Original State Of Mind

A few decades ago, my dentist prescribed a pharmaceutical form of Tylanol and an antibiotic because of an impacted molar. After taking the first dose, I felt dizzy and not quite right in the head. I was concerned but not panicky so I went to bed early.

I wondered if the drugs would permanently affect my mind to the point that my life would unfold differently from how it would, had I not been prescribed the medicine. Those thoughts led to me pondering the question about the original human state of mind. What was it like to exist and think before our species developed technology and language. Do babies and toddlers have original mind? I have no desire to regress to childhood, but the curiosity persists. The questions about the original state of mind remain personally unanswered.

I’ve studied esoteric subjects; lived for awhile with a New Age teacher; then later became a student of a Tibetan Rinpoche. Mindfulness meditation and Dzogchen (the Tibetan equivilant of Zen) are practices that I respect and utilize from time to time. Yet there is always some remnant of emotional baggage which I carry from past experiences that influences my present perceptions. This is probably true for every person on Earth.

Our emotional reactions affect our opinions and flaw our ability to reason. It’s unwise to place full confidence in either emotional feelings or rationality. Even when the two seem to be conflicting, they sometimes agree. Both ways of thinking coupled with our attachment to opinion block us from seeing life as it truly is at any particular moment. Add to these limitations, the fact that the mind automatically filters out much of what physically surrounds us so that we can focus on immediate goals and tasks.

Many of us yearn to discover the primal parts of our being. We know the undiscovered is as close as the neurons of our brains. The original state of mind is with us–humming along like electricity in a running appliance. This state of mind is something that constantly changes yet does not strive to change. It is something that never existed before and won’t exist in the future. It is something that exists at this precise moment. The original state of mind is not approached through idealism, religiosity, nor beliefs.

It comes about through letting go of preconceived notions. We often experience it without recognizing it. When we do recognize it, we give it a name, then the experience instantly vanishes. We try to replicate it by copying the actions that triggered it in the past. However, we are only able to achieve a pale facsimile–not the real thing. The harder we try, the further away it gets. Yet we know the original state of mind remains just out of grasp.

Teachers say that the original state is revealed by not striving, and being “in the moment” without knowing the already known, but not from ignorance. We know it without consciously knowing it in a space not limited by time. The always changing, undiscovered moment contains the seeds of possibilities and the totality of existence. We approach it with a silent mind without expectation. This balancing act occurs without even trying.

Ming Dynasty philosopher, Huanchu Daoren said, “When the wind is still and the waves are quiet, you see the true realm of human life. When flavor is light and sound is rare, you know the original state of the body and mind… Those who talk about the pleasures of mountains and forests have not necessarily attained the pleasures of mountains and forests. Those who disdain talk of fame and fortune have not completely forgotten feelings for fame and fortune.”

In effect, Daoren expressed the nuanced nature of letting go and simply being human. Our minds are unclear and our emotions are unstable because we are filled with emotion and craving. This mixture has been compared with murky water. When we allow the water to remain calm and unbothered, particles settle to the bottom. This results in clearer water. Of course our minds are not water, so we can perform this experiment by allowing our feelings and yearnings to rest for awhile. Will we glimpse the original mind? That is up to you to judge. Can we experience this quiet place of contentment and peace? Maybe the best we can do is to let go and stop resisting.

If you have awakened and seen the original state of mind, then you understand more than I can write in a short blog post. Whatever you have learned from experience, continue to explore. Allow the mind to calmly expand because the mind is an expression of infinity.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes Leonardo da Vinci. “Learning never exhausts the mind.”