Consciousness According to Sankhya and Modern Science. Class 1
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Indian Institute of Technology Mandi · 2023
Chapters
Overview of the lecture series
Good afternoon. So I'm very happy to be with you and I will introduce shortly my topic for this three lectures. Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Amit Sukla and we thought of uh the three lectures which I will give.
First will describe the Sankhya model of consciousness. How the Sankhya explains the structure of our consciousness and how it is correlated with the modern science.
The second lecture: based on this model, I will explain the mechanism of addiction. What is addiction? I will give the definition of addiction and we will try to find out or to examine how the addiction works.
And the third lecture will be how to get rid of addictions. So that's a little plan for our talks. For today I didn't prepare any presentation. I'm really sorry I it was little improvised.
Uh but uh I'll hope to uh explain it without slides. But for tomorrow I will try to get some slides. So as Dr.
Amitsukla said that I have some scientific background and at the same time for many, many years, more than 40 years, I have been studying Yoga Shastra and other scriptures.
And what was striking for me, is this very interesting correlation between the modern science and discoveries of the modern science and the discoveries of the ancient India. And I will share with you something about this today.
I will explain to you the how the Sankhya model of the cognitive of the brain works and how it is correlated with the scientific findings. Perhaps you know, I don't know, you know, I'm new to this class.
So I don't know what you have learned already, but Dr. Sukla told me that you didn't study carefully this Sankhya model.
According to Sankhya model, there are four different functions of the mind which facilitate our cognition.
These functions in Sanskrit are called chitta, and basically chitta is the main let's say the main definition of mind. Like for example, in Patanjali Yoga Sutra. There is no difference, it doesn't make any differences.
Chitta is Chitta. But then there is ahankar, false ego, then there is mind, manas, which is emotional mind, and then there is Buddhi, which is intelligence or yeah. So these four functions.
Actually, there is one chitta, which is the mind proper, and the chitta has three functions through which chitta our mind interacts with the uh environment, with the world.
Function of Chitta and Samskaras
So let me give a little description definition of these functions, and then I will explain how it correlates with the modern findings.
First of all, the main element as I said is chitta, and the main function of chitta means mind. Chitta means actually collection. Literally, the word chitta from Sanskrit means collection.
And the function of chitta is to reflect the outer world and to collect the impressions of the outer world. Oftentimes this word chitta is translated as heart, and there is a very deep reason behind this.
Perhaps you know that there is not only brain in our head, but there is a brain in our heart. There are some neurons in our heart which are very deeply and profoundly connected with the brain in the head.
Moreover, it's very interesting that the neural connections between the heart and the brain there's more
connections or uh neura how you call it neura uh anyway uh I'm not used to give this kind of scientific lectures in English so please bear with me. I may be a little vague sometimes.
But anyway, what is interesting, it is said according to the modern science, is that it's more than the heart is controlling the brain than the brain is controlling the heart.
The connections which are controlling from the brain to the heart are less than the connections which are going from the heart to the brain. So chitta is located in the area of the heart.
We should not identify this completely because chitta is a subtle element. Heart is the muscle which is pumping blood, but it's located there, the subtle element of chitta is located there.
And basically, chitta is the collection of memories. As I said, the main function of chitta is to reflect the outer world and to keep these reflections inside.
These reflections are called in yoga saṁskāras. Saṁskāras means subliminal impressions. And chitta is nothing but the storage. It's like hard drive.
Like in our hard drive in a computer we have so many different files. So all the different impressions which are there from our experiences in this world, not only in this life but in previous life, if we believe in previous life.
If you don't believe, doesn't matter. Impressions are still there, whether you believe it or not. So in any case, uh uh it's like different files in our hard drive. There are so many files and many files you don't use.
Right? In your memory, in your hard drive, there are so many different files and uh some of the files you don't use.
So these files sometimes they go somewhere in a in a you know sometimes you zip them out, you compress them because you don't use them to free some space on your hard drive.
So, in a similar way, the impressions which we don't use, they are there, they are stored in the heart, but because we don't use them, they're not easily accessible to us.
But this concept of impressions of these saṁskāras is very, very important because if we know this concept, it's very easy to understand different psychological theories, the mechanism of psychoanalysis, so on and so forth.
It's actually a very handy concept which will help you to understand how your brain works. Basically, these impressions which are kept within our chitta store some energy.
And some energy is positive, which is stored there, some energy is negative. And when we uh uh when we encounter something which triggers the saṁskāra.
This is a very common concept and understanding in the modern psychology that you know something in the environment is triggering your memory.
It's basically you're encountering with something which you already experienced and that revives the saṁskāra. And saṁskāra sometimes, as I said, is positively charged, sometimes, as I said, it is negatively charged.
Like for example, as a child, you may have some negative experience.
And when you meet with something which is triggering this experience, the memory of this experience, then this saṁskāra is being awoken, revived, and these negative emotions overflood you.
Sometimes people are completely paranoid, you know, people have claustrophobia. They're very afraid of closed space because they had some negative experience before.
A very interesting historical anecdote is about Napoleon. Napoleon was a great warrior, he was a great general, but he was afraid of cats.
Because when he was a small child, his nurse left him alone, and when he was left alone as a small child, a cat jumped on him.
And it created such a strong fearful impression in his mind that when he was already a big general, he lost his last battle in Waterloo, because the general from the opposing side, from the British side, he knew that he's afraid of cats.
So in front of his army he puts 60 or 70 cats. And when Napoleon saw these cats, he was so disgusted and frustrated that he told his generals, you fight this battle and I go away.
So, this is how saṁskāras are strong. Because this is, you know, as I said, this energy is stored within the saṁskāras.
And you can make, it's also very important for our topic of addictions. You can make this energy less, or you can make this energy more deep.
You know, the strength of the saṁskāra, the power of the saṁskāra, and we are talking, when we are talking about addictions, we are talking about very powerful saṁskāras which push us to do something which we don't want to do, or which we consciously know that we shouldn't do, still we cannot resist to it.
Right? So, for that, we have to understand what makes saṁskāra so strong. There are actually two factors which make saṁskāra strong. One factor is this emotional factor, and that's the main factor.
If some impression, some past memory is connected with very deep emotions, again, you know, even negative emotions are stronger than positive emotions, as perhaps you already noticed.
Negative emotions more strongly keep you in their grip. So emotional energy is there and you can make
some scars stronger by repetition. Like you know studies is nothing but the process of deepening certain impressions, certain memories, certain memory patterns, certain habits which we have by repetition.
So by repeating certain experiences, you can make it stronger. By making it emotionally charged or by having it emotionally connected, you can also make it stronger. So that's basically the concept of citta.
Stages of the cognitive process
Citta is reflecting, citta is recording everything which is within the sphere of our experience and by is within the sphere of our experience and by recording it, citta is actually the mechanism So that's the first thing.
But let me go a little back to this original model, four fold fourfold model of the cognition basically this four-fold model uh we'll try now to understand or to see it within our consciousness, our self.
Again, this fourfold model first is citta means I exist and there is a world around me which, I can interact with. But there is no I yet.
I is the next element which is I consciousness or ego or ahaṅkāra. So that's the next element. The next element is emotional mind. I like it or I don't like it.
Emotional mind, I will tell a little later how it works, but basically it's uh rejects and accepts. This I like, this I don't like. It's basically very simple mechanism: zero, one, zero, one.
As any computer science they say that all the computers is zero, one, plus minus, like, don't like. So, and then there is buddhi or you know your cognitive part, your intelligence.
So basically, what it means, we can try to understand how this consciousness works in the simple act of cognition.
For example, you're going by the street and you see a big you know window of a nice shop and there are some attractive things which are exhibited in this window.
First initial element of your interacting with this is you know that there is something.
You don't exactly know what it is, but the first initial, according to Sankhya, the first initial act of cognition is called Nirvikalpa Pratyaksha, which means indefinite cognition.
You know there is something, but you don't exactly know what it is. And that's exactly when you wake up early in the morning, that's exactly the first thing.
If you try to reproduce your consciousness, how it works, at this moment of waking up, you will clearly understand that the first thing is that I exist but it's not I exist. It's uh yeah I'm there but it's not me yet.
The The consciousness is there. The feeling of existence is there, but there is not yet I. So the next element of cognition when we see something is that How it is related to me?
You know, like sometimes you know you pass by something and you don't even notice it.
You know, you noticed it, and uh your ego very quickly made the connection, and because there is no connection, you passed by it without any cognition.
So this second element of I consciousness is very important because this is the second stage of cognition. How does it relate to me?
For example, if you go, if you are a male, if you are sitting here and you're going by the you know shop which sells saris. And if you're not married, then you probably don't have anything to do with Saris, I hope.
So, because your ego doesn't have anything to do, there is a big chance that you will pass by it and you would you will not even notice it.
But if you are a female and you see some nice clothes, some female clothes, beautiful clothes, then immediately, because you have this female ego, you will make a connection with it.
And the interest, the cognition will be more sharp. You will look in it and you will try to see, you know, how is it related to me, whether I like to have it or not.
So that's the next element of cognition, how this model works. First, you just see indefinitely without any recognition. Then you recognize things in relationship to yourself?
What is the relationship of this particular thing and myself? Am I interested in it or not? And if not, you don't bother with it.
You just go because this is the very important mechanism of not having too many impressions in your hard drive. Not having too much information. So much information we completely sifted out from our consciousness.
Then the next element of cognition is that whether I like this element or not, you know, you already made a connection between this thing which you see and yourself, you uh found some file within your citta and you recognize this thing. You may say, oh, this is this. This is the camera or this is the iPhone or this is this.
And then your emotional mind starts working, whether I like it or not. And if it's something neutral, which you know which doesn't have so much to do with yourself, then again impression will not be so strong.
But if it's something which has a lot to do with your past memories, if it you know invokes some emotional response, then definitely your cognition will start working much more intensely.
And then so first you see something, then you recognize this thing in relationship to you, you're more or less included within your ego.
This is mine, or I would like to have this thing, or you know, I have nothing to do with it. Then you emotionally connect with it, I like it. Oh this is very good. You know, let's take another example.
You're going by the you know sweetmeat shop, you know, some beautiful cakes are there, and you know, and uh and if you never had experience of these beautiful chocolate cakes, then you know you pass by it and you're not really moved.
Or like for example myself, I don't eat chocolate for 40 plus years, so I mean the past memories are already kind of erased from my memory. So no strong emotional response.
But if you experience cakes, if you liked it, then you know there is a chance that you will be more carefully examining what is going on. And then the fourth stage, the last stage, your intelligence starts working.
Can I afford it? Should I buy it? Is it good for my health or not? So this is how it works.
And then at this last stage, this emotional response or emotional reaction to my cognition, to something which I saw, and the intelligent reaction, they will start fighting with each other.
You know, the intelligence will say, no, no, don't go for it. And the mind will say, no, but I want it. And depending on what is stronger, you know, your intelligence or your mind, then you will make appropriate decision.
Basically, why I'm saying this because this model very much explains this marshmallow experiment. Dr. Sukler told me that he explained to you this marshmallow experiment.
So, exactly, this little four-year-old children who were the subjects of this experiment were fighting within their brain. The emotional mind was saying, Oh, this is good. You know, don't wait. Go for it. It's nice.
And probably the saliva was already there, and the mouth and everything was there. And you know, weak intelligence for sake, no, no, wait a little bit, it will be doubled.
So those who were uh better equipped to control this emotional mind, uh they were, as I'm sure Dr. Schukler told you, they were more successful in their life throughout their life, in all spheres of their existence.
So basically, if we this understand, how this relationship of buddhi or intelligence, how it is related with the emotional mind, and how it is related with ego, and how it ultimately relates with the library of our memories.
And citta is nothing but this collection of different memories. If we understand this, it will be much easier to control this mechanism.
You know, for example, if you sit in a car and if you don't know how to drive the car or if you have very limited or primitive knowledge of driving the car, what will be the result? Please tell me.
What will be the result? Accident. Yeah, accident, yeah. Car crash.
So in the same way, if we don't know how to control this mechanism, if we don't know how this mechanism is really uh you know working, then there is a big chance uh that uh you will be crashed. And the crash is actually uh and most of us experience this crashes with the mechanism of this body.
You know, and Katha Upanishad said that this body is nothing but a machine, and the steering wheel of this machine is the intelligence.
So the most of the crashes is taking place in our life because we don't know how to control our mind, how to control this mechanism. And this crash is called disease.
You know, we are putting we are being put in prison or we are being put in a hospital just because we don't know how the mind works.
Cleansing Chitta and Yogic Pratyaksha
So, having said this, let's continue with little more details of how it works, and then I will explain how it correlates with the modern science.
So we studied a little bit about this memory or citta collection of memory which is actually in its pure state is supposed just to reflect the reality and moreover it is very interestingly said that the chitta, when it's pure, when there is not too many collections of saṁskāras within our chitta, it can reflect the higher reality.
Like in yoga it is explained that there is ordinary while speaking about yoga I'm sitting in a yogic position. So in the yoga it is said that there is pratyaksha. Pratyaksha means your experience of the world.
You're looking in the world, you're reflecting the world, you're recognizing something, you're understanding how it works. But there is yogic pratyaksha. Yogi pratyaksha is a very interesting concept. Oh, okay.
Yogic Pratyaksha means that your reflection of the outer world is so pure, your chitta is so pure, that you have the reflection of the outer world, of some subject of the outer world within your citta in exact detail, and by having this reflection within your mind, you examine it within your mind.
You know, like all the achievements of Vedic science,
like for example, in Rig Veda, in some Parishista to Rig Veda, there is basically, you know, the description of the speed of the light. How these ancient people knew this.
Ayurveda describes so many different plants and the properties of these plants. How did they know? They didn't have chemical laboratories, they couldn't investigate it by the modern science and everything else.
The method of this is called yogic pratyaksha. Yogi pratyaksha means you get the information within your mind, because your mind is so clear.
Or you get the information from the higher plane because your chitta is connected with the universal chitta. The universal chitta is the universal information field.
And your individual chitta is your individual information field. You know, like we have you know this internet. Internet like universal information field.
And because you have the connection with the internet, you can get so much more information. Before you, know, and I'm still of this stone age when people didn't use internet.
So before you had a computer, but the computer was not connected with the information field. And therefore, your knowledge was limited.
So basically, yogis of the past, by cleansing their chitta, they were able to connect with the informational universal informational field and get information from there.
It's much more much more powerful than connection with the internet. Moreover, they could get secrets of this universe of this just because of the cleansing of the chitta.
Role and functions of Ahankara
So, chitta, I explained. Now, very important thing is ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra or my ego consciousness is the function of chitta. It's nothing else but function of chitta, but it's a very specific function of chitta.
When we collect so many memories and every impression which
we have, every experience which we have is collected in the chitta, ultimately, this collections of the memories which we have, of the impressions of which we have, takes certain shape.
And this shape is called ahaṅkāra or eye-consciousness. This is me.
If I ask you who you are, you will probably tell me I am this and I'm that, and basically you will mean some past experiences of yours. Your personality, your ego is formed from the past experiences. You know, sometimes people say, oh, I'm a very jolly person.
What does it mean? It means that, you know, the person had an easygoing life and he's just had good experiences. He doesn't have too many negative memories stored in his mind.
And you know, and sometimes people say, no, I'm very sad person, I'm very negative person. You know, we have these personality types.
You know, somebody is very macho-type of you know man. Somebody is very oh you know I'm very nice. So what is it? It's nothing but the collection of my previous experiences, which formed my personality.
That's the concept of karma, basically, which is there in the ancient scriptures. I acted in a certain way, acting in a certain way, I got certain experience, and this certain experience formed my personality.
And because it formed my personality, I react with the environment again in a certain unique way, unique to my personality.
Because and basically ego is the is the sense I am the unique person and I'm different from the rest of the existence. I am different from the rest of the world. I am unique. I am very special.
You know, this is the main function of ego to tell you that you're very special. And you are very special, no doubt about it. You know, the actually the mantra of the ego, you're the best.
You know, this is something which your ego tells you at least uh hundred and eight times every day. You're the best, you're the best, you're the best. You are the very best. And everyone else is not as good as you.
So that's ego. Ego separates you from different people, ego uh develops or determines your mode of interaction with the world, your mode of interaction with other people.
And of course, ego uh ego has two functions, m me and mind. Uh you know, I am this and therefore uh certain things are mine. This is mine. Don't touch mine things.
This is something this this becomes The function of the ego is to make the external world, at least something of the external world, part of myself. Like for example, if you have a car or if you attach to something, whatever it is, it becomes the part of you.
If somebody hits your car, you will run away from the car, what will you tell to this person who hit your car. You hit whom? Me. Right? He didn't hit you. He hit your car.
But your car, because of the process of attachment has become a part of you. So this is what ego does. Ego is appropriating things and makes them part of my personality.
And ego has two functions, not these two functions, functions of iron mind, I said, there are two very important functions of ego, which is again important for us to understand if we compare this model with the modern findings of the brain function.
One is functional ego, and functional ego more or less unconsciously regulates the functions of our body. You know, like for example, our heartbeat.
You think that heart is beating because it's just, you know, it's just nice to you, right? Because it is supposed to beat. No, it's only beating because ego is telling heart to beat.
The moment the ego stops making this signal, giving this signal to the heart from the brain, you know, don't beat, the heart will stop beating. You know, ego is regulating your unconscious functions.
You don't know how it's happening, but it's happening, and because it is happening, there is some ego. Like for example, there are so many things we are living in this campus of this IIT Mandi.
And there are so many things is happening. You know, by why it is happening? Because there is one ego. Because Professor Behera is here. And if he is not here, you know, for a few days maybe everything will be fine.
But if for a long time he is not here, everything will fall apart.
Everything is functioning unconsciously, and he doesn't even know how it's functioning. But still, because there is some personality which is behind this, the whole mechanism is functioning.
In the same way, so many functions of our body are executed just because there is this ego and this ego is controlling this without our conscious control. It's some conscious control.
So that's that's the first function of the ego, functional, well, I don't know how you say it, functional ego. You cannot say functional function, but you know, functional ego. And another function of the ego is representative function.
This is what I am. The personality which you project in the outer world. This is how I am, this is how I'm supposed to interact. You know, I know my history.
I'm the you know member of such and such family, I belong to such and such religion, and so on and so forth. This all I concept. That's conscious ego.
There are two parts of ego: subconscious ego, which regulates and basically rules the functions of our body, and another one is subconscious ego conscious ego, which actually, your projection to the outside world.
I'm such and such, I'm I'm a good person, I'm a moral person, or I am a bad person, doesn't matter, whatever your ego thinks you are. Actually you are not this.
This is just a collection of impressions which is stored within your citta.
Emotional reactions of Manas
So then the next function is manas, mind. And as I said, it's emotional mind. Why? Because it emotionally reacts to the reality. And basically there are two emotions. You can say three emotions.
One emotion I like it, positive emotion. And again, the spectrum, the range of this emotion can be very wide. I like it a little bit, I like it more, I like it very much, you know, so that's the emotional response.
Oh this is really cool. You know, as they say, or this is cool. So if you say it's cool, it means you like it very much.
So that's the positive response to the reality, and there is a negative response, I don't like it, and there is a neutral point. I am indifferent to this. I neither like it nor don't like it so much.
I hate it, I like it, or something very neutral. So this dual function of the mind, dual emotions of the mind, this thing I hate, this thing I like, is actually a very strong driving force. And it's all based on ego.
First we have chitta. The collection of saṁskāras takes some shape, and this shape forms our ego. An ego controls the emotion. Actually the mind is controlled by ego.
Why some people like some things and don't like some other things. And other people they have completely different reactions to the same thing. You know, like I don't like meat.
If there is a smell of meat, you know I I feel like vomiting. But some people like meat. Why? Because this is the emotional reaction based on my past experience and my past experience form my ego.
So, according to my ego, to my conception, my memories stored in my mind, I will try to acquire something which I like and I will try to reject something which I don't like.
So my emotional reactions are basically determined by the shape and the program which is there in my ego. There's very deep unconscious program within my ego which determines my emotional response.
Sometimes I don't even know why I hate somebody. You know, I see somebody, an immediate reaction I don't like. And you ask yourself why you don't like this person, you will not be able to answer.
But the answer is that because this person perhaps reminds you somebody who inflicted you some pain.
And this memory is recorded within your citta, and you forgot this memory on a conscious level, but your ego is still reminding you. Is still remembering you.
Oh, this is, you know, this is this person's thinks, you know, let's keep far away from him. So that's how it works with the emotional mind.
And as I said, emotional mind, you know, it has very simple reaction: plus, minus, like, don't like.
So, but uh again, this combination of uh like, don't like can have very wide range of different reactions, emotional reactions. But basically, emotions are two: hate and like: raga and dvesha.
Role of Buddhi in control
Raga means attachment, dvesha means hatred. And then the last thing, last but not the least, the most important thing is my intelligence, my conscious intelligence.
Emotional mind, which is somewhat subconscious, which doesn't understand, as I explained, the mind doesn't really understand how it works, why you like something, why you don't like something.
Very deeply rooted ego which is totally subconscious, which is much deeper than your conscious mind, and ultimately your conscious intelligence by which you determine whether it's good for you or not.
And this is the most important element which actually distinguishes you as a human being from any other species of life. Ego everyone has. Cat has ego. Dogs have ego. You know, you know how the dogs they they work?
They go to a certain bush and they you know pass some urine and it means that this bush belongs to me. You know, this is how they appropriate certain territory. This is my territory.
And if some other dog will come to this territory, there will be fierce fighting, you know. Because this is the you know the range of my ego. This is where my ego is. So any animal has ego. Little cockroach has ego.
If you try to kill cockroach, the cockroach will not, you know, will not make namaskar to you and tell please kill me. The cockroach will run away from you. Why?
Because ego will tell him, no, no, you're very special cockroach. Your existence is very important. You're laughing, but actually, this is how ego works. You have to save yourself by all means.
You know, this is the all the instincts of self-preservation are recorded within our ego. And it's a very deep-rooted instinct of self-preservation. And everyone has ego. Everyone has mind.
You know, I like, I don't like, you know, the you know, dogs have mind. Everyone has mind. Intelligence only you have. If you have. It should not be taken for granted.
Intelligence basically means the controlling mechanism, if you are able to control your mind and your ego. Only in this case you can boldly say that you have an intelligence.
If you are not able, if you're not capable of controlling your emotions and your emotional reactions, if you're not capable of controlling your ego reactions, your intelligence is very weak, and that's exactly what is going on in majority of the cases.
In reality, the intelligence, Buddhi, is supposed to control the mind. But in reality, it's the mind who is controlling the intelligence.
Usually, what is happening in our day-to-day interactions, we see something, we like something, the intelligence tells us, no, no, no, it's not good for you. But the mind says, no, no, I like it. And then intelligence says, Yes, sir, I will explain how it is good for you.
In reality, instead of saying no, the intelligence has become a yes man to our mind. He will explain to you whatever is good for you, even if it's bad for you.
This is how it works in the why people do so many stupid things. Why people they know that it's bad, but they are convinced that it is good because their intelligence is perverted.
The functions of the intelligence is not really working properly.
Correlating Sankhya with brain anatomy
This whole system can only work properly, and you can only be sure that you are in control of the machine of this body if everything is properly controlled by intelligence by buddhi.
And now you know the very last thing which I wanted to say is that I don't know if you were uh explained or you were talking about this uh uh triune brain. You were talking about this MacLean model of the brain?
Yeah, it's very interesting. There is a very famous model which is somewhat outdated and which is based on wrong uh notion of evolution, of Darwinian evolution, but still it has something to do with reality.
It's still accepted by many scholars with corrections. This model was suggested by some scientists, MacLean, Paul McLean, in the 60s, 1960s, some you know, 80 years back.
So it's outdated to a certain extent, but still it's quite handy. And it is said that the brain is unity of three brains.
That our brain is actually a unity of three brains, and the most primitive brain is called reptile brain or the stem brain. I have a picture of it. I will show it yesterday, tomorrow. Tomorrow or you can show it yeah.
So this uh very primitive uh instinctive brain is there which is stem stem area of our brain then there is a limbic system which is put like literally put over the stem it's like you know, there is some sort of stem, then there is some limbic system over it, and then there is neocortex.
And you know, there is a speculation about it that first it was reptiles, then the mammals developed into mammals. Mammals develop this emotional limbic system. And then the the you know higher mammals starting with apes develop this neocortex.
So, but basically, if we consider this model and the functions of these three parts of the brain, we will understand that it exactly correlates with this concept of ego, mind and intelligence of Sankhya. Because stem, this reptile brain, yeah.
You can see this reptile brain, which is light greenish, and then there is limbic area, which is emotional brain, with different mechanisms in it, and then ultimately neocortex, which is the representation.
And mammalian brain, this is limbic system or emotional system, and reptilian brains, so-called reptilian brain, in which recorded the most subconscious functions of the mind and basic instincts and especially the instinct of preservation.
So it exactly correlates with the Sanky model which I explained. The ego is there, it's mostly subconscious. The very important function of the ego is to regulate the subconscious, unconscious functions of your body.
And you know, to determine the functions of your body, you will not be able, if something wrong happens with this area, you will not be able to function. This is basically very dangerous area.
And then there is a limbic system, and the limbic system is exactly working according to Sankhya, yes, no, I like, I don't like.
And I will explain to you tomorrow in the connection with the mechanism of addiction: more details of how the limbic system works and what are exactly the elements of this limbic system which determines your reaction, I like, I don't like.
And then the neocortex, your cognitive brain or the brain which actually determines what your uh how to say this, your uh yeah, your operational brain it's It's supposed to be buddhi.
And it's supposed to again to control other functions, but unfortunately when, it's weak, it's being controlled by this lower functions of the mind.
And that's model, if we understand this, we very quickly understand first of all what is the mechanism of addiction?
And second of all, with some very interesting details, and second of all, how to get rid of addictions, how to fine-tune this system so that the Buddhi, the most important part of our intelligence, would develop and would give us some good control in our life and ultimately bring us to a success in our endeavors.
So I guess that's it for now, right?