Mind Religious perspectives 

Various religious traditions have contributed unique perspectives on the nature of mind. In many traditions, especially mystical traditions, overcoming the ego is considered a worthy spiritual goal.

Judaism teaches that 'moach shalit al halev', the mind rules the heart. Humans could approach the Divine intellectually, through learning & behaving according to the Divine Will as enclothed in the Torah, & use that deep logical understanding to elicit & guide emotional arousal during prayer. Christianity has tended to see the mind as distinct from the soul & sometimes further distinguished from the spirit. Western esoteric traditions sometimes refer to a mental body that exists on a plane other than the physical.

Hinduism's various philosophical schools have debated whether the human soul is distinct from, or identical to, Brahman, the divine reality.

Buddhism posits that there is actually no distinct thing as a human being, who merely consists of five aggregates, or skandhas. According to Buddhist philosopher Dharmakirti, mind is defined as 'that which is clarity & cognizes'—where 'clarity' refers to the formless nature of the mind & 'cognizes' to the role of mind, namely that every mind must cognize an object. The Indian philosopher-sage Sri Aurobindo attempted to unite the Eastern & Western psychological traditions with his integral psychology, as have many philosophers & New religious movements.

Taoism sees the human being as contiguous with natural forces, & the mind as not separate from the body. Confucianism sees the mind, like the body, as inherently perfectible.