MIND MYSTERIES & CONTROL - 12. THEORY OF PERCEPTION - Sri Swami Sivananda - The Mind: Its Mysteries & Control

THE MIND: ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL - 12. THEORY OF PERCEPTION - Sri Swami Sivananda - The Mind: Its Mysteries & Control - HQ Full Book.

In Chapter 12 of The Mind: Its Mysteries and Control, Sri Swami Sivananda explores the complex and intricate process of perception, presenting various theories and perspectives on how we experience and understand the world around us. Through a blend of ancient Vedic wisdom and modern psychological insights, Sivananda delves into the mechanisms that shape our perceptions, the role of the mind, and the nature of reality itself.

The Nature of Perception
The chapter begins with a profound quote from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, emphasizing that perception is not a simple physical process but a mental one. "When one thinks, then he understands; without having thought, one does not know," Sivananda points out. This suggests that understanding and knowledge are rooted in mental processes, which shape how we experience the world. He explains that we do not see, hear, or feel with our physical senses alone; it is the mind that interprets and processes sensory information. Sivananda further expands on this idea by noting that desire, determination, intellect, belief, and other mental faculties are all contained within the mind. He illustrates this through the example of being absent-minded: a person might fail to hear or see something not because the sensory organs are defective, but because the mind is not fully engaged in the process of perception. 

Two Compartments of the Mind
According to Sivananda, the mind has two primary compartments: the thinking portion and the perceiving portion. The thinking mind is relatively easier to control and quieten, but the perceiving mind, which interprets sensory input and gives rise to our experience of the external world, is much more difficult to stop. The perceiving mind is responsible for the creation of our experience of the world, and it functions through the interaction with our senses. He draws an interesting distinction between individual perception and the broader, universal perception of Brahman. The individual mind, he explains, sees the external world, but its perception is limited and shaped by ignorance. In contrast, the Universal Mind, or Brahman, perceives the world not as discrete objects but as a continuous vibration or movement within itself. This holistic vision is not bound by individual limitations and is capable of seeing the world as an interconnected whole. 

Theories of Perception
Sivananda reviews several theories of perception, each offering a unique view on how we come to know the world around us. The first theory he addresses is the "elastic theory" of perception, which posits that the mind becomes "elastic" when exposed to various sensory stimuli. According to this theory, the mind stretches to accommodate the different sensory inputs it receives. However, Sivananda dismisses this theory, as it does not account for the complexities of mental perception, particularly the mind's ability to perceive simultaneously through multiple senses. Next, he discusses the theory of compartmentalization, which suggests that different parts of the mind are responsible for perceiving different senses. However, like the previous theory, this too is refuted by Sivananda, who argues that such a division is not consistent with the Vedantic understanding of the mind. The "Perception-Creation Philosophy," on the other hand, offers a more holistic view. According to this philosophy, the perceiver and the perceived are one and the same. Just as a spider creates its web from its own body, so too does the mind create the physical world during waking hours and withdraw it during sleep. In this view, the physical world is an externalization of thought, and objects are nothing more than thought waves that have been externalized. The world we see...