We spend our entire lives trying to win a battle that cannot be won. We try to silence the mind, control our thoughts, and curate our emotions. We treat the mind like a unruly child that needs to be disciplined. But have you ever stopped to ask: Who is the one trying to discipline the mind?
The truth is startling. The mind is not just a collection of your daily thoughts. It is an ancient archive. It is a biological museum. It contains the roar of the dinosaur, the fear of the squirrel, and the mischief of the monkey. You are not responsible for this noise, yet you burden yourself with it.
In this post, we will explore why "mind control" is a myth, why your head is so noisy, and how the only way to find peace is to let the ancient machinery burn itself out while you simply watch.
1. The Ancient Zoo: Understanding the Noise Inside
The Biological Inheritance
You often feel that your thoughts are "yours." You take ownership of every random impulse that flashes across your screen. But the source text suggests a deeper truth: "A thousand squirrels are sitting here, and five hundred monkeys, and the extinct dinosaur."
This is not just poetry; it is evolutionary biology. Your brain has evolved over millions of years. The reptilian brain (the dinosaur) still exists within you, driving fear and survival. The mammalian brain (the monkey) seeks social validation and pleasure. When you hear noise in your head, it is not just "you" thinking; it is millions of years of evolution playing its mischief parallelly.
The Burden of the Ancestors
The mind also carries the weight of humanity. All the men and women of the world—living, dead, and about to come—are somehow represented in the structure of your consciousness. The fears of your ancestors, the wars they fought, and the hunger they felt are encoded in your psyche.
Recognizing this relieves a huge burden. You are not a bad person for having chaotic thoughts. You are simply a vessel carrying the noise of the universe. The crowd inside is enormous, and they are all raising a huge uproar together.
The Futility of "Fixing" the Zoo
Imagine trying to silence a stadium full of people by shouting at them. Your shout just adds to the noise. Similarly, when you try to "fix" the mind, you are just adding more conflict. You cannot cater to the mind, and you certainly cannot win against it. It is too old, too vast, and too complex for the little "you" to conquer.
2. The Trap of Complexity: Why You Can’t Solve the Puzzle
The Endless Maze
The mind loves puzzles. It loves to create problems so it can solve them and feel important. You might feel a sense of achievement when you analyze your psychology and think, "Aha! I have understood why I am angry."
But this is a trap. The source text reminds us: "There is no secret here, sir. There are only complexities." Solving one layer of the mind only reveals a deeper, more complex layer. It is an endless maze. You can feel a little emboldened or like an achiever for a moment, but you will soon realize the puzzle has no edges.
The Illusion of Control
At times, you may feel you have "put a lid" on the mind. You might have a few days of calm meditation and think you have won. But the more you try to solve it, the more you see how expansive it is. The mind is not a small room to be cleaned; the mind is the universe itself.
Letting the Universe Live
Since the mind is the universe, it has a parallel life of its own. The greatest spiritual maturity is to say: "Let it live." Stop trying to shut it down. Stop trying to understand every ripple. If the mind wants to play out a drama of fear, let it play. If it wants to dream of the past, let it dream.
3. The Art of "Burning Out": The Process of Karma
The Accumulated Residue
Why does the mind chatter so much? It is releasing energy. It is carrying the "accumulated residue of an infinity of time." Think of it like a spinning wheel that has been given a massive push. Even if you stop pushing it today, it will continue to spin for a long time because of the momentum.
This momentum must run its course. The thoughts, the dreams, the strange desires—they are all smoke rising from a fire that is burning out. If you try to suppress the smoke, you choke the chimney.
Cleaning in the Natural Course
You have to allow all of that to burn itself out. This is a process of internal cleaning. While the cleaning happens, it will look messy. There will be dust, there will be noise. The mistake we make is getting involved in the mess.
The text advises: "While that is burning itself out... you stay a little aloof." This aloofness is the key. You are the sky; the thoughts are the clouds. The clouds can be black, white, or stormy, but they never touch the sky.
The Return of the Extinct
Sometimes, you will be surprised by what comes up. You might think, "I thought I dealt with this fear years ago. Why is the dinosaur back?" Do not be alarmed. The dinosaur is alive because the mind is non-linear. Just point at it, acknowledge it, and let it have its mischief. Do not pay heed. Paying heed is the fuel that keeps it alive.
4. Being with the Real One: The Definition of Dharma
What is the "Real One"?
In spirituality, we often confuse "God" with an image or a concept. But here, the definition is stripped of all religion. "Being with God means nothing more than being able to not identify with the noise in your head."
You do not need to know the definition of the Real One. You only need to know what you are NOT. You are not the bubbling noise. You are not the fear. You are not the ambition. If you are not identifying with these, you are automatically with the Truth.
The Power of Non-Identification
When you stop saying "I am angry" and start seeing "There is anger in the mind," everything changes. This simple shift is the essence of Dharma. You follow your Dharma by remaining firm in your seat of observation while the storm rages outside.
No Imagination Needed
You don't need to imagine a peaceful deity or a white light. You just need to look at the dinosaur in your head and say, "I see you, but I am not you." Without this separation, true spirituality is impossible.
5. Practical Wisdom: How to Walk Through the Crowd
Dealing with the "Wise Old Men"
The mind is not always a monster; sometimes it is a trickster disguised as a sage. The text mentions: "There are old men, little kids, they are all here."
Sometimes your mind will come up with very wise suggestions. It will sound logical, moral, and righteous. It will try to "talk you up" or "talk you in." This is the subtlest trap. Even the "good" thoughts are part of the noise.
Smile and Walk Past
What should you do when the mind offers a brilliant argument or a terrifying warning? The instruction is simple: Listen, Smile, and Walk Past.
Don't fight the old man. Don't argue with the dinosaur. Acknowledge their presence—as you would acknowledge a stranger on the street—and keep walking. Your job is to keep flowing silently. Their job is to make noise. Let everyone do their job.
The Final Liberation
There are snakes in the head, and rabbits afraid of wolves. There are World Wars being fought in your neurons. It is a chaotic, dangerous, vibrant place. But you are safe as long as you remember your position.
You are the silent river flowing through the noisy city. The city will never stop being a city. But the river does not need the city to be quiet in order to flow. Flow silently. That is your victory.
"You listen to what they have to say, smile, and then walk past them. It's their job to talk you up... and it's your job to keep flowing silently."