Distinguishing the Vital Mind from the Mental Power of Reason, Thought and Will

0:01 We may observe feelings, perceptions, thoughts, emotions, ideas, imaginations, memories, etcetera, all arising in our minds. And for most of us this is all just mental activity. And for most people this is clearly enough. For those taking up the spiritual life and practice, however, it becomes difficult to understand what is going on and what can and should be done about it, to bring about the right mental texture of the consciousness, to be receptive and able to handle the higher inspirations, intuitions and powers as they enter into the mind. It is thus highly useful to be able to distinguish the different elements that bring about the mental activity we experience, and thereby to understand the source, the power and the intention of the forces at work in our mind. Stuff.

1:10 A particular note is that the vital aspect of our lives has tremendous power to convince the mind to support the fulfillment of its desires and wishes. What may seem to be a form of mental reasoning process may in fact be specious reasoning driven by the vital nature and its bias towards its own fulfillment. The true mental power focuses on principles and concepts that are native to the mental world. There is something of a separation from the life powers that can create a process of logic and reasoning that is not subject to the desire soul, but independent of individual ego fulfillment. Shriorobindo writes Quote The vital mind is that part of the vital being which builds plans, imagines, arranges things and thoughts according to the life, pushes desires will to power or possession will to action, emotions, vital ego, reactions of the nature.

2:20 It must be distinguished from the reasoning will, which plans and arranges things according to the dictates of the thinking mind proper, the discriminating reason, or according to the mental intuition, or a direct insight and judgment. The vital mind uses thought for the service, not of reason, but of life push and life power. And when it calls in reasoning, it uses that for justifying the dictates of these powers, imposes their dictates on the reason instead of governing by a discriminating will, the action of the life forces end.

3:02 Quote Reference Shriorobindo and the Mother Our Many Selves Practical Yogic Psychology Chapter 2 Planes and Parts of the Being, page 47.