Mindlessness in Psychology

Abstract

The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent thought. Common attributes of mind include perception, reason, imagination, memory, emotion, attention, free-will and a capacity for communication. A rich set of unconscious processes are also included in many modem characterizations ofmind.Sanskrit -root 'citta ', is not easily rendered into English. In many instances,' citta' seems to convey consciousness, mind, intellect or psychic mass that orders and illuminates sensations coming from withoutcan serve as a mirror for objects, without the senses interposing between it and its object. Thus the non-initiate is incapable of gaining freedom, because his mind, instead of being stable (still, non-fluctuating) is constantly violated by the activity of the senses, by the subconscious, and by the 'thrust for life'.The Original Mind is the intrinsic essence ofmind, the true self. It is inherently pure and good, and in Christian terms it can be said to participate in the Kingdom of God. In Eastern traditions it is prior to thought, prior to desire, prior to any conceptualization at all. It is discovered by stripping away all sensation, desire, concepts, intellection, volition, and awareness of I. It partakes of the Oneness of all. Buddhism calls this mind the Buddha Nature, and much of Buddhist practice is aimed at its realization. They also call it nomind because it is without any grasping at a (selfish) self. Taoists agree, and seek to strip away all intellection and formalism in order to arrive at the spontaneous activity of the natural man who lives at one with the Tao of the universe.That which is the finest essence-this whole world has that as its soul. That is Reality. That is the Self (Atman). That art thou. (Hinduism. Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7)For him who... knows his own mind and sees intuitively his own nature, he is a Hero, a Teacher of gods and men, a Buddha. ( Buddhism. Sutra of Hui Neng 1)The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, Lo, here it is! or There! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Christianity. Bible, Luke 17.20-21)Ordinary men and ignorant people understand neither the Essence of Mind nor the Pure Land within themselves, so they wish to be born in the East or the West, but to the enlightened, everywhere is the same. As the Buddha said, No matter where they happen to be, they are always happy and comfortable. If your mind is free from evil, the West is not far from here; but difficult indeed it would be for one whose heart is impure to be bom there by invoking Amitabha! ( Buddhism. Sutra of HuiNeng 3)As one not knowing that a golden treasure lies buried beneath his feet may walk over it again and again, yet never find it, so all beings live every moment in the city of Brahman, yet never find him because of the veil of illusion by which he is concealed. (Hinduism. Chandogya Upanishad 8.3.2)The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves. (Baha'i Faith. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 132)When you pursue your original mind, you should be able to hear moral laws and see divinity in your mind's eye. You should be able to feel and touch the heart of God with your mind. (Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 4-14-57)The modem era comes with Freud's topographical model of the mind comprising of three regions: the conscious system, the preconscious system, and the unconscious system. Freud further explains the mind in a tripartite structural model of ego, id, and superego.Id refers to a reservoir of unorganized instinctual drives. Ego spans all three dimensions. It is the executive organ of the psyche, controls motility, perception, and contacts with reality and through the defence mechanisms available to it the delay and modulation of drive expression. …