We have started looking at the landscape of our inner instrument, to see what exactly it is that we call our minds. It is easy to appreciate that it is a vast universe that is not as categorized and well defined as our external world. This is why we need a person who knows the mind to show us how exactly it works.
We saw that one of the most subtle and influential aspects of the mind is memory. Memories can be made deliberately, like when we prepare for an exam, but they are also made unconsciously. These memories contain not only perceived objects, but all the sensations and emotions that were present when the memories were made. For example, if you felt happy the first time you ate ice cream (either because of the taste of the ice cream, or any other reason, like the people who were with you), your next encounter with ice cream will call up this memory of happiness in your mind. These associations of objects and emotions compound over time with every encounter, until they form a strong relationship. These relationships are called vāsanā. We will be seeing further how vāsanā plays a very important role in the behaviour of our minds.
Over the next few classes, we will be focusing on different aspects of the mind to gain a deeper understanding of it, so that we can use it more effectively for our goals.
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