[Advaita-l] The mind

[S.N. Sastri]

Mahesh Ursekar  wrote:


Can somebody let me know the Advaitic view on the locus of fleeling e.g. of
pleasure and pain?
Most authors assign it to the mind. But, I am facing the following problem
with this allocation:

The mind is constituted of the three elements of sattva, rajas and tamas and
hence is essentially inanimate. How can one subscribe feelings to it? For
feelings, conciousness is necessary and consciousness is the essence of
Atman. But if we set the locus of feelings as the Atman, then everyone
should be aware of everybody else's feelings since Atman is one!

Can someone help?

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The mind is the product of the sattvic aspect of all the five elements. It
is therefore like a mirror which can reflect light. Pure consciousness is
reflected in the mind. As a result the mind itself acquires borrowed
sentiency, just as the moon, which has no brightness of its own, appears
bright because of the reflection of the sun's light on it. The mind is
therefore able to experience external objects through the sense organs and
also internal states directly. The mind with the reflection of consciousness
in it is the knower, feeler, etc.  The Atma, which is pure consciousness,
cannot by itself know or feel anything. The mind of each person is different
and so one person cannot know another's thoughts though the Atma is the
same.

  Death is the departure of the subtle body which is made up of the mind and
the organs of perception and action, from the gross body. Therefore after
death there is no subtle body within the gross body and so no sentiency.
>From this also it s clear that it is the mind with the rflection of
consciousness in it that is the knower, feeler, etc.

S.N.Sastri