Perception Takes Place in the Mind, But the Perceiver Is Separate from the Mind

All perception takes place in the mind and the person is viewing that information as it appears on the mind.

So no matter whether it is extra sensory perception which is what you're describing here, whereas somebody can see by, you know, having something under their arm or whatever. Or you know, whatever other means of extra sensory perception there is. All perception really takes place in the mind. Extra sensory perception or when you look at something in your eye, or with your eye, you're not really seeing it with your eye. Your eye is not seeing anything. The eye is not the seer. Nor is it even appearing on the eye, the eyeball. But somehow information goes to the mind and that information which is appearing on the mind is then perceived by the self.

Following is a transcript of this video lecture

So all perception takes place in the mind. Extra sensory perception or non-extra, normal perception takes place in the mind. Actually we have a... let me... we have an exercise... get the X here.

There's a practice, like a meditation technique, that can help you appreciate this point a little more that all perception takes place in the mind. If you (can you get this?) Okay.

If you look... What I want you to do is look at this cosmic red X and why don't you just concentrate on it. Don't, you know, don't... I mean gaze intently on it; gaze intently on it and say to yourself, "I'm aware that I'm looking at this red X". Get it solidly - solid imprint there. Then, now what I want you to do now is close your eyes; close your eyes, and look at the red X as it appears on your mind. Okay? Now try to get it out of your mind. Okay, we'll do that later.

The point is that... this is just a little, quick thing, you can do that exercise or that practice later on your own. But the point is that if you're looking at this red X, and then you close your eyes, you can still be looking at that red X. Right? But now... so like... it's like the perception, whether with your eyes open or your eyes closed, the perception is really there in the mind. You're really looking at the mind. Okay? So all perception is taking place in the mind and each of us is like in our own little theater and the mind is like the show we're watching. Right? We are each in our own private little theater and nobody knows what else is on our mind unless of course they're mind-readers. And everybody freaks out when they think that somebody is reading their mind. It's kind of like, "Hey wow! This guy is really in my space!" You know. It's like, "This guy is really violating my privacy here!" Right? I mean that's really heavy when somebody is trying to get into your mind. Read your mind; because that is the most private space. Right?

So each of us knows that we're in our own private little theater. Right? And once in a while somebody might feel somebody's trying to break in, okay? But generally speaking, putting aside the psychics and all those guys, we're in a private theater. No one else is in there; no one else sees things exactly as we see them. For example, what I'm seeing right now is not what you're seeing. You're seeing it from your angle, and I'm seeing it from my angle, okay? And if you close your eyes and you just watch your mind, nobody is seeing that but you. So it's like the senses can be compared to, maybe, a camera, some kind of camera recorders, and the mind can be compared to the film or the tape, the videotape that these impressions are recorded on. And you are the self, the viewer, the perceiver of this information. So you're like the guy sitting in the movie theater, you're the viewer and you're watching this information that comes across the screen, right? The film, you're watching the information on the film that was originally taken with cameras or videotape recorders and so on.

You're not the mind. You're just watching the mind. The viewer of the mind. So, any other questions? Any other points?

Person in audience: This means that the person cannot be the mind either?

Jagad Guru: I just said the person is not the mind. How can the person be the mind if the person is watching the mind? You're viewing the mind, you're the viewer and the mind is there. That's moving this way, this way, this way, so many things. So many ways. The person is not the mind. The self, you, are the viewer of your mind. The content of your mind is what you're looking at, yeah? You're watching your mind. You sometimes try to change your mind. Or you sometimes, sometimes you DO change your mind. "I changed my mind." That's why I said if you practice that, you can realize you're not the mind. This deserves another subject whether or not the person is the mind. We can go into more depth in the future. But one practice you can consider is this, like I had that red X, you know. The point is that I told you, you know, try to get it out of your mind. Try to get anything out of your mind. Right now try to stop thinking. Get all thoughts out of your mind. That's what some so-called meditators try to do. Right? Okay, get the thoughts out of your mind. Okay, and you sit there and try to get this stuff out of your mind. Including the thought, "Get all these things out of your mind." Okay, so you got to get everything out of your mind, including the desire and the thought, "Get this out of your mind." Okay. So who is it that's trying to control the mind? You see, bring it this way, bring it that way, clear it out. Who is it? That's you. The self. So you're the... you're... you sometimes can be an active participant trying to control the mind, move the mind or clear the mind out or whatever.

But there's another practice I'd like you to consider. You can maybe do this and you can understand more that you're not the mind. Sometimes, when you are alone... we don't really have time to do it in depth now or anything. But when you are alone sometimes, relax. Close your eyes, and just watch your mind. Don't fall asleep; don't be in a too comfortable position, like a bed or anything with covers over you and all that, okay? That's called sleeping. That's something else entirely. You want to stay awake. Okay? And just watch your mind and don't try to control it. And say to yourself, "I am the silent witness, watching the mind. Good thoughts come, bad thoughts come, beautiful pictures come, ugly pictures come. I'm untouched by it all. I simply am watching." That's all. Don't care what's there. You're just the viewer of the mind. Detached from your mind.

Some people become overwhelmed by what's in their mind, you know. They get so upset by it. Because they identify with it. They think, "I am the mind". But if you can understand that you're not your mind, you're the viewer, the perceiver of your mind, you can just be a peaceful witness and the mind is going this way and that way like a monkey jumping here and there. It doesn't matter. You detach yourself in this way.

We can explain this more in the future. You can try that for now. Know that you are the perceiver; you are the perceiver of your mind, where all perception is taking place. And that you are not material in essence. They found no material perceiver and there is no part of the body which can be considered the seer or the perceiver, or you. Okay. Yet you know that you are perceiving. So you are real.