The soul is something similar to water with no shape of its own but, for us earthlings it is experienced as what gives us life -- the force within the vessel of flesh. Without the body the soul has no reality. The mind is similar – without the flesh – the brain – the mind does not exist. The container of the flesh gives them shape and existence.
The metaphor of the elephant-mind has been frequently employed in Gurbani to describe the nature of the mind. In fact this is a traditional term for the inflated ego, which has been in use for a very long time. The earliest recorded use can be found in the Buddhist texts on the nature of mind.
The stories of one's ancestors make the children good children. They accept what is pleasing to the Will of the True Guru, and act accordingly. ( Guru Granth Sahib Ji - 951)
Physically, all human beings have more or less similar constitution. Everybody's body and brain is made of the same matter. What is different is the thinking - the thoughts that come to everyone every moment are different. The thoughts, feelings, emotions are different - things which are not physical entities.
In Sikh literature, the Gurus identify individuals in two broad categories. The Manmukhs or those whose faces are turned towards the mind and the Gurmukhs, those whose faces are turned toward the Sat Guru or the True Master. These two personality traits are said to govern how individuals live their lives and how joyous, content and balanced they are.
"I am not good, no one is bad," is a shabad found on ang 728 in Guru Granth Sahib Ji that every Sikh should chant each morning for a half hour before beginning their day. Over time that line will become so engraved in your mind you won’t have to chant it no more.
Once there was a man who came to visit his friend. His friend was a good host, and he said, "Oh, come in. It's great to see you old friend. Please come in, I'll get you something to eat."
A Psych professor at CCNY teaching his class about bananas says the expression "going bananas" is derived from what happens in the brain when the potent combination of what's in bananas is not present.
