Stream, box and eye

Mind, independent of its contents, is made up of three structures.

The first I liken to a stream because it is the flow of existence itself, joyful, loving, alive, like a cup that is continuously emptying and filling at the same time. The gong sound reminds us of this existential current. Interestingly, it is not found in the brain where people tend to think mind is, but in the heart, where the mind really is. Some spiritual systems call this your consciousness stream and consider that to be the essence of the human being.

The second I liken to a box because it is the container put around what is otherwise without boundaries and thus cannot be shaped or compared to anything, or owned by anybody. Without such a distinction it is largely impossible to know the difference between anybody or anything. Some people call this the ego.

The third I liken to an eye because it is awareness and is responsible for sensory functions. Some people think this awareness is the highest level of development and is sometimes called the no-self, as in awareness without identification. Eye without box.

This mind construct is considered perfect because it mimics the structure of the soul and is thus the perfect vehicle for developing soul consciousness. The soul, is existence contained within a boundary possessed of consciousness. Stream, box and eye. It doesn't know this is what it is - there is no knower - until the process of life grants the experience that must inevitably lead there. In other words, the life process eventually evolves to the point where something transcendent to the mind, body and world but possessing similar structural characteristics becomes known to us.

It is kind of like a house with three painted windows. For a while we just look at the windows, admire or criticize them, or just wonder about them. After a while we start wondering what is behind the window. So we start trying to look through one of them, wash it or pry it open. Eventually we discover a room on the other side. At first we think, ah this is it, but then we remember there are three windows and this room only has one. So we go through the same process with the other two windows and discover two different rooms.

Naturally we discover that the dimensions of these three rooms doesn't add up. There has to be a fourth room that is hidden but supported by all three - a central chamber that is also a capstone. That find, in a nutshell, is the purpose of life.