THE HUMAN mind is a crowded and noisy place

It is never empty or quiet. Not even when we are asleep and not engaged consciously in any form of activity. Even in that states the mind remains busy and a lot of activity goes on there. Even in our waking state our thoughts are not focused on any particular subject. Sometimes parallel streams of thought, quite at variance with each other, might be flowing side by side at various levels of consciousness. Often these thoughts lack discipline of consciousness and occur in a jumbled state.

Besides, all our thoughts are not good, healthy or noble. These are the thoughts, which generate conflicts. It is in the mind that both the constructive and destructive impulses germinate. What matters are that there are also spiritual thoughts? In other words, the pure and the impure exist in proximity which thoughts should control our mind. To put it differently we must learn to control our mind, our thoughts and focus our attention on the aspect of our being, the essence of our real Self. And that we can achieve through meditation.

Can you pause for some moments, stop stray thoughts from entering or staying in your mind? Can you suspend all thought and attain a state of thoughtlessness even for a few seconds?

If you can, then that small pause can bring redoubled energy to your mind and increase its capacity to think, concentrate and meditate. That, in fact, is the first step to bring it under control. Only then you can control your thoughts. To meditate, you have first to break the chain of useless, irrelevant, purposeless thoughts and substitute it with a new, purposeful spiritual chain of thoughts.

Meditation does not mean losing oneself in thoughts. On the contrary, meditation or samadhi means the attainment of the highest level of spiritual awareness. Meditation is not dhyana or concentration. It means samadhi, a state of mind which can be achieved through a process of exclusion and elimination of irrelevant thoughts.

When you sit to meditate, you begin by driving out thoughts, which are irrelevant till there are no thoughts other then the related to your subject of meditation, which is God or Brahman Himself.

In meditation you turn your thoughts within with a deep sense of devotion. This true self is the essence of your being, the Brahm within you. You concentrate your thoughts on him and by meditating on him you unite with Him and attain spiritual enlightenment. Thus, by uniting with the Brahm you attain the ultimate goal of self-realization. You become Buddha.