciously or sub-consciously, each human mind is entertaining certain thoughts. This is meditative element of the mind. What we meditate upon is the freedom that creates our world(s) in form of a system, with which we choose to identify. However, this freedom to choose is not available to a finite mind.

When a system comes into system existence it becomes a living entity in the mind and is treated so. Economic system is a good example. Today economic system is treated like a living entity. Constant media coverage, people's conversation revolving around economic system, specifically output of an economic system gives it life. When the economic system fails to produce people are frustrated, angered and upset. When the system produces for them, people fight to protect the economic system. When the system collapses, people's life collapse because people see themselves as the system that produces the desired output for them. Human thoughts are living entity that grow from a single idea in form a thought (seed) that when nourished by supporting thoughts grows into a blooming plant in form a system. The system created from womb of mind is alive as thoughts in our finite mind are alive that change, transform and manifest as our world (s).

Systems are vehicles of our lives and much needed. We should ride the vehicle and get off it when we reach our destination. If we carry the vehicle on your shoulders, we are the finite mind not ready to accept expiration or transformation of our world.

A finite mind identifies itself as the system imminent by its reaction when something happens to the system. Identification with a nation as a system, our bodies as a system, our family as a system, our society, our race or color as a system keeps us (as a finite mind) in the very limits of our glass walls. A limited mind is filled with fallacies creates its own sufferings. All these systems at personal level are our finite thoughts as a system that we identify with.

No system is living however grand it may be. Our dependency on a system makes it living in our minds. At personal level each one of us are more than a system. Each human is much more than an identity.

Bhupinder Singh

Bhupinder Singh

I coach leaders who are striving for prosperity in form of physical and mental wellness along with spiritual growth rooted in principles of Gurbani.

More Articles by This Author

Add a Comment