The Mind - an Indian perspective

The four faculties or functions of the mind (Anthakarana)

Indian Philosophy has for long understood the four functionality of the mind: Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and Ahamkara.

One’s thought is a combination of memory and intelligence. The retained memory is what sets up the psychological drama which is personal. One’s thoughts are hashed and rehashes of one’s own retained thoughts. Nothing new can be experienced. This process of regurgitation of thought is what is described as intellect. Intellect is the socialized process of education of ‘learnt thoughts’. It is quite different to intelligence. Intellect wants to dissect everything. It continues to ask questions. The intellect can only doubt, not trust. For trust comes from intelligence. 

Manas:

To explain Manas, this is the thinking mind, the faculty that is engaged with senses, the processing mind. The manas interacts with the ten indriyas. The Indriyas are in two parts: Karmendriyas (active expressions) such as eliminating, reproducing, moving, grasping and speaking. In the second category, there is Jnanendriyas which comprises the cognitive senses of smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing and touching. It is to be remembered that one is independent of one’s senses and actions. As part of mediation one lets go off the Karmendriyas, by sitting still and letting go off all active expressions. That follows the suspension of the Jnanendriyas: becoming aware of the cognitive senses itself and going beyond to the dweller. This sense withdrawal or Pratyahara is the journey to Samadhi. By one’s own awareness and understanding of the ten indriyas, one is able to break old habits. It is not about the regulation of the mind by the act of withdrawal. It is more about focusing the mind, and having the senses flow inwards. For just as bees follow the queen bee, all the indriyas follow where the mind is focused.

Swami Vivekananda says in Raja Yoga:
The theory of creation is that matter is subject to five conditions: ether, luminous ether, gaseous, liquid, and solid. They are all evoked out of one primal element, which is very finest ether.
The name of the energy in the universe is Prana, which is the force residing in these elements. Mind is the great instrument for using the Prana. Mind is material. Behind the mind is Atman which takes hold of the Prana. Prana is the driving power of the world, and can be seen in every manifestation of life. The body is mortal and the mind is mortal; both, being compounds, must die. Behind all is the Atman which never dies. The Atman is pure intelligence controlling and directing Prana.

Chakras and the Elements 

The ten Indriyas operate from the first five chakras (root, genital, navel, heart, throat), along with the five elements:

Adi Shankaracharya says:

I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the reflections of inner self.
I am not the five senses. I am beyond that.
I am not the ether, nor the earth, nor the fire, nor the wind.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.

Buddhi: knows, decides, judges and discriminates

Buddhi (Viveka) is the ideal decision maker but normally clouded by Chitta (memory mind) or Ahankara (the ego mind). Buddhi is like a mirror, that reflects everything. Yet it can be clouded by manas, whirling merry go around of thoughts or Chitta of remembered memories. By removing the cloud of spiritual ignorance (avidya) one can purify the Buddhi and cause deep reflective meditative experience. It is Buddhi that saw the universe in division from its unity.

Chitta:

The mental function is to store and organize all experiences in samskaras – memories, impressions and emotional patterns. These shape our overall character and when clouded can distort manas to create psychological projections and false perceptions. Chitta carries both emotions and passive memories. Chitta is like the lake and upon which thoughts form like waves. Yoga is finally the control of the modifications of Chitta mind field. Then the dweller abides in his own true nature.

Ahamkara:

It is the ‘I-maker’ or ego. This is the false identification with Chitta. A self gets created which is coloured (klishta) with attraction or aversion. The source of suffering is here: its attachment falsely with chitta, the mind field. It seeks attention for itself. One way to manage this is to change the ‘I-want’ to ‘It wants”.

Also, the Four Functions of Mind operate at the various levels of consciousness. In the waking state of consciousness, the four operate. In the dreaming state, the four operate. In the deep sleep state, the four functions become less active, as if they are partially receding back into the latent part of mind, the Chitta from which all of the activity arises in the dreaming and waking states. 

The first quarter (Pāda) is Vaiśvānara whose sphere (of activity) is the waking state, who is conscious of external objects, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths and whose experience consists of gross (material) objects.

These seven limbs include: space, air, fire, water, earth and individuation from the whole and Shakti energy.

The nineteen mouths are the four faculties of mind (Anthakarana), the ten Indriyas, and the five pranas  (prana - heart, asana -torso, samara - navel, adana -throat, and vyana - operates throughout).

To the most important question, how does one Control one's thought.Maharishi Ramana urges one to focus on the question, Who am I? If other thoughts emerge, ask the question, to Whom is the thought arising? Who is that I? 

Both mind and Breath are from the same source, one quietens the other. Breath is the gross form of mind. it is the one pointed mind that controls the Indriyas. All residual thoughts on objects disappear as one moves higher in one's mediation. Both auspicious and inauspicious impressions creates the notion of 'good' and 'bad'. 


Said Chanakya in Niti-Sastra:

If you wish to gain control of the world by the performance of a single deed, then keep the following fifteen, which are prone to wander here and there, from getting the upper hand of you: the five sense objects (objects of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch); the five sense organs (ears, eyes, nose, tongue and skin) and organs of activity (hands, legs, mouth, genitals and anus).

The nature of the self, is what exists in truth. 
The self is where there is no 'I'. Just as Desire, Resolve and Effort is not needed to allow for movements in nature, so too should the human being realise that all is part of the cosmic movement and should surrender to it.