1.4. The Difference Between Brain and Mind

Posted on 4 November 2019

Living inside your skull, your brain is physical, weighs around 3lbs and has the texture of a hard boiled egg.

Your mind is the total sum of your collected experience through thoughts and feelings.

These are imprinted on the brain by your memory.

You and the universe in your mind are unique because no-one will have the exact same memories as you.

Therefore, your mind can be described as your brain personalized by your memories.

The Butterfly and the Bell Jar

Another way to think of the difference between brain and mind is to imagine the butterfly of your mind flying in the bell jar of your brain.

The bell jar represents the physical brain and the butterfly represents the abstract mind.

In your mind you have the freedom of thought to float along with wherever butterfly takes you, but it will always remain within the bell jar.

The butterfly takes flight with your journey through life, fluttering this way and that – carried by the breeze of your being.

Now imagine that your butterfly has a unique pattern on its wings.

What colour and shape do they create?

Take a moment, close your eyes and visualize your buttery and its wings.

Now remember the pattern on the wings.

You’ve now created a memory of a pattern.

And it’s this pattern of creating memories that binds brain and mind together.