The answers and solutions to problems and difficulties lie in understanding their
nature and causes. The answers and solutions to mental problems and difficulties lie in
understanding their mental nature and causes. Briefly, as discussed earlier, mental
problems in their essence are difficulties understanding and managing the mind and mental
existence, understanding and managing our role and responsibility in the mind and mental
existence. The difficulties are rooted in the illusive and immaterial nature of the mind
and mental existence. Moreover, they are rooted in the fact that we need to develop our
mental faculties before we can use them. They are only a natural potential, and they do
not develop on their own.
The demands and challenges of understanding and managing the mind and mental existence are
made more difficult by operating in the mind at the level of feelings and emotions, not at
the level of clarity of mind and understanding. It is the result of failing to process
mentally what enters the mind and awareness. Failing to sort out, order and arrange our
experience, perceptions, sensations, feelings, thoughts and ideas. Considering and making
sense of our experience, the conditions that lie behind them, and how to deal with them,
establishing clarity of mind and understanding about them. Failing to establish the
necessary internal mental conditions, trying to create externally in the world around us
what we must establish individually in the mind and mental existence. We must establish a
sense of self, a sense of order and stability, clarity of mind and understanding, a sense
of certainty, security and confidence, about the conditions, needs, demands and challenges
of existence, our own mental and physical existence and development and the world around
us, and how to deal with them, in the mind and mental existence. Not try to establish them
externally in socio-cultural and physical-material terms in the world around us. We must
meet our non-material mental needs in the mind and mental existence through individual
mental work and effort. Not meet them externally, in physical-material and socio-cultural
terms, through the accumulation, possession, control and consumption of material-financial
resources, goods and values and socio-cultural positions, roles, functions, status and
power.
Within this context, the answers and solutions to mental problems in general lie in active
individual mental engagement, individual mental work and effort understanding and managing
the mind and mental existence from the inside. (The specifics, details and steps of how to
deal with mental problems and difficulties are discussed below in the following sections, How to Get Started and Daily
Managing the Mind.) The answers and solutions lie in understanding and
managing the role and responsibility in our mind and mental existence that by nature are
individually ours to understand and manage. Establishing the necessary internal mental
conditions, in everything we do and engage in, before engaging and dealing with external
conditions, others and the world around us. Being actively engaged, in charge and in
control, and taking responsibility for what takes place, what we do, and what we need to
do, what we must establish, develop and maintain in the mind and mental existence.
Understanding and managing the mind and mental existence and establishing the necessary
internal mental conditions involves mentally processing everything that enters the mind
and awareness in experience, perceptions, sensations and feelings, thoughts and ideas.
Sort out, order and arrange the experiences, perceptions, sensations, feelings, thoughts
and ideas that enter the mind and awareness. Distinguish and differentiate between
perceptions about external conditions and the world around us, sensations about our own
physical body and existence, and feelings about the conditions of our mental existence and
the state of our mind. Moreover, distinguish and differentiate between primary and
secondary experience; experience of the conditions of existence, on the one hand, and
first impressions and instant reactions on the other.
We need to consider whether the experiences that enter our mind and awareness are primary
experiences of the conditions of our existence, or secondary experiences, experience of
our first impressions and instant reactions to our the primary experience. Regarding our
primary experiences, we must establish whether they are perceptions about external
conditions and the world around us, sensations about the conditions of our own physical
existence and body, or feelings about the conditions of our mental existence. Concerning
our secondary experiences, our first impressions or instant reactions, we need to
determine whether they are driven by established beliefs, values and conventions we
embrace. Or whether they are based on our own thoughts, ideas, speculations, abstractions,
dreams or fantasies, which we create and generate.
We must also order and arrange what enters the mind and awareness according to its
relevance and importance and the order in which it must be dealt with. It involves
establishing what is relevant and important, and what less relevant and less important to
our mental and physical existence, stability and development. The order in which
experiences and issues need to be dealt with is, first those concerning the mind and
mental existence. Follow by experience and issues concerning our physical existence, our
physical stability and well-being. Then, experience and issues about of the world around.
We should consider and deal with external conditions, others and the world around us only
after we have dealt with the conditions, demands and challenges of our own mental and
physical existence. We must first establish the necessary internal mental conditions,
clarity of mind and understanding, before we can deal with the conditions of our own
physical existence and the world around us. To deal with the conditions, demands and
challenges beyond the mind and mental existence, our own physical existence and
development and the world around us in necessary, appropriate and constructive ways, we
must first establish order and stability, clarity of mind and understanding, a sense of
certainty, security and confidence in the mind and mental existence.
Next, we need to consider and make sense of our experience, the conditions that lie behind
them, and how to deal with them. Consider and make sense of the perceptions, sensations
and feelings, thoughts and ideas that enter the mind and awareness before they slip into
memory. Consider and understand what they tell us about the conditions of existence, our
own mental and physical existence and development and the world around us, changing needs,
demands and challenges, how to deal with, respond and adjust to them. We must establish a
clear and detailed picture about them in the mind.
We need to establish a sense of order and stability, clarity and coherence, certainty and
security in the mind about our experiences, perceptions, sensations and feelings, thoughts
and ideas, the conditions that lie behind them and how to deal with them. Sort out, order
and arrange, consider and make sense of what enters the mind and awareness, the conditions
that lie behind it, and how to deal with it. In the process, we indirectly deal with and
address the disorder and instability, doubt and confusion, uncertainty and insecurity,
feelings of disturbance, unease, apprehension, discomfort, distress, annoyance and
irritation that are created in the mind by the experiences, perceptions, sensations and
feelings, thoughts and ideas that enter the mind and awareness and our first impressions
and instant reactions.
We need to meet our mental needs in the mind through individual mental work and effort,
not in material ways through the accumulation and consumption of material-financial
resources, goods, values and wealth. We must establish a sense, a clear picture in the
mind of the self, our mental self, what takes place and what we do in the mind, what
enters our mind and awareness and how we respond to and deal with it. Not establish a
sense of self and identity externally beyond the mind, through the accumulation,
possession and control of material-financial resources, goods and values and
socio-cultural positions, roles, functions, status and power. The mental need for
relevance and recognition we must meet through interacting, connecting, communicating and
cooperating with others to meet the needs for which by nature we depend on and must
interact with each other. They cannot be met through competing with each other for the
possession, control, accumulation and consumption of material-financial and socio-cultural
resources, goods and values.
To establish and maintain the necessary internal mental conditions we need to deal with,
respond and adjust to change, changing conditions, needs, demands and challenges, in our
own mental and physical existence and development and in the world around us. We need to
deal with, respond and adjust to them when only a minimum of mental work, effort and
adjustment are required, and before they develop into larger problems and difficulties. We
must prevent problems and difficulties from developing in the mind and mental existence,
rather than dealing with them only after they have developed and become more difficult to
deal with.
The answers and solutions to mental problems, difficulties understanding and managing the
mind and mental existence, in addition require developing, through exercise and practice
our mental faculties, our natural mental potential, natural mental powers and abilities
and necessary mental skills and practices. We need to engage in a process of continuous,
life-long conceptual and mental self-development and growth. Constantly, in light of
change and changing conditions, reconsidering, updating, correcting, expanding and
improving the understanding, the mental powers and abilities, mental skills and practices
we develop, on which we rely, and how we develop and use them. Whenever necessary and
required reconsidering, correcting, updating, expanding and improving the choices and
decisions we make and how we make them, the aims, goals and objectives we pursue and how
we define them, the behaviour and actions in which we engage and how we consider, plan,
organize and manage them.
In addition, we need to make understanding and managing the mind and mental existence,
establishing and maintaining the necessary internal mental conditions, dealing with mental
problems and difficulties part of daily life, daily work and effort. We must connect and
integrate mental and physical existence, behaviour and actions, work and effort into an
interactive process. Establishing, in everything we do and we engage in, first the
necessary internal mental conditions, clarity of mind and understanding, before acting,
before engaging and dealing with external conditions, with others and the world around us.
Daily establishing a sense of mental order and stability, clarity of mind and
understanding, a sense of certainty, security and confidence about our experience, the
perceptions, sensations, feelings, thoughts and ideas that enter the mind and awareness,
the conditions, demands and challenges that lie behind them, and how to deal with them.
Considering, planning and organizing ahead what we intend to do and engage in, before
taking action.