Referring to the mind as an unruly toddler and our intellect as the guiding loving parent is such a brilliant comparison that I shall remember when I need to calm my mind down and flip my perspective. I was triggered yesterday for the first time in quite a while and I let my mind and ego get the better of me which I then beat myself up about but reading your words today was the exact reframe that I needed thank you. 🙏🏽
Joanne, you are very welcome. I’m glad this piece was timely for you and so happy that you relate to the toddler-loving parent analogy. It’s powerful and one that I’ve carried with me for most of my adult years.
Wonderful essay Meredith! I'd already fallen in love with your presence. But having you read these to me, takes it to another level. Well done my teacher🙏.
Bless you MJ. You inspired me to read. I actually enjoyed it and do believe, as you say, that it brings the essay to another level. The distinction between mind and intellect is one of my favourite topics.
Thank you for this practical question Thalita. Let me start by saying, the intellect is like a muscle; it needs to be strengthened. Otherwise, it remains weak.
The gym of the intellect is the early morning, when the world is still. Spend some time, say 40minutes, with an inspiring text — something that elevates your thinking. But don’t stop at reading. Reflect. Question. Contemplate. As you nourish your intellect with higher knowledge each day, your thoughts begin to purify, and your intellect becomes strong and wise — able to withstand life's challenges with dignity, poise and ease.
According to ancient Vedanta philosophy, the sattvic time of the day is between 4-6am; a short window dedicated to spiritual growth, ie, strengthening buddhi. It's incredibly powerful. Just means going to bed earlier.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” 2yo don't want to listen to the sage[s] of the ages. Choice point! Love to you. Thank you. Adore your narration! [Sorry*mmm] 🤌 xx
Wonderfully said, the word Buddhi comes from the verbal root BUDH. Which means to awake, therefore it has strong ties to both the understanding of the intellect as well as spirituality as you mentioned.
The intellect (Buddhi) is a beautiful faculty of the mind that allows us to think in abstraction, creatively, and intuitively. It is an escape from the personal mind that is (as you say) trying to run the show. Intellect is also a powerful tool for surgery, like a sword for discernment, leading us toward what is real and what will bring us lasting, unconditional joy and peace.
Appreciate this Jenni. The only thing would be how we frame the intellect. In Vedanta, the intellect (buddhi) isn’t considered a part of the mind (manas), but a distinct faculty altogether. The mind is where thoughts, desires, feelings, emotions, and impulses arise, while the intellect steps in to examine, question, think, reason, discern, and decide. This distinction is often overlooked or only briefly acknowledged in many schools of philosophy, leaving a crucial human faculty underdeveloped.
Thanks, Meredith, for your clarity. I’ve heard several different interpretations of the layers of mind and consciousness amongst both Yoga and Vedanta, including that buddhi is a functional part of the broader ‘mind stuff’ or chitta. It is the sharp faculty for discernment, but it can still be influenced by the mind, or manas, if left underdeveloped.
I think this is a very subtle bridge between Yoga and Vedanta that we are unveiling here!
How would you view buddhi then, if it is still under the influence of manas?
That is absolutely brilliant. An intellect clouded by the mind is asleep. That is crystal clarity. And yes, much of what we see in the world situation today.
Please don’t hold me in suspense, the higher more subtle aspect of the intellect you are referring to is intuition? The higher or awakened faculty of intellectual wisdom?
Or are we moving into the individual ego? But I understand this as a subtle function.
Today, most people are not thinking clearly. That's because the mind is driving the personality, but the intellect needs to be in the driver's seat, fully awake, as in the adult/child example in the essay.
The subtle intellect isn’t intuition; it’s sukshma buddhi, the power to distinguish between the eternal and the ephemeral, the real and unreal. It’s what’s used in the seat of true meditation — the final gateway to Realisation.
As always, love your article Meredith:_) It all resonates so clearly and makes perfect sense in how to think & live in our daily lives! How we think, is how we speak, is how we feel, is how we act.
It always comes back to the thinking, from the moment we open our eyes in the morning.
I really resonate with this distinction and have come to value this through the teachings and my practice.
But honestly, in many modern-day yoga spaces, I’m seeing that this line has become quite blurred. What feels like reaction is often taken as insight, and emotion gets held up as wisdom, without much pause.
The distinction between the mind and intellect is crucial for mental health. But I understand why it’s difficult for people to accept; having been conditioned to believe that the intellect is academic.
I think it’s hippie logic to understand reaction and emotion as insight and wisdom — and I’ve nothing against hippies. They’re one of my favourite people.
Buddhi, intellect, is the pause button; it’s what gives us wisdom.
“Most people assume they are thinking clearly. But in reality, much of what we call thinking is simply the mind wandering… Left unguided, it simply follows its feelings, preferences and emotions. The intellect, however, is different. It is clear, focused, rational, clever and wise. When the intellect is strong, it guides the mind toward better choices in life.” -- many thanks for this wisdom, that the wisdom in Vedanta is that it is as much a philosophy, as the science of the art of living, of learning how the intellect can think clearly
Referring to the mind as an unruly toddler and our intellect as the guiding loving parent is such a brilliant comparison that I shall remember when I need to calm my mind down and flip my perspective. I was triggered yesterday for the first time in quite a while and I let my mind and ego get the better of me which I then beat myself up about but reading your words today was the exact reframe that I needed thank you. 🙏🏽
Joanne, you are very welcome. I’m glad this piece was timely for you and so happy that you relate to the toddler-loving parent analogy. It’s powerful and one that I’ve carried with me for most of my adult years.
Thank you Meredith for this profound writing! Tons of appreciation.
You are most welcome.
Wonderful essay Meredith! I'd already fallen in love with your presence. But having you read these to me, takes it to another level. Well done my teacher🙏.
Bless you MJ. You inspired me to read. I actually enjoyed it and do believe, as you say, that it brings the essay to another level. The distinction between mind and intellect is one of my favourite topics.
What are practices one can do to strengthen the Buddhi?
Thank you for this practical question Thalita. Let me start by saying, the intellect is like a muscle; it needs to be strengthened. Otherwise, it remains weak.
The gym of the intellect is the early morning, when the world is still. Spend some time, say 40minutes, with an inspiring text — something that elevates your thinking. But don’t stop at reading. Reflect. Question. Contemplate. As you nourish your intellect with higher knowledge each day, your thoughts begin to purify, and your intellect becomes strong and wise — able to withstand life's challenges with dignity, poise and ease.
Thank you 🙏 that’s helpful. I usually do that in the evening before bed. Perhaps it would be better in the a.m for the contemplation part.
According to ancient Vedanta philosophy, the sattvic time of the day is between 4-6am; a short window dedicated to spiritual growth, ie, strengthening buddhi. It's incredibly powerful. Just means going to bed earlier.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” 2yo don't want to listen to the sage[s] of the ages. Choice point! Love to you. Thank you. Adore your narration! [Sorry*mmm] 🤌 xx
Wonderfully said, the word Buddhi comes from the verbal root BUDH. Which means to awake, therefore it has strong ties to both the understanding of the intellect as well as spirituality as you mentioned.
Yes, budh. Intellect is awakened thinking.
The intellect (Buddhi) is a beautiful faculty of the mind that allows us to think in abstraction, creatively, and intuitively. It is an escape from the personal mind that is (as you say) trying to run the show. Intellect is also a powerful tool for surgery, like a sword for discernment, leading us toward what is real and what will bring us lasting, unconditional joy and peace.
Appreciate this Jenni. The only thing would be how we frame the intellect. In Vedanta, the intellect (buddhi) isn’t considered a part of the mind (manas), but a distinct faculty altogether. The mind is where thoughts, desires, feelings, emotions, and impulses arise, while the intellect steps in to examine, question, think, reason, discern, and decide. This distinction is often overlooked or only briefly acknowledged in many schools of philosophy, leaving a crucial human faculty underdeveloped.
Thanks, Meredith, for your clarity. I’ve heard several different interpretations of the layers of mind and consciousness amongst both Yoga and Vedanta, including that buddhi is a functional part of the broader ‘mind stuff’ or chitta. It is the sharp faculty for discernment, but it can still be influenced by the mind, or manas, if left underdeveloped.
I think this is a very subtle bridge between Yoga and Vedanta that we are unveiling here!
How would you view buddhi then, if it is still under the influence of manas?
Great question Jenni: How would you view buddhi then, if it is still under the influence of manas?
In other words, how would i view the intellect if it was under the influence of the mind?
I’d say it was asleep.
Interestingly, this is the situation that we have in the world today.
BTW, Buddhi is not just discernment. There is a subtle part to it as well; not mentioned here though.
That is absolutely brilliant. An intellect clouded by the mind is asleep. That is crystal clarity. And yes, much of what we see in the world situation today.
Please don’t hold me in suspense, the higher more subtle aspect of the intellect you are referring to is intuition? The higher or awakened faculty of intellectual wisdom?
Or are we moving into the individual ego? But I understand this as a subtle function.
I appreciate your Sage insights 🙏
Today, most people are not thinking clearly. That's because the mind is driving the personality, but the intellect needs to be in the driver's seat, fully awake, as in the adult/child example in the essay.
The subtle intellect isn’t intuition; it’s sukshma buddhi, the power to distinguish between the eternal and the ephemeral, the real and unreal. It’s what’s used in the seat of true meditation — the final gateway to Realisation.
The doorway to divine vision.
Thought-provoking and profound; thank you for sharing.
Thank you. TBH there are many years of contemplation behind these words.
As always, love your article Meredith:_) It all resonates so clearly and makes perfect sense in how to think & live in our daily lives! How we think, is how we speak, is how we feel, is how we act.
It always comes back to the thinking, from the moment we open our eyes in the morning.
Yes indeed Amilia. Apologies for the delayed response. As always love reading your comments. Hope all is well with you. 🤍🙏
I really resonate with this distinction and have come to value this through the teachings and my practice.
But honestly, in many modern-day yoga spaces, I’m seeing that this line has become quite blurred. What feels like reaction is often taken as insight, and emotion gets held up as wisdom, without much pause.
The distinction between the mind and intellect is crucial for mental health. But I understand why it’s difficult for people to accept; having been conditioned to believe that the intellect is academic.
I think it’s hippie logic to understand reaction and emotion as insight and wisdom — and I’ve nothing against hippies. They’re one of my favourite people.
Buddhi, intellect, is the pause button; it’s what gives us wisdom.
“Most people assume they are thinking clearly. But in reality, much of what we call thinking is simply the mind wandering… Left unguided, it simply follows its feelings, preferences and emotions. The intellect, however, is different. It is clear, focused, rational, clever and wise. When the intellect is strong, it guides the mind toward better choices in life.” -- many thanks for this wisdom, that the wisdom in Vedanta is that it is as much a philosophy, as the science of the art of living, of learning how the intellect can think clearly
Thanks, Allie. You’re one of the few who can appreciate this 🙏