ਮਨ and ਬੁੱਧੀ as per Gurbani are diffrent? or Both are same?

Respected Brother/Sister,
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!

In response to your question the undersigned wants to say that mind (ਮਨ), is a manager of one’s life. Most of the Gurbani in Guru Granth Sahib addresses the mind. All the actions of a person are on the behest of mind.

Wisdom/intelligence is ਬੁੱਧੀ, which helps a person to distinguish between right or wrong. Therefore, one has to use his wisdom/ intelligence to make a distinction between right and wrong.

A person, who takes guidance from the Gurbani, becomes a Gurmukh whereas the person, who takes guidance from his mind becomes a Manmukh.

Professor Sahib Singh, after giving interpretation of all the Shabads, included in Guru Granth Sahib, has given a Gurmat Sidhant ‘Kiv Kude Tute Pal’ (ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ) in which under the heading ‘Deeds and their Effects’ (ਕਰਮ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵ), by giving the example of a village child, have given his views about effects of deeds of a person, on one’s mind. He has written:-

“Whatever deeds a person does, during present life (after birth), the results of these deeds become part of consciousness of one’s mind. According to him, mind is nothing but accumulation of good and bad deeds and their invisible images in the mind. These invisible images are not only witness of the deeds done in the present life but also keep on motivating the person to do similar deeds.

Since the universe came into being or will continue to exist, as per rules of the nature, the psychological makeup of the human mind has been and will remain the same, as per these rules. However, this psychological makeup of the mind can change, as per special rules, and continues to change. What happens is that a fight between, accumulated good and bad deeds, continues to take place in one’s mind and the stronger side makes all out efforts to suppress the weaker side. Therefore, it depends on the person, whether the good deeds or bad deeds part gets strengthened because of further deeds done.

The Guru, however, with his teachings, helps a person to become one with Akalpurakh and as the person moves further in this direction, the good deeds become stronger and the bad deeds slowly and steadily become weaker and finally get erased.

This is what is called controlling the urges, as also the ego, in the mind by becoming one with Akalpurakh and Shabad Guru, who are spiritually embodiment of each other.”

From the above discussion it becomes clear that whatever invisible images, because of good and bad deeds, are formed in a person’s mind run the life of the person but this makeup can be changed with the help of teachings of Guru Granth Sahib.

In Ramkali Raag, in his Baani Anand Sahib, the third Guru Person, Guru Amardas Sahib teaches us ‘ਮੰਨੁ ਧੋਵਹੁ ਸਬਦਿ ਲਾਗਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਰਹਹੁ ਚਿਤੁ ਲਾਇ॥’ ਅਰਥਾਤ ‘(ਹੇ ਭਾਈ!) ਗੁਰੂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਵਿਚ ਜੁੜੋ, ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੇ ਚਰਨਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਸਦਾ ਚਿੱਤ ਜੋੜੀ ਰੱਖੋ, (ਜੇ) ਮਨ (ਧੋਣਾ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ) ਧੋਵੋ।’ i.e. cleanse your mind by becoming one with Akalpurakh and Shabad Guru, who are spiritually embodiment of each other.

Further, Guru Sahib teaches a person to put aside his wisdom and cleverness and make his mind beautiful, by considering Akalpurakh always with him:-

ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਸੁੰਦਰਿ ਆਪਣਾ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਮਜੀਠੈ ਰੰਗਿ ਰੀ ॥ ਤਿਆਗਿ ਸਿਆਣਪ ਚਾਤੁਰੀ ਤੂੰ ਜਾਣੁ ਗੁਪਾਲਹਿ ਸੰਗਿ ਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ (ਪੰਨਾ 400) ਅਰਥਾਤ ਹੇ (ਮੇਰੀ) ਸੋਹਣੀ ਜਿੰਦੇ! ਤੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਇਸ ਮਨ ਨੂੰ ਮਜੀਠ (ਵਰਗੇ ਪੱਕੇ) ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੇ ਨਾਮ-ਰੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਰੰਗ ਲੈ, ਆਪਣੇ ਅੰਦਰੋਂ ਸਿਆਣਪ ਤੇ ਚਤੁਰਾਈ ਛੱਡ ਕੇ (ਇਹ ਮਾਣ ਛੱਡ ਦੇ ਕਿ ਤੂੰ ਬੜੀ ਸਿਆਣੀ ਹੈਂ ਤੇ ਚਤੁਰ ਹੈਂ) , ਹੇ ਜਿੰਦੇ! ਸ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟੀ ਦੇ ਪਾਲਕ-ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ-ਨਾਲ-ਵੱਸਦਾ ਸਮਝਦੀ ਰਹੁ।1। ਰਹਾਉ।

From the above teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, it becomes very clear that when a person changes his life, by cleansing his mind of bad deeds and vices and becomes a righteous/virtuous person (ਸਚਿਆਰ ਮਨੁੱਖ) i.e. a Gurmukh then he will become one with Akalpurakh and Shabad Guru, who are spiritually embodiment of each other, then he will be able to achieve the stage of spiritual equipoise (ਆਤਮਿਕ ਅਡੋਲਤਾ) and spiritual bliss (ਆਤਮਿਕ ਆਨੰਦ). The final goal is to achieve spiritual emancipation/salvation in the present life itself (ਆਤਮਿਕ ਤੌਰ ਤੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਮੁਕਤ ਹੋ ਜਾਣਾ).

Hope it helps. If you have any further questions, please do ask. If you find any deficiencies, please point out the same, for improvement in future.

Regards,
Your Brother