Firewall the Inner Self

In the prevailing digital landscape, with quantum computing, robotics and AI-enabled applications, chatbots and deep-learning algorithms mimicking neural networks, the line between man and machine has blurred. Let us first understand our personality construct that comprises the physical and subtle bodies, that is, mind and intellect. For efficient functioning of the body, all these constructs need to work in sync like hardware and software in computers and other electronic devices, physical body being the hardware and subtle body being the software. Subtle body, however, is more like a Black Box concept. Our mind, like the CPU in a computer, is the epicentre of all our vasanas, thoughts, our inherent orientation. Mind is also a double-edged sword. Whereas good thoughts lead to creativity and noble actions, bad thoughts lead to an agitated mind and destructive tendencies, which weaken our immune system and can prove fatal in the long run. Since negativity breeds negativity, it needs to be administered regularly, an antivirus treatment like is done in computers and other devices. The intellect, apart from being mature, logical and objective, also functions as a robust ‘firewall’ and ‘antivirus’ to protect the mind from other negative aspects like ego, anger and jealousy, thereby strengthening the overall architecture of our psyche and freeing our mind from energy-sapping entanglements, rendering it more calm, serene and peaceful, enabling it to focus on the higher goal of achieving spiritual realisation.

Source: Economic Times, 20/02/2020