How do we address the conflict between the mind and the heart?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
So, how do we address the conflict between the mind and the heart or what does the Bhagavad Gita say about this? See now, the heart is a is actually a It can be a little confusing term. So first of all, when I talk about the heart, you have broken my heart. I'm not talking about my biological heart.
It is not that it is broken into pieces. Definitely not. So what it means is that we are referring to the seat of emotions.
Usually when we talk about the heart, we talk about the seat of emotions. Now, we draw the heart in a particular shape which resembles the biological heart. But that's just a representation.
Basically, the heart is the seat of emotions. Now, where are emotions situated? Ultimately, the seat of emotions is the soul. So when scriptures say, we should chant with our whole heart, that means we should invest all the consciousness of the soul, all the emotion of the soul, all our inner resources in the process of chanting.
So in that sense, the heart is equivalent to the soul. So now, of course, when we say conflict between the mind and… so from the Bhagavad Gita's perspective, heart is for all purposes equivalent to the soul. But when we use the conflict between the mind and the heart, now there is a… there can be a confusion here because the heart is also the source of emotions and the mind is also said to be run by emotions.
Among the… in our body, in the subtle realm, there are different parts of us which serve different functions. It's like my hand is used for holding, my eyes are used for seeing. So similarly, the mind is used for feeling.
And the intelligence is used for analyzing. So then in that sense, we could say that if… are the feelings related with the mind or the feelings related with the heart. So usually, when you talk about a conflict between the mind and the heart, we have to understand what we are referring to.
What do we mean by the mind? What do we mean by the heart? But basically, we can say there is a conflict between us, conflict within us. So the mind can refer to our short-term feelings. The heart can refer to our long-term feelings.
Sometimes I may feel like doing something strongly. There is a very deep-rooted call within the heart. But then there is… if somebody wants to say go in a particular career or choose a particular path in their lives.
So in my heart, for example, if I'm practicing, if I'm thinking of taking up bhakti seriously, in my heart I'm convinced that I want to do this. But the mind is apprehensive. What will my friends think of it? What will my relatives feel? So both are feelings.
There's a deeper feeling, stronger feeling which is coming from the heart. And there is maybe a noisier feeling, we could say. It is more at the surface, but it is also noisier.
A noisier feeling which is coming from the mind. And I have to choose between the two. So then at that time, if we don't act impulsively, then we will be able to not get carried away by the mind's feeling, but we will actually go down to the heart and act accordingly.
Now, another way is that the mind sometimes, in general terminology, not in the Gita's terminology, in general terminology, the mind also refers to our rational faculty. Because say Einstein was the greatest mind of the 20th century. Here when we use that word, we are talking about the mind as a rational faculty.
So if there is a conflict between the mind and the heart, that means in this case, you are referring to the conflict between the rational side and the emotional side. Then we have to actually, our life requires balance of both. If we become too rational, then we become desensitized to others.
But on the other hand, if we become too emotional, then we often act in short-sighted ways. So there needs to be a balance of both. And sometimes when there is this kind of conflict between the rational and the emotional side, then it is good to consult someone whom we trust.
And then we can present both sides of the story and help them evolve. They may not take the decision for us, because ultimately we have to take the decision, but we can get some input from them. Now, in this case, they may tell us, okay, you are thinking in a too detached way.
You think from that person's perspective also. The rational side is becoming too much, bring it down a little bit. Or here, you know, you are becoming too sentimental.
So like that we can get some guidance from others. So broadly speaking, the rational and the emotional side both need to be integrated. So our emotions need to be guided by our thoughts, because thoughts I mean by our reasoning.
Our emotion needs to be guided and regulated by reason. But reason also needs to be animated by emotion. Reason also needs to be animated by emotion.
If a doctor is treating a patient, the doctor has to have reason. Okay, this is the problem, I have to do this surgery. But the doctor also needs to have some emotion.
Doctor should not treat the person just as a body or just as a machine. They should have some concern, some sensitivity to the patient's pain. So like that in all activities, we need a balance of both.
Does it address your question? Thank you.