Because this monk is terse and precise in his explanations, he is a bit hard to follow.  I went back and listened to the entirety of his answer again.  

The mind is well understood by advanced Buddhist meditators, but the terminology varies, even among Buddhists!

You wrote:

 Knowing comes about as an exploration of the world by the sensory organs.

In Buddhism, this is technically wrong.  The exploration of the world through the senses produces CONSCIOUSNESS.  It is a major aggregate of the mind, which  does not comprise a self and which needs to be renounced as such.  

Knowing is a function of mind.  It can only be understood as a VERB.  Often the term "the knower" is discussed but technically there is no subject, no actual knower, but just a process, an action, of knowing.

Regarding the lack of breakdown of what constitutes the mind, I can say what I have learned and understood.  The mind is comprised of:

• feelings (pleasant, neutral and unpleasant sensations)
• perception (labeling/cognizing)
• mental formations (thinking/memory/biases/interpretations/imagination)
• consciousness 

On thing about consciousness is that consciousness does not arise by itself.  When the senses or the mind come in contact with sensual and mental objects respectively, mental factors always arise too.  However as one practices and practices and practices, one will develop the skillful means to observe contact with bare attention.  Again, this is territory that I am only beginning to explore.  The Abhidhamma goes into this in detail.  However, one can successfully meditate without the study of Abhidhamma.

I admit to being inadequate in my ability to respond to you.  It's taken me many years to wrap my head around these concepts, and actually this is a side feature.  The heart of the practice is a VERB, the actual doing of meditation as instructed. For me, the understanding usually follows.  Thus I stumble around intellectually to respond "correctly."

Regarding pratyahara and meditation, I wholehearted agree that pratyahara is  needed.  There seems to be a simple trick to it, that is very elusive. Right now I'm working on that---on how to consistently turn away from thinking and sensual contacts, and situate myself in awareness.

It's not enough to have random experiences of advanced pratyahara.  I want to get the skill of knowing how to do it and of doing it regularly. 

The terminology is secondary to all of this.  As you noted, it's so important to understand what remains when the intellect is left aside.

I appreciate your response and I'm sorry if I have created any confusion.