Maharishi Speaks on Emotion and Intellect
December 11, 1971
Question:
“I have some questions concerning the relationship between the intellect and the emotions. It seems like there is more talk about the specifics of how the intellect works, I was wondering how the emotions work. Is it true that all emotions are more subtle than all intellectual activity, no matter what the quality of the emotion?”
Maharishi:
“Emotions are finer than the intellect.”
Question:
“What is the relationship?”
Maharishi:
“When the small child says, “Oh, I must have a car.” All the intellectual understanding about the finance and everything, it doesn’t work anymore; he must have a car.
Emotions are finer than the mind, thinking, even though the intellect is the finest aspect of the mind, the emotions just don’t worry about the intellect—keep your decisions to yourself, I want this.
Emotions, emotions. Emotions are more powerful. It’s a good field on which life is really lived, it’s on emotions that life is lived. All intellectual decisions come out of emotions.”
Question:
“How is an emotion constructed?”
Maharishi:
“Emotion is the wave of that aspect of life which is called Ananda, bliss. Intellect is the impulse of life, which is called Chit, consciousness. Absolute is that state of life, not impulse but state, Absolute is that state of life which is called Sat, that which never changes-Sat. So, Absolute is that state of life, is that state of life which knows no change. Intellect is the impulse of that aspect of life, which is Chit, consciousness.
Emotions are the impulses of that aspect of life, which is Ananda, bliss.
It’s a beautiful thing; they all are on the same level but somehow life is more guided by bliss. The whole stream of life, every impulse of activity is guided by bliss, more and more and more, this is what’s called evolution, more and more and more and more, it’s evolution. And this more and more makes use of the intellect to support it. The intellect always decides in favor of more and more and more and more. This happiness, the impulse of happiness drags along in its direction the intellect.
So, intellect serves emotions. Emotions don’t mind which way the intellect will go; they drag the intellect onto it. It’s by force, it’s like that, like that, makes use of it. So, intellect becomes an instrument to bring fulfillment to emotion.”
Question:
“How are emotions constructed?”
Maharishi:
“Emotions are structured in bliss. Just as knowledge is structured in consciousness, emotions are structured in bliss.”
Question:
“When we talk about a thought there is an impulse that starts from either the outside or from the inside of the individual and comes in and hits the storehouse of impressions and some like thought then is generated or some, thought is generated.”
Maharishi:
“Yes, yes.”
Question:
“How would this work?”
Maharishi:
“It is the feeling; that impulse which comes from outside is more on the level of feeling.
It’s very, very faint, absolutely faintest.”
Question:
“This is the sense of touch? You’ve said that love involves the sense of touch, or all emotions?”
Maharishi:
“It takes in everything. Love involves everything, all the senses, all the mind, all the intellect, all the emotions, all, it’s the totality of life. Love is the delicate impulse of total value of life-totality. Intellect is there, emotion is there, experience is there, everything is there. It’s a very powerful, all-inclusive impulse of totality of life.
There is a proverb, what it is? ‘Love is blind.’ When one gets focused on this thing one is blind to everything else, only that remains in consciousness. It takes the totality of life in its structure. That’s why it’s called Almighty God. Love is God. It takes in the totality of life, and the total value of life is associated with the Almighty Creator, God. It’s the totality of life, it’s not fragments. It’s a totality, it involves a totality of life.”
Question:
“I thought I’d heard you say before that the sense of touch, or the feeling of five senses, the sense of touch or something is used.”
Maharishi:
“Was? Touch was?”
Question:
“The sense of touch is used, or the feeling, the sense of feeling. In emotions, are all of the five senses used too, is that right?”
Maharishi:
“Emotions belong to… yes, yes. Just as intellect has its range in all the senses of perception and also action, so also emotions have their range in all these five senses of perception and senses of action. They take in the whole thing.
When we talk of intellect and emotion, even when we talk of mind, so crude, all these five senses of perception and these five senses of action, generally we call them five organs of action, but all are involved with the mind, with the intellect, with emotion. One sees a rose, and one feels so good and immediately the hands go and the feet run, pick it up. The nose smells and the eyes see. And the whole thing blossoms. Just that. So, they belong to all of the senses.”
Question:
“Is it possible to have some intellectual thought without some emotion?”
Maharishi:
“Intellectual thought means decisive thought and in decisions emotions are deeply involved. When you decide, it’s the force of decision takes in emotion, it’s very deeply.
Decision is never free from the grip of emotion. Decision is very-it’s just, it’s guided by emotion. Decision is guided by emotion.
Apparently, it may appear that they are guided by logic, but logic is always in favor of emotions, always one, one, one, one steps so many steps, but there is the cup of tea.
People say, ‘He’s not my cup of tea.’ This is, more prevalent in England, in more conservative expressions so that cup of tea is very, very important. It’s all localized in emotions.
‘Not my cup of tea.’
Decisions are motivated by emotions, and they are so involved with one another, that’s why when one transcends and the whole mechanics of TM involves the whole value of life, everything involves, and because it involves everything, it develops everything, it enriches every aspect of life. That’s why we say, the holistic value of life is gained through TM-holistic value. Simultaneous development of all aspects of personality, all aspects of simultaneous development of body, mind and soul. If we want to use this expression. Otherwise, every aspect of life blossoms in fullness, it becomes enriched in every way. Emotions are a very fine aspect of life.”
