Mind, the toughest prison; Mind, the fullest freedom

The mind is a prison- is a correct but an incomplete statement. The mind is limited by the brain, but the mind is not merely brain. What is it beyond the brain? Intelligence.

The mind is surely a prison when intelligence is not in operation. When one is not attentive, then the mind surely becomes a prison; a prison of the past, a prison in which others have enslaved you. But the mind is not a prison when we are acting intelligently.

Somebody has said, “the mind is both- your best friend and your worst enemy.”

The mind is both- your best friend and your worst enemy.

When is it your best friend?

When the same mind is operating intelligently.

And when is it your worst enemy?

When intelligence is switched off.

And when is the intelligence switched off?

Intelligence operates only in an environment of attention. Alternatively, you could say intelligence only operates in love. When there is no attention, when there is no care or love, then intelligence does not function. And then the mind is your worst enemy. It is a prison, more difficult to break out of than the central jail.