Why must

we bring our
mental self
back home?

Supawan Green
Why must we bring
our mental self back home?
by Supawan Green

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 This booklet is to explain
why the four foundations
of mindfulness or bringing
your mental self back home
(BMSBH) is of immense im-
portance to humanity.
First of all, let’s view the
five components that make up
the human’s life form. This will
help us understand the func-
tion of our human mind, its
vulnerability and weakness,
�
 and how a lack of un-
derstanding is the root
cause of all mental turmoil,
unhappiness and global
conflicts.
According to the Buddha,
the human life-form consists
of five different groupings.
This approach can lead us to
the core of all problems on
earth. They include the
following:
�
 Human life-form is made
up of five entities: one part is
mass and four parts are
energy, which are separated
into Tom and Jerry.
�
 According to this analysis,
the brain and the entire
nervous system belong to the
body (physical self) which is
the mass/matter group as-
sociated with the other four
pictured on page �. The mind
in this sense is another in-
dependent component which
is made up of four formless
entities or what I call Tom and
Jerry.�
�
 Understanding how these
five aggregates work intimately
together requires us to take a
closer look. There is a Thai
saying based on the Buddhist
influence: mind is the boss,
body is the servant. Let’s see
how true this is by thinking
simply.
�This Buddhist analysis is totally different from
the conventional thinking, which relates the mind
closely to the brain. As a matter of fact, after ���
years of debate, there is still no conclusive defini-
tion as what ‘the mind’ really is. So, I will use the
Buddha’s approach of the five groupings as a
ladder to lead us to a better understanding the
mind. �
 No activity in life, carried
out by the physical self, is
possible without the existence
of the mental self – the boss.
The relationship between
�
the physical self and the
mental self is similar to a glove
and a hand. A glove cannot
function without a hand, as
without a captain, a ship is
like an empty vessel.

To support the fact that

our mental self is the true self,
�
 you have to see the difference
between a birth with a pre-
dictably crying baby and
a stillbirth. A crying baby has
both a physical self and
a mental self, whereas the
stillbirth has only a physical
body, an unguided ship
without a skipper.
These following four
situations further support the
notion that the mental self is
the real self. They are:
�
�. When you fall into a deep
sleep.
�. When you are unconscious,
either with or without anaes-
thetic.
�. When you are in a coma.
�. When you die.

�
 It is simple logic to ex-
plain that the mental self has
left the body while these four
situations are happening.
There is no need to question
about where the mental self
has gone. Your guess is as
good as mine. We should
leave it to the secrets of
heaven. Knowing too much
can complicate matters. As
long as this approach can
��
lead us to an effective cure
for reducing suffering and
restoring inner peace, that
is all that matters.
The point is, when any of
these four situations happen,
although the body is breathing
and the sense organs are
intact, the sensory perceptions
don’t work without the pre-
sence of the mental self.
When one falls into a deep
��
 sleep, one cannot be woken
up even by a marching band
trooping through the bedroom.
Under sedation, the eyes are
there but can’t see, the ears
are there but can’t hear, the
nose is there but can’t smell
and so on. The body is like
an empty vessel without a
skipper. There is no con-
nection between the external
world and the internal world.
��
When the mental self returns
to the body following a deep
sleep, a period of uncon-
sciousness or a coma, this is
known as ‘becoming con-
scious’; the body is then
‘awakened’ and can hence
resume its activities.
Our physical self is the
part that deals with the events
in the material world much of
which give us pain and turmoil.
��
 The daily range of occurrences
should be compared to ocean
waves that pick us up and
carry us along causing us
happiness and suffering.

��
 Unlike the conventional
way of problem solving which
aims individually and diversely
toward the end solution, the
Buddha’s approach handles
problems at the source. No
matter what problems we face,
we are told to observe them as
matters that come with sights,
sounds, smells, tastes and
textures. For instance, the
sight of someone who broke
��
 our hearts; the sight of money,
which may cause temptations;
the sounds of moaning,
shouting, gossiping, music;
the smells of food or perfume
leading to desire, and so on.
Our daily perceptions can
prompt positive and negative
thoughts and feelings. We
shall put the positive and
soothing impacts aside for now
and focus on the negative
��
results like mental turmoil.
Let’s not forget that we want to
find the cure for our mental
suffering.
So, what we need to know
is that the physical self is
dealing with the external data,
which comes in the form of
sights, sounds, smells, tastes
and touch (daily problems). I
will call all of these ‘external
Jerry’ as in the image:
��
 Don’t forget that the
physical self is only a shell;
as long as the external Jerry
(data) hasn’t reached the true
self, we haven’t yet had
��
problems and can still be free
from pain and turmoil. Trouble
begins when the external data
travels through the bridges of
eyes, ears, nose, tongue and
skin and enters our inner
world. The external data will
dematerialize into energy form
as soon as it reaches the inner
world. The five mice (Jerrys)
will then turn into three internal
or mental Jerrys: memories,
��
 thoughts and feelings. Think of
this process as an equation:

Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch

= Thoughts, memories and
feelings

External Jerry = Internal Jerry

External world = Internal world

Mass = Energy
��
 I hope you can clearly
see that all the diverse
problems we face daily from
domestic to global affairs
(mass), share the same
��
 characteristics and effects as
Jerry in the energy form.
To have a clear per-
spective, let’s use the
metaphor of replacing the
mental self with Tom and use
the Tom and Jerry language.
Understand that the external
Jerry has entered our inner
world and the data (problem) is
presented to Tom (our true
self). This is the beginning of
��
all mental processes which
bring tears and laughs,
suffering and happiness.
Every time we think of
negative and painful events,
e.g. horrible sights, nasty
words, unpleasant smells, and
so forth, it is as if our mental
self (Tom) is being at the least
bullied, if not stabbed and
butchered, by Jerrys. Tom is
weak and helpless, unable to
��
 help himself.
Please be reminded that
every conflict in humans’ lives
initially comes with either
greedy, angry or delusional
thought (Jerry). These three
Jerrys are indeed our inner
��
foes/bandits who have been
pushing us around and
assaulting our true self from
day one. Sadly, not many
people recognize the reality
of the existence of their inner
foes and unable to fight the
right battlefield.

��
 These three mental foes
are the real culprits who drive
people off the edge, causing
some people to lose control of
their lives. They certainly are
responsible for all kinds of
suffering among humankind.

��
 When we are facing huge
and serious problems, it is
certain that Jerrys, like bandits,
appear from all directions in
our head and heart. It is as if
three mighty generals deploy
a whole army of mice, well
��
 equipped with combat boots
and artillery, ready to crush
and level Tom to the ground.

The true self is mobbed by an army of Jerry.

��
 The self-destructive, immoral
or unlawful thoughts press our
mental self to react, then Jerrys
are materialized into speech
and actions accordingly. This
is the cause for all mental
breakdowns, the reaching for
relief through drugs, crimes or
even suicide. This mental
process is also the source of
all problems from domestic
ones to global squabbles.
��
 The whole army of mice
harassing Tom can also be
compared to a mountain of
pain being carried in our chest.
One might be able to put on
a brave face but only our true
self knows the extent of pain
we are facing. A physical
wound no matter how serious it
is, is no comparison to the pain
caused by a mental wound.
A mental wound is much more
��
significant because it hits the
heart of our true self (our soul),
not the shell.

Having understood how the

human mind works, based on the
intimate function of the five entities,
��
 we can now approach the cure
and begin to fight in the right
battlefield.�
Why do I equate the four
�Using prescribed drugs to solve mental
problems is a matter of fighting in the wrong
battlefield. It is because drugs are aimed to adjust
the chemical imbalance within the brain, which is
about adjusting the bodily self/the shell. This
solution hasn’t scratched the heart of the problem
caused by Jerry. That’s why despite the huge
consumption of drugs among the world
population, global society is still in turmoil. As far
as using drugs to cure mental imbalance is
concerned, it is a clear sign of failure due to
fighting in the wrong battlefield.

��
foundations of mindfulness
with bringing your mental self
back home? The whole army of
Jerry can weave themselves
into a dense jungle in our head
and our mental self becomes
trapped and lost in it. This
predicament makes us feel
worried, frightened and scared
– the symptoms of an ap-
proaching break down before
completely losing control of
��
 our mind.
In the same way that our
physical self needs at least a
home to return to, so does our
mental self. The fact is that the
��
mental self has four homes to
return to, but not many people
know about them. Con-
sequently, our mental self is
constantly lost in our own
mental jungle. This causes us
to make bad choices in life and
adds more problems to
society. Bringing our Mental
Self Back Home (BMSBH)
should be the best news for
humanity but sadly it hasn’t yet
��
 been widely recognized.
When the mental self
knows how to walk out of the
mental jungle and safely return
home, life will be more
purposeful and peaceful. By
engaging in the skill of

��
BMSBH, negative Jerry will be
chased out of our inner world.
This will free Tom from being
bullied by Jerry and allow the
mental self to be happier and
regain control of this life.
The actual practice is
about using the mental eye to
focus on breathing and
movements, which are the
nature of the first home where
the mental self can return to.
��
 Once this meditative appli-
cation is carried out, we have
already brought our mental self
back home. Jerrys will then be
kicked out of our inner world

��
and we will experience more
inner peace and calm quite
instantaneously.
The second home refers
to all physical sensations.
When sitting on a chair or a
sofa, there are sensations all
along our back and bottom

��
 touching the chair and the feet
touching the floor. When clap-
ping hands, there can be pains
in the palms. All these physical
sensations are the focus point
of the second foundation of
mindfulness/the second home.

��
We need to use the mental eye
to focus on them. By doing
this, one brings the mental self
back to the second home. If
one chooses the style of hands
rubbing or feeling the beads,
this is a practice integrating
the two foundations in one
application or extending the �st
and �nd home and joins them
into a bigger home. This will
make it easier to practice.
��
 Consequently, the Jerry pop-
ulation will be reduced and we
will feel happier.

Foundations of awareness
= homes for mental self
= breathing, movements,
sensations
��
 The first two of the four
foundations of mindfulness or
bringing your mental self back
home can be done at all times
while walking, sitting, standing
and lying down. This skill can
be easily applied while en-
gaging in all daily life activities

��
 because breathing, movements
and sensations are with us all
the time. It is a matter of
developing this new mental
habit, enhancing the higher
level of self-awareness, which
can be done by BMSBH.
That’s all there is to it.
If Tom is weak, Jerry will
run wild, bully Tom and con-
quer the internal world and
then also the external world
��
because all speech and
actions are the direct result
of Jerry in the first place.

��
 However, if Tom is strong,
Jerry will become puny and
afraid of Tom. Bringing the
mental self back home is like
feeding Tom with essential
vitamins, making our true self
stronger. When Tom is strong,
he will instinctively chase the
army of Jerrys out of the house.
Our mental self will then be
free from Jerrys and all the
assaults of Jerry.
��
 We will feel lighter at heart
as all the weighty problems
(Jerrys) have been diminished
due to BMSBH. As a result, we
are not only feeling happier but
��
 have much better control over
our life which is much more
important. We will have
enough patience and strength
to be able to withstand temp-
tations and immoral thoughts
which are the main ingredients
for peace of all level. Jerry is in
the form of energy, so use it
when we must as when we
leave home to work and run
errands. Once we finish with
��
the job, reduce the Jerry pop-
ulation by coming home to
the foundations of awareness.

Following the practice of BMSBH,

weighty Jerry will disappear
from our inner world, which causes us
to feel lighter at heart (at peace).
��
 The four foundations of
mindfulness or BMSBH� has
immense importance to hu-
mankind because it is effective
and like a medication used
to cure a mental imbalance
�An explanation of the practice of the third
foundation of mindfulness (contemplation of
mental processes) and the fourth foundation of
mindfulness (contemplation of mental objects), is
too extensive to be included in this booklet.
An explanation of these foundations can be
found in my books, “Bringing the Mental Self
Back Home – Theory” and “Bringing the Mental
Self Back Home – Practice.”
��
without having any nasty
side-effects. It can take away
all the stress, pain and turmoil
from the mind, allowing us to
feel happy again. BMSBH is
the exact strategy allowing us
to fight our mental foes in the
right battlefield.

��
 What will happen after
we have adopted the skill of
Bringing our Mental Self Back
Home (BMSBH)? It doesn’t
mean that all the external
problems will disappear. We
still have to face the external
Jerrys of sights, sounds,
smells, tastes and touch,
some of which are at times
unsatisfactory and disappoint-
ing, but the good news is that
��
our mental self is no longer
being thrown about by inner
Jerrys. We won’t be as easily
shaken or disabled by worldly
events as we were before
adopting the practice. Our true
self is now able to float above
the problems no matter how
serious they are.
Externally, the problem is
still there, e.g. Beth’s husband
still has affairs, but she is no
��
 longer crushed by this disas-
trous situation. She is not
forced (by Jerry) to be restless
and painfully wait for her
husband to come home every
night like before. Furthermore,
she has overcome hate and
seeks no vengeance unlike
many others whose stories
similar to Beth’s ended up on
front page news. Her inner
strength will enable her to
��
solve the problem with a clear
perspective. If Beth has done
her best and the relationship
didn’t work out, she will be able
to make a choice that she
won’t regret later. She might
even be able to empathize and
be kind to her husband and his
lover. Beth can do all the good
deeds without any resistance
from her inner foes/Jerrys.
These are some of the noble
��
 and graceful benefits we can
anticipate after engaging in the
BMSBH practice. It is quite a
challenging task, yet it is most
rewarding once the mission is
accomplished.

��
 Bringing our Mental Self
Back Home (BMSBH) is one of
the most precise, scientific and
practical methods we can use
to create good and high quality
human beings for the entire
human race. Moral conscience
can and will deter people from
wrong-doing but not law. The
rule of laws is the result/
indicator of the moral bank-
ruptcy within society – likens
��
 cancer eating peace and har-
mony away. I have no doubt
that the four foundations of
mindfulness or BMSBH should
be included in global edu-
cation. World Peace can only
be achieved by the collective
individuals’ inner peace.
Bringing the Mental Self
Back Home is the ideal method
for helping individuals to fight
their inner battlefield so that
��
they can achieve inner peace
and harmony. It is indeed as
simple as that.
 More information about
Supawan Green’s work and
her teaching of how to bring
your mental self back home
(BMSBH), please visit the web
site or contact us.
To contribute and cam-
paign for World Peace, this
booklet will be published for
free distribution. Should you
wish to pledge your support
towards this noble goal in
��
whichever way, please contact
The BMSBH Association.

www.supawangreen.in.th

supawanpg@gmail.com

innocentperception@gmail.com