The Nature of the Mind and Meditation : หน้า 80/200

76 MEDITATION THE MIND "When I'm in peace the world is in peace. World peace begins with inner peace." Human beings consist of body and mind. The mind is a form of energy which controls and sends signals to the brain, enabling us to think, speak and act in either good or bad fashion. The function of the mind is "to see, to remember, to think and to know". We must not confuse the "mind" with the "brain". They are two different entities. The brain has a solid physical form of flesh and blood and is located inside the skull. Al- though not visible to the human eye, the mind also has a form, but an intangible one, much like electricity or magnetic energy. The mind is the origin of all actions, good or bad. It is the quality of the mind, or the lack thereof, that makes us good or bad. We need to nurture and control the mind so it can't control us. In its natural state, when the mind is completely still, the mind is pure and perfect, free of any mental contaminants known as defilements. It is in this state that the mind functions at its maximum potential. But the mind is always restless and never still. It jumps quickly from one thought to another. A mind that is restless is like stirred water sullied by impurities, losing its clear-seeing quality. Mental impurities cloud our mind like dirt clouds water. It is hard to see with a clouded mind. Meditation is a process that stabilizes and purifies the mind, restoring it to its natural state of clarity.