Question: Babaji, in your previous talks you have described the mind as a tape and the brain as a tape-recorder. Can you please talk more about that?

Babaji:

The mind is your own conscious energy. The brain is a physical organ in your body. Which came first? The mind exists and is active because of the brain; and the brain exists and is active because of the mind. The mind catches all the scenes, like in a movie, and the brain reflects those. Because of the brain only, you are conscious of the universe. It processes and reflects the imprints and these reflections are caught by the mind. When did it all start? There is no firm answer for that.

The mind gets habits, which in India we call samskaras. These imprints are carried to the next life, and the strength and type of these, causes the next life. Meditation clears these imprints of the mind and reflections in the brain, so the mind goes towards God. When you sit to meditate, the mind gets absorbed into the brain and the brain’s tape recorder decodifies these imprints, plays and erases them. This clears the mind’s imprints, and they evaporate. So while this process is going on, you need to have patience.

We tell you to not analyze these thoughts as they occur, so that the mind doesn’t pick up new habits and imprints. Otherwise it becomes like the hen and the egg - one comes from the other, and so on. So do the sadhana, and then you will withdraw the mind, without harming the brain. Unnatural methods like alcohol and drugs, suppress the brain’s functioning, so the mind simply gets kicked off from the brain. This can feel like bliss, but in the process, the blood and brain’s health is affected, so these methods are not recommended. This is the secret technology of meditation.