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When We Try To Quiet The Mind, We End Up Doing The Opposite
The mind is like a top. It’s spinning so fast it appears to be standing still. It is only when the top begins to slow down that we can begin to experience how fast it has been moving.
It is quite a sobering experience when we first get a glimpse of our frenetic mind. The possibility that it might one day be quiet seems far, far away. Our attempts at meditation have been futile - the mind continues to think and churn out mental images. It seems like the more we try to quiet the mind, the more active it becomes.
And that is because, like all things in the universe, the mind has a certain nature. In order to quiet mind, we first need to know its nature. Just as the leopard has spots, it is the nature of the mind to have thoughts. Unless we are respectful of that inherent quality, we can never become friends with the mind. We can not bully the mind into submission. When we try to do that, it reacts with a force that is staggering. Trying to push thoughts out of the mind is like saying, “Don’t think of an elephant.” An elephant is the first thing we think of.
Although it is the mind’s nature to have thoughts, these thoughts are nothing more than amorphous images that rise and fall from moment to moment. It is our internal judge that qualifies thoughts good and bad, pure or impure. To the mind, all thoughts are neutral and fleeting. To make peace with our mind, we must surrender to its essential essence and allow it to just be. This is the beginning of meditation, the beginning of peace.
As we sit for meditation, we put aside the inner critic. With eyes opened or closed, we simply observe our thoughts. At first our mind chases after this thought and that one; we cannot help feeling attached. After all, it’s what we’ve been doing our whole life! We pretend we are in a movie. We know what is happening on the screen is not real, neither is this.
Slowly the thoughts stop. The more we sit and watch, without reacting, the more in sync we feel. By making peace with the mind, we have made peace with ourselves.
from Reality Works - Let It Happen Copyright Chandra Alexander
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Standing still definitely leaves the mind running at 1000 mph. It is so hard to just calm down and rest the brain because an idle mind has too much time to think. When a person isnt active, it is then the brain starts to wander. After a family member died, I noticed so much more family activity. Everyone just wanted to keep their mind on anything else.
My mind will never quiet down. Sigh. Especially when I try. I've tried mediation and whatnot without avail, but I'll try again after reading this. Thanks.
The inner critic is indeed a tough thing to ignore. I will keep practicing. Thanks for the encouragement.
This is exactly the problem I have when I try to meditate. My mind will not quiet down and it is too hard to focus. I love the part about quieting the inner critic. I am going to try these suggestions the next time I try to meditate. Thank you!
I am a newbie to meditation and thought it was crazy at first, until I read Thich Nhat Hanh and took a class/did a paper on meditation in education. I have found that it's' true that, as you stated, "By making peace with the mind, we have made peace with ourselves." I really enjoyed this piece, especially that part because it's SO true and how it's initially difficult to calm the mind, but so much easier when you bring those thoughts into awareness and let them go. Thank you =)
This is an excellent interpretation of how to beat the mind at its own game. I totally agree that the key to quiet the mind is to not react to what it is thinking. Just go with the flow, and serenity will soon set in.
I think that this is one of the hardest skills to gain but by far one of the most important. I work in a very mentally straining job and being able to come home and settle my mind and relax is vital to my sanity at work.
I never really understood how Buddist monks cleared their minds. It always seemed really cool to be able to do that but I really didn't think it was possible. This article really showed me how to clear my mind and proved that it is possible!
I can not tell you how true this is. When I first started trying to meditate I thought I was losing my mind not quieting it. Focusing on just sitting there and not thinking about anything by my breathing or some nature sounds on a CD was nearly impossible. I now have found the ability to do this, but it is very hard at first and can be a struggle even today. Thanks for posting this. At least now I know I am not alone!
I also tried many times to be quiet.. but i can't.. it will end up in opposite...
Ellen Degeneres does a comedy routine about something like this. And I suffer from an extremely overactive brain. Especially when I'm trying to go to sleep, or when I need to focus on something (like reading) my brain will pick up on things and run with them in a place I just don't have time to go. Without realizing it, I started meditating in a way, to use that energy against itself. If I was trying to get to bed and couldn't because of my thoughts, I would picture a garbage can, like your computer's recycling bin, and I would just "drag and drop" all of my concerns in it until there was nothing but peace. It's amazing the kind of power that your brain has, even over itself. Good article.
The post reminds me when I have to set my mind for a peaceful thought, then it will just appear some things that I dont want to think or remember anymore. Even they are related, my mind always disagree on things that I wanted to do. My mind will let me feel the other side of what I'm thinking.
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