The mind can be our best
friend or our worst enemy.
Mastering this art of keeping
our mind focused on one
idea is often a challenge.
The main problem with meditation,
which we all face one time or
the other, the biggest problem:-
people often complain about
thoughts, during meditation.
Thoughts are always arising
in the mind, and this becomes
noticeable during meditation.
You know my guide used to
say, "Just as eyes are to see,
ears are to hear, nose is to
smell and tongue is to taste.
And so is the mind to think."
So when we try to suppress that
very nature of mind, which is to
think, we are going against nature.
Then what is the solution?
Solution is this:- we
need to regulate the mind.
We need to train our mind in such
a way so that it rests on those
ideas, those thoughts, those
subjectivity, so that we can dive
deeper into that subjects only
without being deviated into others.
Thoughts do arise.
Instead of fighting with
them and sort of struggling.
You know, it would be nice
if we gently remind ourselves
that I'm meditating on divine
light present in my heart.
If you go on paying attention to
thoughts, like the way you would
pay attention to a barking dog.
It's not going to help us.
You have to keep on
moving gently and softly.
We have to understand why
thoughts come during meditation.
Specially it's like...
it is not that we were not thinking
at other times or thoughts were
not coming during other moments.
They're always there.
But during meditation we
become cognizant of it.
Secondly, when the thoughts are
there during other activities
they come, but we are busy
doing so many other things.
We are watching things
and not paying attention
to inner consciousness.
So thoughts, though they
do arise, they go unnoticed
in our conscious mind.
When you meditate now you are
faced with your own consciousness.
Your mirror, you are
looking at yourself and it's
difficult to evade this.
Especially during meditation and
all kinds of thoughts would come,
especially negative thoughts,
something that you did wrongly or
something, something that makes you
feel ashamed and sometimes guilty.
Very rarely, some noble
thoughts may arise.
But whatever be the thoughts,
good or bad, any distraction, I
think disturbs our meditation.
So we have to train the
mind so that it becomes an
instrument for our evolution.
The mind can be our best
friend or our worst enemy.
Mastering this art of keeping
your mind focused on one
idea is often a challenge.
When these thoughts disturb
us too much, when it becomes
overwhelming, then at that moment,
it will be best to take a deep
breath and hold your breath for
some time and see what happens.
And resume your meditation, if then
too your thoughts are disturbing,
open your eyes for a few seconds.
Close them again gently.
See what happens.
Or if it is still overwhelming,
then take up some nice
book read a passage or two.
Something that can remind
you of divinity, something
that reminds you of humanity.
Something that can remind
you of love, compassion.
And then resume meditation.
Loving attitude,
open-mindedness joyful state,
all this make our meditations
very fruitful, very effective,
very, I would say, contentful.
If you're angry and try to
meditate, see what happens at
that time immediately after
you are angry try to meditate.
Will that meditation be deep?
Per contra, if you are so much
in love, so happy, so joyful,
and at that time you
end up meditating.
We slowly realize that, yes,
having a particular attitude
prior to starting meditation
can help us a long way.
And the outcome of meditation,
each time we have a different
attitude, will be different.
So we slowly understand that
certain attitudes are good to
have, certain attitudes are
worth ignoring,worth denying.
Most important attitude that
comes to mind is "my Lord!
whatsoever it be I'm here to
experience your presence."
That's all.
This is what I have found
to be the best attitude.