The Two Uses of the Mind and Its True Role in the Manifestation

The primary functionality of the mind is to organize and classify, breaking down and fragmenting the reality into component parts. We see this easily in the classification systems for flora and fauna, in our detailed review of the genetic structure of life, gene sequencing, and in our ability to catalog and name star systems, galaxies, etc. We break our social units down into sub-units made up of variations of gender, age, religion, skin color, educational level, financial status, and position in society, among other things. This organizing and classifying activity is one of the primary functions of the mind.

This function also provides the basis for a power of detailed action in the world. We can develop processes and step-wise activities to implement a particular idea or plan. Planning that takes place is generally rooted in our classification of the issues involved and the ability to focus and apply attention to the specific circumstances we are trying to address. While this has the unfortunate unintended consequence of failing in many cases to adequately understand and take into account the “big picture”, and thus, leads to further concerns later on, it does make immediate results much more visible and palpable.

The mind has also the ability, particularly when it is free from the vital interchange, and acting from its own native level, what we may call the higher reasoning power, to understand and begin to manage the vital impulses that arise, thereby providing better utilization of the vital power and focusing it toward the achievement of the intended result seen by the reasoning mind.

The Mother notes: “…the true role of the mind is the formation and organisation of action. The mind has a formative and organising power, and it is that which puts the different elements of inspiration in order, for action, for organising action. And if it would only confine itself to that role, receiving inspirations — whether from above or from the mystic centre of the soul — and simply formulating the plan of action — in broad outline or in minute detail, for the smallest things of life or the great terrestrial organisations — it would amply fulfil its function.”

“It is not an instrument of knowledge. … But it can use knowledge for action, to organise action. It is an instrument of organisation and formation, very powerful and very capable when it is well developed.”

“One can feel this very clearly when one wants to organise one’s life, for instance — to put the different elements in their place in one’s existence. There is a certain intellectual faculty which immediately puts each thing in its place and makes a plan and organises. And it is not a knowledge that comes from the mind, it is a knowledge which comes, as I said, from the mystic depths of the soul or from a higher consciousness; and the mind concentrates it in the physical world and organises it to give a basis of action to the higher consciousness.”

“One has this experience very clearly when one wants to organise one’s life.”

“Then, there is another use. When one is in contact with one’s reason, with the rational centre of the intellect, the pure reason, it is a powerful control over all vital impulses. All that comes from the vital world can be very firmly controlled by it and used in a disciplined and organised action. But it must be at the service of something else — not work for its own satisfaction.”

“These are the two uses of the mind: it is a controlling force, and instrument of control, and it is a power of organisation. That is its true place.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Our Many Selves: Practical Yogic Psychology, Chapter 2, Planes and Parts of the Being, pp. 40-41