Swanwick Star Issue No. 3 (2010)

Healing the Scars of the Mind

Why do we feel crushed under this heavy burden of life? Is competitiveness the remedy? Does socialism, communism, democracy solve the problem? Faith in dogma and the supernatural has been tried and man is still frustrated, bewildered and unhappy!

J. Krishnamurti points out that the root cause of this problem must be universal and the same for all human beings. The Human Mind is the cause. Our mind is influenced by memory both conscious and unconscious. However, our knowledge of the mind is superficial; we do not fully understand its limitations or potential.

On this mind so influenced, K throws a fresh light by pointing out that it is conditioned by the scars of memory. Its strong urge to identify and intellectualize gives us no more than a partial comprehension of the world around us. In short, these limitations of mind are responsible for the frustrations and unhappiness within us.

We usually dramatize the activity of our mind considering the will and emotions as the two main factors constantly trying to undo the work of reason and the intellect. In K’s view, there are no such two opposing forces but only one force actively acting in the mind.

Truth comes to us, not by an accumulation of ideas or knowledge but by understanding and assimilating the whole process of the working of the mind.

Truth alone illuminates; darkness cannot put out the light.

– Naftaly Ramrajkar