“The logical mind seems interesting, but it is the seed of delusion.”

—Patrul Rinpoche

We tend to place immense value on intellect. It’s why we revere Einstein, Goethe, and Newton. It’s the reason we strive for higher education. It’s why we spend so much time and energy consuming knowledge. We figure that the more we know, the better off we are.

So, naturally, we expect that to attain an enlightened mind, we need to have great knowledge. The smarter we are, the better we’ll be at it. But when it comes to developing the mind, there’s a possibility of being too smart for one’s own good. Your intellect can actually trip you up. When you intellectualize everything—analyze, second-guess, and try too hard to understand things—you don’t allow your experiences to touch and transform you. In an attempt to make sense of things, you confuse yourself further. This prevents the true nature of your mind from being uncovered.

When working with your mind, let intellect take a back seat. Try to experience situations without overanalyzing or trying too hard to make sense of them. It’s from this place that you can get in touch with the true nature of your mind in all of its beautiful simplicity.

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Excerpted from The Daily Buddhist: 366 Days of Wisdom for Happiness, Inner Freedom, and Mindful Living (Harvest, 2025) © 2025 by Pema Sherpa and Brendan Barca. Used with permission from the publisher.

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