Which is better – learning with the intelligence or learning with the mind?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So more learning at the level of the mind and learning at the level of intelligence which is better it’s not a matter of better it’s not so much matter of better it’s more a matter of which level we are at generally the intelligence understands things before the mind accepts them so you could say at a level that learning at the level of the intelligence comes first and that is essential so there is a three step process you could say there is conviction of the intelligence then there is application to Bhakti and then there is a transformation of the mind generally when we talk about realization we could say that when the mind gets it that is when we get a realization so when the mind accepts something so we hear from scripture that this world is a place of misery that wealth does not bring happiness wealth does not save one from misery we hear this in scripture we hear this in classes and then we may even ourselves give classes on this topic and by that we get some philosophical conviction intellectual conviction but still we may be fascinated by wealth ourselves so conviction of the intelligence comes first Krishna says in 3.43 in the Bhagavad Gita that in this way with your intelligence understand yourself to be transcendental and situate yourself on the spiritual platform and then that conquer over this formidable enemy which is lust or selfish desire so the point which Krishna is making here is that we do need to convince our intelligence first and by the intelligence we situate ourselves on the spiritual platform situating ourselves on the spiritual platform means practicing bhakti or practicing some yoga which situates on the spiritual platform and then when we situate ourselves on the spiritual platform we get a happier face and then the lower desires they stop troubling us so for example we might have been drinking tea earlier a lot now if somebody offers us tea we don’t even feel tempted about it there is something else many other things which we may feel tempted about let’s say tea maybe it doesn’t tempt us so in this case when we say that something doesn’t even tempt us that means that the mind is also not proposing it so we can say that intelligence is like the mother and the mind is like a child the mind is a sick child mind is now when they go to a doctor the doctor first explains to the mother there is a mother who has to understand that this is my child is deceased and when the mother is convinced this is a serious disease this can cause serious problems therefore I should not allow this child to eat this, this, this and I should make the child take these medicines they are prescription and prescriptions so then it is the mother that makes the child do those things even if the child doesn’t want to do it and say when the child grows up then say the child is eating too much chocolates initially but when the child grows older the child outgrows that obsession with chocolates and when somebody offers chocolates the child says no I don’t want this so when the child himself or herself stops taking the chocolates let the mind accept it mind realize it and that will take time but before that happens the intelligence has to the mother has to be convinced that means when we study philosophy we are primarily directing the study of philosophy towards the intelligence and with the intelligence we direct the mind In 6.26-25 Krishna talks about this process of interaction of the mind and intelligence so he says that gradually step by step with intelligence sustained by conviction and determination keep the mind under control keep it focused on the self don’t let it bind us so what Krishna is telling here is that we need to discipline our mind and how do we do it? with our intelligence that means learning with the intelligence is foundational but learning with the mind is transformational when learning with the mind that’s when we can transform when the mind accepts something now I am no longer I am not interested in this I am not attracted to this when that has happened then actually we are transformed so we need to learn at whatever level works for us but learning with the intelligence is foundational it is what is the foundation we start and learning with the mind learning by the mind is transformational that’s when we are no longer tormented or tempted by the desires