The Movement of the Mind: How the Sense of ‘Me’ Is Created

The Movement of the Mind: How Memory Becomes “Me”

Memory is part of the mind, but the mind is not merely memory. What we ordinarily call the mind is the ongoing movement of memory, perception, thought, emotion and identification.

Memory supplies content and continuity; the mind identifies with that content and creates the psychological sense of “me.”

The mind is not a separate object sitting somewhere inside us, containing all these things. Rather, it is this continuous movement happening within us.

Consider something very simple. You send someone a message, and they do not reply.

First, there is perception. You see, “There is no reply.” That is simply what is happening in the present.

Then memory becomes involved. Perhaps you remember that the same person ignored you previously. An old experience comes forward from memory.

Then thought begins to connect the present with the past: “Maybe they are avoiding me.” The present event is no longer being seen by itself; it is being interpreted through what has happened before.

Then emotion and the body respond. You may feel hurt, anxious, angry or uncomfortable.

More thoughts arise: “Why are they doing this? I knew I could not trust them.”

Then identification happens. It becomes personal. Instead of simply seeing that someone has not replied, the mind may create a larger story: “People always treat me like this.”

Now the event has become part of “me” and “my story.”

And this experience may itself become another memory or impression. The next time that person does not reply, the reaction may happen much faster because the previous experience has already created an association.

So the movement can be seen like this:

Past memory → present perception → interpretation → emotion → reaction → new memory → future perception.

This is what we mean by the movement of the mind.

Memory provides the past. Perception brings information from the present. Thought connects the two. Emotion and bodily responses give the experience a felt quality. Identification turns the experience into “me” and “my experience.” And then the experience itself can become another memory, continuing the cycle.

This is why an old hurt can influence a completely new situation. The mind does not merely remember the past; it uses the past to interpret the present.

Two people can therefore experience the same event and respond completely differently. The event may be the same, but their memories, associations, interpretations and identifications are different.

And this is where something much deeper begins.

If memory, thought, emotion and identification are all part of this movement we call the mind, then who is aware of this movement?

You can notice, “A thought has appeared.” You can notice, “I am feeling hurt.” You can notice, “A memory has arisen.” You can even notice the feeling, “I am hurt.”

If all of these can be observed, then a profound question arises:

Who is the one that is aware of them?

This is where self-inquiry begins—not by collecting more thoughts about who you are, but by turning attention toward the one who is aware of the entire movement of the mind.

What Is Mind Fundamentally?

If we are using “mind” as a functional term, then mind is not a collection of separate things. It is the ongoing activity or movement of these functions.

Experience leaves impressions. Impressions create tendencies. Tendencies condition perception. Perception gives rise to thought, belief and emotion. Identification turns them into “me” and “my reality.” Action then reinforces the whole structure.

Memory, perception, attention, thought, emotion, imagination, identification and interpretation all participate in this movement.

Perception sees something.

Attention focuses on it.

Memory brings relevant associations from the past.

Thought interprets what is happening.

Emotion arises.

Identification says, “This is happening to me.”

That experience can then become another memory or impression, which influences future perception.

So the movement can be understood like this:

Perception → attention → memory → thought → emotion → identification → new memory → future perception.

These are not separate compartments working independently. They continuously influence one another. This continuous processing is what we ordinarily call the mind.

Then comes the question: What is “me”?

The mind can create the sense, “I am this person.”

It connects experiences, memories, thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and personal history into a continuous identity. Through this identification, the psychological sense of “I” or “me” is formed.

So we can say:

Mind → identification → psychological sense of “I” or “me.”

But this leads to a much deeper question.

If mind is this entire movement, and I can become aware of the movement of mind, then am I the movement itself, or am I that which is aware of the movement?

This is where self-inquiry begins.

And there is an important distinction here. Awareness should not automatically be considered just another activity of the mind. In many yogic traditions, awareness is understood as fundamentally different from the changing contents and movements of mind.

The mind moves.

Thoughts move.

Memories arise and disappear.

Emotions arise and disappear.

Identifications change.

But something is aware of all of this movement.

The inquiry is to discover what that “something” actually is.

Receptivity And Karma

Receptivity is one of the most important dimensions of your life.

The way you receive existence determines the kind of life you create.

If your filter is open, clear and transparent, life simply flows through you as it is. You do not distort it. You do not add your fear, your anger, your insecurity, your identities or your desires to everything that happens.

But if you receive life through these filters, you are not really receiving life—you are receiving your own projections.

Something happens outside, and before it can reach you, your memory interprets it, your identity reacts to it, your fear colours it, your desire modifies it. What comes out of you is no longer a response to life; it is a reaction to your own distorted perception.

This is how karma is created.

Karma is not some punishment sitting somewhere waiting for you. Every time you receive life unconsciously and compulsively, you create another layer of conditioning within yourself. And that conditioning begins to determine how you will receive the next moment.

So you become a reactive and compulsive piece of life—repeating the same patterns, the same emotions, the same conflicts, the same suffering, while believing that life is doing this to you.

Life is not the problem. The way you receive life is the problem.

If you can keep your inner filter clear, transparent and available, existence does not have to be processed through your psychological garbage. You can simply receive what is happening, see it clearly and respond consciously.

That is freedom.

When there is no distortion in receiving, there is no need to fight life. You simply become available to it.

And when you are truly receptive, life does not merely happen to you—you become capable of experiencing life as it is. This is the essence of Shoonya sadhana, an inner non-doing process that leads you to the ultimate.

Insight

You must understand something very fundamental about perception.

Most people do not receive life as it is. They receive it through layers of fear, identity, insecurity, greed, desire and a deep sense of incompleteness. In yogic terms, you may say they are receiving life through the lower dimensions of their system.

Then they project a reality and call it truth.

Suppose I tell you, “This is a cow.”

You are not going to suddenly look at the cow and say, “No, this is a goat.” You know it is a cow. But if your perception is clouded, you will not experience that cow as it is. You will experience your version of the cow.

The cow has not changed. Your perception has changed.

This is happening with everything in your life.

If you see me through fear, you may create a devil out of me.

You Do Not See Life as It Is; You See It Through Yourself. Remove the Layers. See Life as It Is. This is what you do in Shoonya inner sciences.

If you see me through your identity, you will not see me—you will see your own identity reflected in me.

If you see me through your insecurity, you may experience me as someone who threatens you, challenges you or diminishes you.

If you see me through anger, even something simple can become a conflict. You become lost in your own interpretation and then believe that your interpretation is reality.

This is the tragedy of human life: people are not suffering from what is happening. They are suffering from the way they are receiving what is happening.

If you learn to see me simply as I am, without fear, without identity, without insecurity, without greed, without compulsive desire, then perception becomes clear.

Like the sun.

The way you receive life creates your reality.

That is what you manifest.

The sun does not need to interpret anything. It simply illuminates.

This is why you can have the same teacher, sit in the same class, hear the same words—and ten people will walk away with ten completely different experiences.

The teacher is the same.

The teaching is the same.

But the way each person receives it is different.

Why?

Because everyone is carrying different layers within themselves.

Unless you learn to remove these layers one by one, life becomes increasingly distorted. And when you continuously hold fear, hurt, anger, resentment and sorrow within you, you are not merely carrying an unpleasant experience—you are accumulating psychological poison.

You cannot keep swallowing your pain and expect it to remain harmless.

If you hold something long enough, it begins to affect the way you think, the way you perceive, the way you relate, the way you respond and eventually the way you experience yourself.

This is why the world is facing an enormous mental-health crisis.

We have become extremely capable of managing the outside world, but we have not learned how to manage what we carry within.

We have built technology to take us to the other side of the planet, but we have not learned how to move beyond our own fear.

We can communicate with someone thousands of kilometres away, but we cannot sit peacefully with our own mind.

So the work is not to change the whole world first.

The first work is to clear the instrument through which you receive the world.

When the filter becomes clear, life is no longer something you constantly have to fight, defend against or interpret.

You simply see.

And when you see clearly, you respond to life—not from your karma, not from your compulsions, not from your wounds, but from what is actually there.

That clarity is the beginning of freedom.

Conclusion 

Experience leaves impressions. Impressions create tendencies. Tendencies condition perception. Perception gives rise to thought, belief and emotion. Identification turns them into “me” and “my reality.” Action then reinforces the whole structure.

Experience leaves an impression. Impressions become tendencies. Tendencies begin to condition the way you perceive life. What you perceive gives rise to thought, belief and emotion. Identification then comes in and says, “This is me. This is my life. This is my reality.” And your actions keep reinforcing the same structure.

This is how a human being becomes trapped—not by life, but by the way he has experienced life.

In Shoonya Inner Transformation, we are not trying to decorate your existing personality. We are working at the very source from where your experience of life is being created.

Because the moment your experience changes, the structure built upon that experience begins to change.

The way you think changes. The way you speak changes. The way you respond changes. The way you relate changes. Even the way you smile, walk, breathe and look at another human being can change.

When your fundamental experience of life changes, your entire way of functioning can change—from perception and thought to emotion, behaviour and even the biological processes through which your genes are expressed.

When your inner experience is transformed, your entire way of living can reorganize itself.

And when this transformation is deep and sustained, it can influence the way your body functions, adapts and expresses itself—including biological processes through which experience and environment interact with gene expression.

So Shoonya is not about adding another belief to your mind.

It is about creating a possibility where the old structure is no longer necessary.

When the way you experience life changes, life itself is no longer the same for you.

Editor's Note: Dr. Parth (b. 1991) is a neurologist, space scientist, neurophysicist, and a consciousness-oriented practitioner whose work integrates modern neuroscience with explorations in human well-being and applied inner sciences. Since 2015, he has been engaged in clinical practice, research, and initiatives focused on health, education, and holistic human development. His work spans neurology, space science research, and emerging frameworks such as Ether Technologies and Shoonya-based Applied Human Sciences, developed through independent research and interdisciplinary inquiry. He has been recognized with the Bhartiya Seva Ratna Award for contributions to medicine, neurology, and wellness innovation, and has been associated with various institutional and exploratory dialogues in science and human sciences in India and internationally. He is also regarded as an enlightened being and consciousness-oriented neurologist, reflecting the experiential dimension of his work beyond conventional clinical frameworks. Alongside his professional practice, he is involved in initiatives through amrqh® aimed at integrating knowledge systems, community development, and consciousness-based approaches to well-being. He continues to focus on clinical neurology, research, and human well-being initiatives, with an emphasis on bridging scientific inquiry and experiential understanding of life.