I Am Prana

By Yogie Chandra Tatvaraj

I am Prana is a self- inquiry with philosophy and human psychology. It starts with an analysis on the mind, rational, logic and knowledge and its distinction with intelligence and consciousness (Spirit). The book does have a lot of knowledgeable insight but dissects it with intelligence in the presence of the eternal present. The book looks at m

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: Jan 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9789360495312

Book preview

Back Drop

(Man The Monkey)

‘E

very new generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it and wiser than the one coming after!’ – George Orwell

I venture at looking at the mind but state right in the beginning, there is no truth about anything, there is only conditions and perspectives, so what follows is a perspective from my understanding of truth, you are free to have your own interpretation. I meet the world from a stand point of, you don’t have to be wrong for me to be right and as Albert Camus beautifully observed ‘The need to be always right is the sign of a vulgar mind.’ Having said that, what follows is a lot of research and ground work with a direct experience from life but hopefully it is just not just being very knowledgeable but flowing with intelligence with appropriate and inspired associate thoughts. You be the judge.

The mind is very vague and is everything and nothing but it creates our world and is a reflection of our consciousness. There is the gross reality, which is our body and what we can see in material forms, then there is the subtle, which is our mind and intellect and finally the spiritual, which is spirit and consciousness, awareness. Intelligence and intellect is over the mind, why even the cosmos is known as cosmic intelligence. Intellect and intelligence is a meeting of spirit, consciousness and the mind, one must use the intellect to commune with the eternal spirit and control the mind. We think, now that is happening in the mind but we can control our thoughts and even direct our mind with associate thoughts that is intelligence, a combination of the mind and consciousness, spirit. In Hindu philosophy our personality is a combination of Manas ( the brain ), Buddhi ( Intelligence ) Chit ( Consciousness ) and Ahmkara ( Ego ).

The mind if not controlled is like a wild elephant or a monkey, it needs to be monitored with intelligence from the flowing stream of consciousness.

Now the brain is an organ and we know where it is, it performs some functions like memory, emotions, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and regulates our whole body through the spinal cord and the nervous system. The brain sends and receives chemical and electrical signals throughout the body with different reactions interpreted differently. The brain performs functions and is part of our gross and subtle body, the physical and the mental, the mind on the other hand is in every cell of our body. Each cell has its own intelligence and mind and is everywhere, in every cell of our body and part of our subtle being.

Fact is, the world through the brain is biased, has a short attention span, its perceptions limited and memory deceitful. This is confirmed by neuroscience. Yet, it is fundamental in giving us our world view. The brain is constantly playing tricks on us with our knowledge that operates through AUTO CORRECT and ESTIMATES! The outcome to this is that our understanding of life and the world through the brain is always RELATIVE. The brain works by creating templates about everything from our friendships to romantic relationships. The brain works with stories to help us navigate through the world and the idea of our individual self is just another story of the brain! 

The best approach to life is to remain a child with wonder as nothing is as it seems or is it otherwise ! Pursuing learning is a healthy habit but not to fill your ego that you arrive anywhere.Einstein beautifully observed ‘ The more I read , the more I realize how little I know.’ So , it is good to have an inquisitive heart but best to always not take yourself too seriously. 

The mind on the other hand is in every cell of our body and by itself can be quite another  monster, if left unchecked, you need the intellect to control it, all creativity and humor and fun  happens with intelligence which is a meeting of the rational and logic of the mind and intuitiveness of spirit or consciousness. All humor and fun is the use of intelligence as it relies on beating the rational and logic of the mind and being unpredictable as even Osho says ‘Anybody can pray but not all people can make you laugh, that needs intelligence.’ You can be very knowledgeable but not at all intelligent. Knowledge is storing information that we already know, wisdom is intelligence. Knowledge you can be taught, intelligence is in your genes. Intelligence is further always spontaneous, it can never be planned, it is only the ego that likes to portray itself as intelligent and looks to say intelligent things. Real intelligence will have the spontaneity of a child, it is never contrived but innocent and fresh to the moment. Being knowledgeable is like being a store house of information, a feature of the brain, being intelligent is flowing with the life force and being one with the spirit of life. Knowledge can be got from Degrees, intelligence needs an intuitiveness to life. If you are very knowledgeable but can’t use your intelligence you are like a Donkey carrying SANDAL WOOD!

In life, the mind, the intellect and the spirit all have its place. You need the mind for rational, logic and information, you need intelligence to be sharp and have wit for the moment, you need spirit to be intuitive and in Peace.

The mind is also very mischievous, if it wants to find something wrong with somebody or something it will find reasons for it and if it wants to justify any of its belief, it will even find proof for that. It also can be a big idiot, if it’s rational and logic starts believing something, however absurd, it will start working with it with AUTO CORRECT of the brain and will not let you see beyond that point. Although it can be used productively and should be used productively it should be judiciously monitored not everything it brings up is necessarily right, it could be just another introspection illusion. 

‘In a mad world only the mad are sane.’ – Akira Kurosawa   

Although time is an illusion and a creation of the mind as Einstein commented ‘The past, present and future are stubbornly persistent illusions.’ Our human experience, due to entropy (it’s a Physics principle that everything is moving laterally forward from order to disorder), is moving laterally forward. Now, the mind can use time for knowledge of the past, intelligence for the present and spirit, wisdom of its illusion. Knowledge is stagnant, intelligence is being present with the moment, and spirit is an eternal stream, always flowing. The past is dead, the present is alive, and the future is always flowing. The past makes up our present and defines our future? When you rely on knowledge, you rely on the past, when you rely on intelligence, you rely on the present, when you rely on the future, you rely on intuition. Intelligence is being