The Nature of the Mind: Like Water Flowing in a River

This is reflection 23 in a series inspired by Self-Unfoldment by Swami Chinmayananda. New here? Start with the first reflection.

If the mind is happy, we are happy. If the mind is unhappy, we are unhappy. Our entire experience of life depends on the state of our mind.

So what exactly is the mind?

Whenever there are thoughts, we can see that the mind is there. When there are no thoughts, as in deep sleep, there is no mind. Thoughts and the mind are very closely related.

When our thoughts are calm, the mind is calm. When they are agitated, the mind is agitated. When they are positive, the mind is positive. The quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our mind.

But thoughts alone are not the mind. The ancient sages of India explained the relationship between thoughts and the mind through a beautiful analogy: that of water and a river.

Water by itself is not a river. A pool of water is not a river either. Only when water flows in a continuous stream is a river born. In the same way, the mind exists only when thoughts flow in a continuous stream. When that flow stops, the mind does not exist.

When the water in a river is muddy, we call it a muddy river. When the water is clear, we call it a clean river. Similarly, when our thoughts are good and positive, the mind is considered good and positive. When our thoughts are negative, the mind becomes disturbed and unhappy.

A person may be beautiful to look at. They may be the richest person in the world, with a big car and a big mansion. But if their mind is unhappy, they are unhappy, and all the money and beauty in the world cannot change that. On the other hand, when someone’s mind is good, everyone is naturally drawn to them.

We can understand the mind a little further through its relationship to the intellect.

Our thoughts express themselves in two ways. Thoughts in the form of emotions, feelings, and reactions make up the mind, called manas in Sanskrit. Thoughts in the form of reasoning, ideas, and decisions make up the intellect, called buddhi.

Let’s return to the river analogy. The mind is like the continuous flow of water in a river. The intellect is like the riverbanks that guide the water along its course. Just as the banks give direction to the flowing water, the intellect helps direct and guide the thoughts of the mind.

To think rightly, we need to train the mind and cultivate the habit of right thinking. Like any habit, this takes conscious effort and consistent practice.

Consider something as simple as locking the door when we leave the house. We do it almost automatically because we have cultivated that habit. We can approach training the mind in much the same way.

The first step is to consciously reject negative thoughts. Whenever a negative thought arises, we learn to recognize it and refuse to entertain it.

The next step is to replace it with a positive thought, right away. By becoming aware of our negative thought patterns and consciously shifting toward a more compassionate, understanding perspective, we can transform the quality of our thoughts and improve our emotional well-being.

And finally, we flood the mind with creative ideas. When the mind is idle, thoughts are bound to come. It is up to us to decide where we direct them. When we keep the mind engaged with positive ideas and creative pursuits, the negative thoughts stay away.

With these practices, we can gradually flush out the negativity in the mind, sweep it clean, and re-energize it with positive, vibrant thoughts.

Tuning the mind matters. We experience the world through the lens of our mind, and the state of our mind influences how we perceive and respond to everything around us. By learning to train and guide it, we can transform our experience of life.

Once we understand this, we begin to shift our attention from changing the world around us to transforming the world within us.