May 16, 2010: The Inner Instrument

We are trying to see how the mind is different from you, the meaning of tvam in the equation, "tat tvam asi". One of the ways to do this is to appreciate the mind as a karaṇa, or instrument that we use to perform tasks. When we see our whole lives as being in the form of sādhya-sādhana, goals and the means to accomplish them, the entire world becomes our karaṇa. This includes instruments that are completely separate from us - tools, technology, and so on - the physical body, which is required to perform any action, and the senses, which are necessary to gain knowledge about the world even before we use the body to act. The mind is a karaṇa in exactly the same way.

For example, we know that we all solve problems in our lives. If we look a little closer, we are able to appreciate that we do not solve the problem, but we use our mental faculty to find the solution. The instrument we use to achieve such subtle goals is "inner", in the sense that it is not as easily seen as an object by us, and it is certainly not seen by others. This is why in Sanskrit it is called the antaḥ-karaṇa, or inner instrument. It is still an instrument, however, like the rest of the instruments we use, and we can improve it and make it conducive towards achieving the kinds of goals we have in our lives. In fact, the more we begin seeing it as an instrument, separate from us, the more adept we will become in using it.