Manas Buddhi Chitta Ahamkara - Part 15

CHITTA

Chitta is the memory bank: We have learnt very clearly in an earlier post on Chitta that Chitta is the memory bank, which stores impressions and experiences, and while it can be very useful, Chitta can also cause difficulties if its functioning is not coordinated with the others.

Coordinating Chitta:  If Chitta is not coordinated with the other functions of mind, then the thousands, millions, or countless impressions in this bed of the lake of mind start to stir and arise. 

It is as if these many latent impressions, coming to life are all competing for the attention of Manas to carry out their wants in the external world. 

In the absence of a clear Buddhi, the competing voices of Chitta often drive Manas to take actions in the world that are really not so useful.

In the above diagram, it is shown very clearly that when Chitta (the stored impressions of past experience, which have flown back to the Chitta after the actions have been performed through karma indriyas, where, the impressions of the actions are carried back by the jnana indriyas through the gate way of mind and taken to Chitta, the memory bank) dominates, it may or may not join hands with Ahamkara but definitely, it blocks the Buddhi. 

Accordingly, in the diagram, Ahamkara is left open but Buddhi has been blocked/ clouded with striking lines.

Witnessing Chitta: A good way to cultivate the witnessing of Chitta is to simply be aware of the streams of thoughts, emotions, images, and impressions that arise in front of Manas (on which Manas may or may not act). 

Notice how the stream of thoughts comes from somewhere, and then recedes back into that same place. This place is Chitta.

Love.