differences - mind, intellect & ego

[s1va]

In day to day language, mind is the only distinction used, besides (from) body.

 

Intellect (buddhi) seems separate.  The perceiver or thinker?

 

Is ego (ahamkara) a separate entity?  Is this not part of the mind?

 

The same question about the memory store, past experiences & beliefs (chitta).  Is this also not part of mind?

 

Can some one clearly explain the distinction between the four?

[Marblehead]

I wouldn't be too good at explaining this but I agree with you in your questions that the perceiver/thinker, the ego, all memories, are aspects of the mind (brain).

 

Most of us are complete beings.  Our physical and our mental traits vary though.

[Bindi]

From a text by Shankara, translated by Ramana Maharshi. It's a complicated topic.

Buddhi, as the sum total of the inner organs, in contact with the reflected Consciousness has two aspects. One is called egoity, and the other mind. This contact of the buddhi with the reflected consciousness is like the identity of a red-hot iron ball with fire. Hence the gross body passes for a conscious entity. The contact establishing identity between the ego and the reflected Consciousness, is of three kinds.

1. The identification of the ego with the reflected Consciousness is natural or innate.

2. The identification of the ego with the body is due to past karma.

3. The identification of the ego with the witness is due to ignorance.

The natural or innate contact continues as long as the buddhi, but on realization of the Self it proves to be false. The third mentioned contact is broken when it is discovered by experience that there is no sort of contact of anything at all with the Self, which is Being. 

The second mentioned contact, that born of past karma, ceases to exist on the destruction of innate tendencies (vasanas). In the deep sleep state, when the body is inert, the ego is fully merged (in the causal ignorance). The ego is half manifest in the dream state, and its being fully manifest is the waking state. It is the mode or modification of thought (with its latent tendencies) that creates the inner world of dreams in the dream state and the outer world in the waking state. The subtle body, which is the material cause of mind and ego, experiences the three states and also birth and death.

[s1va]

I wouldn't be too good at explaining this but I agree with you in your questions that the perceiver/thinker, the ego, all memories, are aspects of the mind (brain).

 

Most of us are complete beings.  Our physical and our mental traits vary though.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  To me, the three (mind, ego and chitta) seems to be one bundled entity.  The intellect (buddhi) seems to stand out separately,  perceiver and analyzer of the other three.  This is just what I feel.  It does make sense in day to day world to just name and refer to all 4 of them as mind.

I thought I understood the difference at some points.  It is not very clear right now.  I got curios to hear the distinction spelt out. 

[Prasanna]

Vedanta is the science of human personality. Vedanta is the science of our inner being. It involves introspection, reflection, contemplation, and meditation along with karma and Bhakthi in appropriate proportions depending on the basic composition of our personality. Vedanta is a guide for spiritual pursuit and teaches the technique of self inquiry till we achieve Self realization.

 

Coming to the topic of this  discussion, the mind or Manas in Sanskrit, the intellect or Budhdhi in Sanskrit, and the ego or Ahamkara in Sanskrit are all subtler constituents of our inner personality. Mind is defined as the faculty of emotions or feelings. Therefore desires, likes and dislikes, impulsiveness, emotions like anger, greed, jealousy, envy, ostentation, pretense, lust, pride, etc. are all due to the Mind or Manas. Mind also has a positive side to it. It is the same mind that expresses universal love, gratitude, impartial friendship, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, grace, helping tendency, unconditioned true affection for fellow beings, etc. Mind is a subtle faculty which is subtler than the gross body and grosser than Intellect and Ego. Intellect is defined as the faculty of thinking. Therefore, fundamentally all our thoughts emerge from the intellect. Intellect is responsible for all aspects of thinking like discerning, comprehension, understanding, logic, reasoning, conclusion, discrimination, etc. Intellect is subtler than Mind and gross physical body, but grosser than Ego (Ahamkara). Ahamkara or Ego is due to the Causal body (Ananda Maya Kosha) which is subtler than the physical body, Pranas (various internal systems and internal organs), Manas (Mind) and Budhdhi (Intellect), but grosser than the Atman or Supreme Self. The subtler the faculty, it has more pervasiveness and greater control over the grosser faculties. Subtlety means pervasiveness and control over the gross. for example, Manas exists by itself, Permeates cum pervades the pranas and physical body and also has greater control over the functioning of pranas and physical body. Buddhi or the Intellect permeates all the three namely, the Mind (Manas), Pranas and the physical body and also has greater control over the grosser three called the Manas, Pranas, Physical Body (Sthoola Sharira). You can use the same equation to the rest of the  subtler aspects called Ego and Atman (Supreme Self). Ego is that aspect of personality which gives the individual a independent and separate or distinct personality different from the True Supreme Self within. The entire spiritual effort is to achieve oneness with the Atman or Supreme Self by giving up or losing our identification with the grosser ego, intellect, mind, internal organs and physical body through the spiritual practices of Karma Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga and Gnana Yoga. This is Self Realization.

For reference, you may check these details in the book called "The Eternities" also called as "Vedanta Treatise" by Swami. Parthasarathy.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Prasanna

[s1va]

Thanks.  Can you please continue and talk on "Chitta" also?   The same way, how you separately explained the other three and explained their intricate relationship.

 

It is interesting how you relate prana and the physical body in this.