Inanities of Mind and Parable of “The Poisoned Arrow”
It is said that human mind is the most powerful tool and together with the power of imagination can create success or failure, pain or pleasure, hope or despair, happiness or unhappiness, opportunities or obstacles etc. And the capability that a mind is believed to possess seems far greater than most of us can even begin to imagine. For instance some brain experts are of the view that it is capable of creating more ideas equivalent to that of the atoms of the universe. But at the same time it also has the potential to wander and can go everywhere but in the present that is definitely not good for our mental health.
According to psychologists, Mind-Wandering is a common everyday experience in which attention becomes disengaged from the immediate external environment/situation and focused on internal trains of thought.
Moreover, it is also believed that Mind wandering is ubiquitous to the human experience and may be the brain’s default process.
And, some brain experts suggest that Unintentional mind wandering occurs when our thoughts are not tied to the task at hand.
But, sometimes, it keeps wandering even in spite of being tied to a task at hand, making it harder to focus on the problem that needs immediate solution.
So, if you don’t control what goes in, and what goes on in your mind then it will control you and life will just start happening to you. And mind wandering also causes an individual’s thoughts to shift away from the task at hand; it is often referred to as task-unrelated thoughts. Moreover, as some pundits point out, in order to escape some unpleasant feelings, such as those of boredom, stress, anger etc., our mind goes on wandering. But such escapism rarely solves the task, problem, or situation at hand, leaving us more despondent when we return from our mental travels.
Thus it is important to practice mindfulness to keep the mind from wandering and escaping for a temporary relief. Learning to direct and guide your mind is synonymous with getting control of your life.
Similarly becoming highly curious also can’t make you “omniscient” or all-knowing, all-wise. Nor is it necessary to be all-knowing or all-wise as it isn’t just a practical impossibility but a theoretical one as well unless you are Joan of Arc who is believed to have been romantically glorified (by contriving fictional stories about her) and whose character was distorted by French nationalistic prejudices to save the Kingdom of France from the English invaders/occupiers. It may be mentioned that she made French people believe that she was acting under divine guidance (reportedly testifying that she was guided by visions from the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine to help him save France from English domination) and thus inspired the French army in a momentous victory at Orléans in 1429 that repulsed an English attempt to conquer France during the Hundred Years’ War.
Regardless, returning to our main subject, we can say that a wandering or a highly curious mind needs to be controlled as it can pose a serious threat by drifting off making you unable to focus on the problem or situation at hand.
Although psychologists suggest different ways to pull out of control or wandering mind back into the present moment enabling us to focus on the problem at hand and thus solve it , but “The Parable of Poisoned Arrow” is considered the best teaching/guidance on controlling our thoughts and dealing skillfully with the immediate problems or suffering that we confront in our daily lives.
Legend has it that Gautama Buddha told this story to a disciple who wanted to be a monk and thus was eager to hear from the teacher the answers to the “14 unanswered questions” (while according to some other resources “Ten Undeclared Questions”) related to metaphysical issues such as life after death, heaven and hell, end of times etc. Apparently, he was one of his most impatient students and was anxious to get answers to his questions or skeptical inquiries into Buddha’s metaphysical views and was ready to be a monk only after knowing the answer of these questions. However, instead of providing any answer to these questions, Buddha told him the story of “The Poisoned Arrow.”
Here is a popular version of the parable:
“There was once a man who was hurt by a poisoned arrow.
The family and friends wanted to get him a doctor but the patient refused, saying that he first wanted to know the name of the man who had wounded him, the caste to which he belonged (whether he was a noble or a Brahmin, or a merchant or a peasant) and his country of origin.
He further said that I will not let the surgeon pull out the arrow until I know whether the man who wounded me was tall or short or of middle height;…until I know whether the man who wounded me was dark or brown or golden-skinned;…until I know whether the man who wounded me lives in such a village or town or city;…until I know whether the bow that wounded me was long bow or cross bow;…until I know whether the bowstring that wounded me was fiber or reed or sinew or hemp or bark;…until I know whether the shaft that wounded me was wild or cultivated;…until I know with what kind of sinew the shaft that wounded me was bound — whether of an ox or a buffalo or a lion or a monkey;…until I know what kind of arrow it was that wounded me — whether it was hoof-tipped or curved or barbed or calf-toothed or oleander. Moreover, as he wondered if the arrow’s feathers came from a vulture, peacock, or falcon, and whether the bow was common, curved, or made of oleander, he ended up dying before getting an answer to any of his questions.
Conclusion
Focus on what’s really happening to you in the present
Like other great wise men of the past, Buddha proposed a practical philosophy that encourages us to focus on the simplest things, as a way to achieve higher goals. Moreover, since the questions of metaphysical nature such as life after death, existence or nature of God are unknowable, it can be pointless or distracting to attempt to form images or theories and thus make the mind restless and confused.
For instance, reportedly when once he was questioned about the problem of the infinity of the world, the Buddha said, ‘Whether the world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation remains the same.’ In other words liberation comes from within and not from without. And as “Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth.” Those who engage in these kind of debates would be much better off cultivating the means to attain direct knowledge of their own selves, their own inner world.
When we are able to control our mind and don’t indulge in unnecessary debates about the material universe outside (that is never constant and thus can’t be perfectly explained), we can better focus on our inner world. A strong inner self means that we can cope well with our emotions, are self-aware, have clarity and a good sense of our values, and feel a purpose in life. It also means that we are able to remain calm and resilient in the face of adversity from the outer world.
In a nutshell, as some psychologists seem to suggest, those with an external locus of control have been shown to have higher levels of stress and even depression (Benassi, Sweeney, & Dufour, 1988). It stands to reason that if someone feels they are at the mercy of outside forces and their life is not in their hands, this could lead to anxiety and learned helplessness.
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References:
i) https://artplusmarketing.com/control-your-mind-before-it-controls-you-adba1f09dd22
ii) https://foundations.koahealth.com/blog-post/why-your-mind-wanders-and-what-to-do
iii) https://www.nirandfar.com/taming-a-wandering-mind/
iv) https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/mind-wandering
v) https://www.thecollector.com/what-made-joan-of-arc-french-heroine/
vi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Poisoned_Arrow
