QUESTION 7


Disciple: If these four -- mind, intellect, memory, and egoity -- are one and the same, why are separate locations mentioned for them?

Master: It is true that the throat is stated to be the location of the mind, the face or the heart of the intellect, the navel of the memory, and the heart or sarvanga of the egoity; though differently stated thus yet, for the aggregate of these, that is the mind or internal organ, the location is the heart alone. This is conclusively declared in the Scriptures.



QUESTION 8


Disciple: Why is it said that only the mind which is the internal organ, shines as the form of all, that is of soul, God and world?

Master: As instruments for knowing the objects the sense organs are outside, and so they are called outer senses; and the mind is called the inner sense because it is inside. But the distinction between inner and outer is only with reference to the body; in truth, there is neither inner or outer. The mind's nature is to remain pure like ether. What is referred to as the heart or the mind is the collocation of the elements (of phenomenal existence) that appear as inner and outer. So there is no doubt that all phenomena consisting of names and forms are of the nature of mind alone. All that appear outside are in reality inside and not outside; it is in order to teach this that in the Vedas also all have been described as of the nature of the heart. What is called the heart is no other than Brahman.



QUESTION 9


Disciple: How can it be said that the heart is no other than Brahman?

Master: Although the self enjoys its experiences in the states of waking, dream, and deep sleep, residing respectively in the eyes, throat and heart, in reality, however, it never leaves its principal seat, the heart. In the heart-lotus which is of the nature of all, in other words in the mind-ether, the light of that self in the form 'I' shines. As it shines thus in everybody, this very self is referred to as the witness (sakshi) and the transcendent (turiya, literally "the fourth"). The 'I'-less supreme Brahman which shines in all bodies as interior to the light in the form 'I' is the Self-ether (or knowledge-ether): that alone is the absolute Reality. This is the super-transcendent (turiyatita). Therefore, it is stated that what is called the heart s no other than Brahman. Moreover, for the reason that Brahman shines in the hearts of all souls as the Self, the name 'Heart' is given to Brahman.* The meaning of the word hridayam, when split thus hrit-ayam, is in fact Brahman. The adequate evidence for the fact that Brahman, which shines as the Self, resides in the hearts of all, is that all people indicate themselves by pointing to the chest when saying 'I'.

*"In the hearts of all individual souls that which shines is Brahman and hence is called the Heart" --Brahma-gita.