Mind
What is mind ? From the
yogic standpoint it is simply the individualized consciousness,
the whole of it, the whole of your consciousness including your
activities which the Western psychologist puts outside mind. Only
on the basis of Eastern psychology is Yoga possible. How shall we
describe this individualized consciousness? First, it is aware of
things. Becoming aware of them, it desires them. Desiring them,
it tries to attain them. So we have the three aspects of consciousness--
intelligence, desire, activity. On the physical plane, activity
predominates, although desire and thought are present. On the astral
plane, desire predominates, and thought and activity are subject
to desire. On the mental plane; intelligence is the dominant note,
desire and activity are subject to it. Go to the buddhic plane,
and cognition, as pure reason, predominates, and so on. Each quality
is present all the time, but one predominates. So with the matter
that belongs to them. In your combinations of matter you get rhythmic,
active, or stable ones; and according to the combinations of matter
in your bodies will be the conditions of the activity of the whole
of these in consciousness. To practice Yoga you must build your
bodies of the rhythmic combinations, with activity and inertia less
apparent. The yogi wants to make his body match his mind.