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

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We may observe feelings,
perceptions, thoughts, emotions,

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ideas, imaginations, memories,
etcetera, all arising in our

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minds.
And for most of us this is all

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just mental activity.
And for most people this is

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clearly enough.
For those taking up the

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spiritual life and practice,
however, it becomes difficult to

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understand what is going on and
what can and should be done

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about it, to bring about the
right mental texture of the

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consciousness, to be receptive
and able to handle the higher

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inspirations, intuitions and
powers as they enter into the

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mind.
It is thus highly useful to be

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able to distinguish the
different elements that bring

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about the mental activity we
experience, and thereby to

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understand the source, the power
and the intention of the forces

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at work in our mind.
Stuff.

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A particular note is that the
vital aspect of our lives has

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tremendous power to convince the
mind to support the fulfillment

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of its desires and wishes.
What may seem to be a form of

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mental reasoning process may in
fact be specious reasoning

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driven by the vital nature and
its bias towards its own

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fulfillment.
The true mental power focuses on

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principles and concepts that are
native to the mental world.

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There is something of a
separation from the life powers

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that can create a process of
logic and reasoning that is not

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subject to the desire soul, but
independent of individual ego

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fulfillment.
Shriorobindo writes Quote The

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vital mind is that part of the
vital being which builds plans,

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imagines, arranges things and
thoughts according to the life,

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pushes desires will to power or
possession will to action,

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emotions, vital ego, reactions
of the nature.

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It must be distinguished from
the reasoning will, which plans

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and arranges things according to
the dictates of the thinking

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mind proper, the discriminating
reason, or according to the

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mental intuition, or a direct
insight and judgment.

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The vital mind uses thought for
the service, not of reason, but

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of life push and life power.
And when it calls in reasoning,

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it uses that for justifying the
dictates of these powers,

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imposes their dictates on the
reason instead of governing by a

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discriminating will, the action
of the life forces end.

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Quote Reference Shriorobindo and
the Mother Our Many Selves

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Practical Yogic Psychology
Chapter 2 Planes and Parts of

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the Being, page 47.