Buddhi

Buddhi

"intelligence, mind, reason"

Buddhi is part of antahkaran and is responsible for the ability to distinguish. A developed buddhi distinguishes what is right and what is not in terms of spiritual development. Buddhi regulates manas (the lower mind), it is called also common sense and is responsible for the correct thinking, for the correct operation of intuition.

In Sankhya, buddhi is regarded as the subtle substance of all mental processes. This is the ability by which we distinguish between objects and perceive them as such. The functions of buddhi are clarification and decision making. All other organs function for the intellect (buddhi), which works directly for Purusha, giving the latter the opportunity to perceive everything that exists and to establish differences between himself and Prakriti.

In "Siddha-siddhanta paddhati" (I.46) the following qualities of buddhi are given:

"Differentiation, detachment, peace, contentment, patience — such is the five-quality mind."

Buddhi is described by Gorakshanath as manifesting in the following conditions:

• Viveka (differentiation) – ability to distinguish true from false, right from wrong, good from bad, valuable from useless, beauty from ugliness, material from spiritual, etc.
• Vairagya (discerning) – voluntary restraint of desires and attachments, or distraction of the mind from what is conceived as unreal, incorrect, useless, etc. In other words, detachment.
  
• Shanti (peace) – the cultivation of equanimity and peace of mind.
• Santosha (satisfaction) – a state of unconditioned satisfaction.
• Kshama (patience) – the cultivation of restraint, humility, condescension and grace in relation to others.