Compass of the Times 252

Understanding the Mind Force

Keiko Takahashi

A False Belief About the Mind

I am sure that many of our GLA members are looking forward to my new book, The Mind Force, which will be published in April.

This month, I would like us all to think together about some aspects of our Mind Force.

I believe that GLA members are more than aware of the importance of the mind. Non-members, however, are not the same in terms of their understanding of its strengths. Even if they talk about the significance of the mind in words, it seems to me that they do not really feel it is their genuine concern.

What is the image that most people have of the mind?

The mind is elusive and uncertain. The images, thoughts, and ideas that arise in the mind are like air and cannot be grasped with hands; they are ambiguous, insubstantial things that keep shifting and flowing.

The mind thinks about many things, but it cannot exert much influence on events.

Sometimes, what we have in mind becomes reality, but it is not something certain, but happens to work by some chance.

Many of us may think that the Mind Force is something of that level.

Needless to say, such a view of the mind is, of course, a false belief.

The Mind Can Bring Opposite Results from the Same Reality

Our mind harbors amazing powers beyond our imagination.

Coming toward us are realities, such as encounters, events, trials, problems, new challenges, and unfinished issues we have left undone. Even if they are similar realities, the outcome can be completely different depending on our mind. It is often the case that the opposite result is produced as soon as the mind touches the reality that comes to us as Chaos¹.

We do not receive information from the outside world as it is. In fact, we reconstruct our reality according to our feelings, assumptions, values, and experiences harbored in our mind.

For example, when we are deeply depressed, we tend to perceive our surroundings negatively and pessimistically. Conversely, when we are uplifted, we perceive the same situation positively and optimistically.

In addition, our mind is filled with a myriad of assumptions and biases. Distortions in our thinking include, for example, “confirmation bias,” where we only take in information that we want to believe or expect, and we unconsciously overlook information that contradicts it; and “egocentric bias,” where we regard our own way of thinking as absolute and cannot easily consider the circumstances of others. If our thinking is distorted in such ways, our response to the reality we face will also be greatly distorted.

Not only are the possibilities that can be drawn from it greatly limited, but it seems only natural that an unexpected dark transformation² will be drawn from it.

What if we could use the true function of the mind without being controlled by these feelings and thoughts (assumptions)? If we can do so, we will be able to extract the maximum potential from the reality before us. Not only that, but we will also be able to manifest a startling, miraculous reality.

Understanding the Mind Force

Therefore, I would like you to think more earnestly about the Mind Force you have and work even harder to seek it.

Inside of us breathes our Mind—the key that truly divides our future into light and darkness. Our Mind Force can create dead ends in front of us, or it can lead us to a new world full of hope.

Knowing the truth about the Mind Force will surely open up new paths in our lives. I would like to explore together this path and the various secrets that lie therein.

Editor’s Note

1. Chaos

Chaos indicates the primordial state, which has yet to have any form or clear outline, nor results or conclusions. There exist various possibilities and limitations, as well as light and darkness harbored within. The origin of the word “chaos” comes from the Greek myth of the primordial deity Chaos. Chaos is a state prior to the beginning of the universe that harbors all light and darkness. It is a state of nothingness, but at the same time, it conceals all possibilities. As the main premise, the special characteristic of Chaos is that it inevitably leads to a way of life that transcends “good or bad” judgments. (Excerpted and summarized from page 126 of How to Make Your Life the Best)

2. Dark Transformation and Light Transformation

Dark Transformation means turning reality into darkness, such as Pain, Confusion, Stagnation, and Destruction. Light Transformation means turning reality into light, such as Joy, Harmony, Vitality, and Creation. (Excepted and summarized from pages 104-105 of Your Best for a New Era)

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