Levels of Mind - Personal and General(Buddha and J Krishnamurty)

There is an incident in Buddhist traditional history.

A woman, who lost her son approached Buddha and

asked him revive her dead son with his power.

Buddha said to have told her that if she could bring food from any house where there was no death, then he would revive her son.

It is apparent that there can be no such house,

and then what could be his underlying message!

According to mystics.

All sorrows are human sorrows and there is nothing ‘personal’ about them.

It is ‘human sorrow’ that is manifested in an individual and personalized by the ego.

It can be understood this way.

Firstly,

We have evolved as a species, not as individuals.

So, the brain and mind we have is that of a species and doesn’t belong to an individual.

That is, physically one may have a separate brain, but in essence it is only a ‘human brain’.

Similarly, in essence ‘personal mind’ is only a piece of ‘General/Human mind’.

This is because all minds are conditioned by more or less similar environments. 

We can look at it like a hologram.

A hologram, if broken to pieces, each piece would again contain the whole image with distinct perspective, not the fragment of the image.

Similarly,

Each’ personal mind’ contains the image of a ‘general mind’ with a particularity imposed by the ego.

So, there is no ‘Personal’ sorrow, only ‘human’ sorrow.

Then, solution may not be at the level personal consciousness but at the level of

non-personal consciousness.  

But, ego-centric view personalizes the sorrow and blocks ‘general’ (unbiased) perception.

Moreover ‘personal mind’ tend to seek only fulfillment of its wishes and not solution.

For instance,

If I am thirsty, my mind may seek coke but solution is water.

This is only to say that our personal mind always projects its wish as the solution.

It may be obvious in the physical plane.

In the psychological plane, when our perception is entirely enveloped by the ego.

it is difficult to see whether we are seeking our personal wish or solution.

It is possible to distinguish, only when ego-centric view of the problem is avoided.

Being so,

If one can avoid egoistic perception of the sorrow,

then the problem behind the sorrow  can be depersonalized.

Once the problem is depersonalized, the mind would not be seeking ego-centric solutions. 

This creates depth in one’s awareness and brings balance and clarity.

And, it also enables one to approach the problem with more empathetic attitude than

frustration, anger and self pity, which are all part of ego-centric view.

Also,

One no longer wrestles with the problem to make it go or expect a wishful outcome.

Facts are faced as they are and it brings about its own resolution.

It may not be possible always to exercise such perception

and may appear even impossible in certain situations.

But,

This is the perception that can bring rational and objective approach to a problem.

Perhaps, this can be the underlying message that Buddha was conveying to the woman.

According to J.Krishnamuty ,

Problem at the level of ‘personal mind’ have solution only at the level of ‘general mind’. 

He states - “It is not an abstract answer, it is the only answer”.