A persistent and pervasive myth keeps countless people from pursuing their own Meditation practice; namely the belief that one needs to empty or control the mind in order to be able to meditate. This weighty misunderstanding is due to an unfortunate translation and lack of understanding of the original yogic scriptures as well as to the nature of the mind itself.
The human mind is in perpetual motion. We can equate it to a gigantic database that stores all the impressions, thoughts and conclusions accumulated during a lifetime. This enormous storehouse of information moves and churns thoughts incessantly. Depending on the situation we find ourselves in, specific thoughts connected to memories and events will surface and and come to the fore every moment of every waking hour. Sometimes these thoughts are very powerful and persistent. They seem to have an energy of their own. At times they may even appear to take away our ability to remain calm or to function properly.
Because we believe that our thoughts and our identity are one and the same, we also believe that we are at the mercy of the thoughts and the meaning we make of them. We are convinced that a thought is real and true - just because it appears. If, for example, one has a history of being told repeatedly that they are not good enough (or smart enough, or good looking enough, or slim enough....), they will likely feel unable to realize their full potential. Every time an opportunity to be successful presents itself, old thoughts of their lack of value will come up and paralyze their efforts. If we believe that the thoughts conveyed by the negative voice in our head is real and tells the truth, then that voice will control our lives....
Meditation allows us to realize that there is an “I” far vaster than the I mixed with the thoughts that we call “me”. It is the “I” that is aware of the coming and going as well as the content of the thoughts - yet this “I” is neither involved nor affected by them. When you close your eyes you notice the presence of many thoughts. Depending on your activities in the hours prior to sitting down to meditate, there may be an impressive amount of thoughts chasing each other. You can now spend your time to either go along with the racing thoughts or try to control them, or you can decide to step back and watch them.
The simple step of not associating with the thoughts reveals a great secret. It brings to light the presence of a knowing and watching “I” that is perceiving every movement of the thoughts. This “I” is free, uninvolved and never affected by the presence or absence of thoughts. It exists before thoughts arise, when they are present and also when the thoughts subside. This “I” is the ever-present Knower or Self - the Source of all thoughts, emotions and forms. If our attention is firmly established as the Knower “I” - it doesn’t matter whether there are thoughts coming and going - or not.
We then realize that, as the vast and eternal Knower “I”, thoughts, their meaning, their presence or absence don’t have any power over our unchanging inner Peace and Freedom. Meditation is the practice where we remain with the Knower “I” as our true identity. As we become more established in that knowlege, we notice that it truly doesn’t matter whether the mind is busy or not, because we know ourselves as the ever Free Knower.
If you want competent help to learn to be free from your busy mind, contact Sampriya for a free half hour consult to explore the possibilities of working with her. #meditation, #meditationmentoring, #meditationtraining, #meditationteacher #onlinemeditationtraining
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