Chapter 5 - BMI (Body, Mind and Intellect)

This chapter extends the idea of trying to understand yourself as a science. In the chapter on religion, we focused on the idea that religion should facilitate a better understanding of oneself. Let us deviate a little bit before we come back to the original focus of this chapter. In order to better understand the world around us, we focus on defining each element carefully. So let us ask a simple question that many of us have learnt in early phases of studying biology.

Why do plants breathe ? 

The common explanation of why plants breathe is that they absorb carbon-di-oxide (co2) from the air, and water from the ground, through the roots and then the chlorophyll processes these as a transaction -- in the presence of sunlight. The thing to note in this example is that we do not observe this with naked eyes ! However, through detailed study, scientists have managed to break down this transaction into its components and understand the interactions between these components to learn how the plants work and survive. 

In the same way, the body has multiple layers. A human being who experiences the world around him and processes the inputs, into their transactions needs to be carefully understood not just its components, but the lens through which these components are . In relation to our current evolutionary standing, the BMI Chart proposed by Swami Chinmayananda accomplishes its purpose of trying to develop the different components of our system by which we process experience. 

Adapted from the "Self Unfoldment" by Swami Chinmayananda. Please note that the original picture is in the Chinmaya Mission DC, website - http://www.chinmayadc.org/rc_bmichart.htm

The BMI Chart

The BMI chart serves this purpose. The key to understand the BMI chart is to know that it covers the different levels. Below, I produce a modified version of Swamiji's BMI chart. The primary intention of this modification is for us to better understand and be able to think about this carefully. In some ways, our life is a series of experiences. To better understand these experiences, we  need to understand them as components, just as we study plants, the BMI chart allows us to study the different experiences into its constituent parts. Here first, every experience is composed of three elements. First is the experiencer, the second is the object of experience and the third is the "experiencing," the relationship between the subject and the object.  Lets walk through the BMI Chart carefully. In later chapters, Swamiji provides the definition of each of them. 

First we must understand the different levels of the chart and move upwards. It is useful to start at the lowest level, where the visibility of the object is undeniable. An experience is always an active endeavor. However, in order to have an experience, we must understand the components of it. At the lowest level, we need an "object of experience". These can be "physical objects", "emotions" and "thoughts." It is very interesting to note that all of these are "nouns" in the English dictionary. Each of these can be thought of as the "object" of experience. The "action of experience" if the "experiencing." In some ways, experiencing is the process of identification. Body identifies with objects, Mind identifies with emotions; and the intellect identifies with thoughts. The perception, feeling and thinking (or discriminating) are all the process with which the equipment of body, mind and intellect (experiencers) identify with the objects, emotions and thoughts. Vasanas indicate the condition of experience. It is the "flavor" of our experience, or we can also call is "smell" of our experience. The BMI in this case is identifies with the OET through PFT. The nature of this identification depends on the flavor of our being. The unconditioned experience is the nature of the self. Vasanas indicate the condition of the self. When we know that our experiences from our equipment of experience are no more conditioned, we experience the "true" self.

  

By identifying with the "true-self" as the ability of humans to do what is right, not worrying about immediate consequences, that can transcend their own limitations. As the book says when we identify with the higher, the lower falls away. The unconditioned experience is also called the sat-chit-ananda. In the state of unconditioned experience, we learn that the self is present everywhere. In that scenario, gratification does not come from outside, rather, the gratification comes from within. Identification with outside objects cease, and it is easier to set your vision higher since we are not more self-serving our egos. More on this as the book progresses.