The Mind As An Ally

Sometimes I'm asked about the view of the mind in yoga and Buddhism, as a common misconception is that we are somehow anti-mind and are trying to overcome the mind (eliminate the activities of the mind). I'm usually asked this by self-identified rationalists and logical thinkers—people who mistrust the idea of quieting the mind and meditation (“I think, therefore I am”). I'm usually at a loss for words when asked this question, partly because the asker often appears to be searching for something to invalidate the practices of yoga and Buddhism, putting me on the defense--never a good position to be in. Emotional and intuitive-based answers will not satisfy them and I struggle for an answer that will make sense to them. Then yesterday I read this passage in The Heart of Yoga that gives a clear and logical explanation to this question:

“It shows insufficient knowledge and understanding of the Yoga Sutra if you come to the conclusion that the many mental faculties we have—those of observation, inference, memory, imagination, inactivity, and hyperactivity, for example—are detrimental and need to be eliminated. Yoga understands that these faculties are indeed necessary for living. However, exposed to the influences that constantly assail it, the mind develops its own way of working if it's left to its own devices. In the end it becomes incapable of using the many faculties it possesses because it cannot find any stability and clarity. . . . In yoga we are simply trying to create the conditions in which the mind becomes as useful as possible for our actions.”

I think a good example of what happens to a mind “left to its own devices” that most people can relate to, is to look at how easy, and seemly more natural it is, to be in a negative mindset as opposed to a positive one. We always have to remind ourselves to “think positive,” not the other way around.