Humans spend their entire life time learning and working to be successful. Some people are so obsessed with it that they spoil their physical and mental health to be successful or at least to look like a successful, rich, and beautiful/smart person.
This success, which could be accumulated wealth, physical appearance, life style, status/pride, or something that enters our name in history or science books; remains here. After death, the dead person doesn’t care if he or she is still remembered or not. Whether their accumulated money is being spent wisely or not. A dead person has no such concerns.
So, if money and status remains here, what is it that goes with the dead person? The answer to this question is found in Hinduism; and Buddha also has a very similar philosophy.
Chitta (The Mind / Consciousness)
Often referred to as subconscious mind (for the sake of understanding), The Chitta has likes and dislikes (subconscious impressions or samskaras) stored from several births including the present one. As per Buddhism and Hinduism, it is the only thing that you can take forward from one birth to another.
With every new birth, new aversions and desires are added to the Chitta and it continues its journey from one birth to another.
Difference between Chitta and Atman
As per Hinduism, Chitta is ruled by Adhishthata Dev (अधिष्ठाता देवता) Shetragya (क्षेत्रज्ञ/जीवात्मा) or Atman or Vishnu. Which in turn is only a witness, distinct from the chitta and body. Its this Atman that is witness of your good and bad karma.
So, while you are Chitta, You are not Atman. Its part of god, distinct from the chitta and body. Atma name also suggests the same. Atma comes from Parm-Atma and is part of it.
But Buddhism does not mention Atman. It only focuses on Chitta, which is part of you.
However, both religions stress on the need to purify the Chitta of both aversions and desires to attain liberation.
How to Purify The Chitta
We as adults know what is good and what is not. Yet, many of us indulge in un-righteous behavior out of greed, lust, craving, convenience for self or family, or ease of doing things. Like bribing somebody to get easy darshan in a temple by skipping long queue.
So basically we do such unrighteous things because we have a liking for somethings like sex, parties, alcohol, wealth, show-off, and more. Or we have a disliking for waiting in offices, hospitals, temples, or delay in getting approvals for business. Therefore the real problem is our liking for joy (it could be anything as per our perception) and disliking for pain (it could be anything as per our perception).
As long as our chitta has craving for joy, it will have aversion for pain. And vice versa. Whatever you enjoy, the opposite of it will give you pain. And what ever gives you pain, the opposite of it will give you joy. So, its not possible to just remove one. One has to remove both.
Purifying Chitta of its desires and aversions and making it learn to stay equanimous in joy and pain, brings liberation and it is the ultimate success you can achieve in your life. However, it is the toughest task of the world. One practice that can help greatly achieve this goal, is Vipassana technique of Meditation.
Meditation
Meditation, especially Vipassana aims to quiet and purify the turbulent Chitta (mind/मन) of aversions and attachments to reveal the silent, ever-present Self. It requires person to concentrate on one’s body from head to toe and vice versa and experience the pleasant and not so pleasant sensations without developing attachment or aversion for those sensations. Slowly and slowly your mind gets strong and can resist the craving or pain to stay firm on righteous path without developing any more samskaras of attachment and aversion. Gradually, the old samskaras stored in your mind/chitta also get erased thereby purifying your chitta.
This is the ultimate aim of life of a vipassana meditator. To purify one’s chitta that will continue with him/her even after this life.