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Index Page
by Jayaram V
Buddhi is a word with complex meaning, with no equivalent in
English, and rather
difficult to explain to those who are not familiar
with the eastern religions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism.
Generally speaking buddhi is a kind of intelligence that exists in all
of us and helps to be smart and intelligent in taking decisions. Buddhi
is discriminating intelligence. It is one of the tattvas identified in
Samkhya and Hindu philosophical systems. According to the tantric
scriptures, Buddhi is the place where the radiance of Atman is
reflected. Buddhi gives us the power to discriminate and decide what is good for us and
what is not. It is the force behind our wisdom and our reactions to
the outside world. It is however not just power of discretion and judgment.
It is also perception, comprehension, understanding, intelligence,
rationality, wisdom, discrimination, mindfulness, presence of mind,
all working together to keep us attuned to the world around us and
deal with it wisely, appropriately and effectively to the best of our
expectations, beliefs, intentions and attention. Buddhi
influences the way we understand and interpret our experiences, take
actions and decisions, develop beliefs and prejudices, regulate our
lives, behavior, relationships, learning, speech, expression and so
on. Buddhi-hin means absence of or deficiency of buddhi, which is
often used to refer to people who are considered to be stupid or
foolish.
According to Hindu scriptures, most of our problems in life
can be traced to the deficiencies in our buddhis. The buddhi has a
tendency to become clouded by the activity of the senses and our
desire for sense objects. A man of lesser buddhi is constantly driven
by the senses and the desire for sense objects. He loses his control
over his mind and thoughts and indulges in actions that would bind his
soul to the cycle of births and deaths. He suffers constantly as he
fails to practice equanimity during the union and disunion of the
senses and the mind with the sense objects.
Suggested Further Reading
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