Quieting the mind

[metaphy6]

We're told to quiet our mind when we meditate. What does that mean to you and how do we quiet our mind? Any experienced meditators here to give some good tips?

[ethereal]

99% of the mind is already quiet. It's just the noisy 1% that seemingly takes up the whole space. Dr. Hawkins' analogy is that of an empty stadium, but one little radio on a seat way in the back ruins the whole silence.

All we gotta do is tune into that silent backdrop that is always there. A couple easy ways are to visualize turning within and deeper, and to surrender attachments/desire to cling on to thoughts. When the attachments to thoughts and thinking disappear, the mind naturally begins to quiet down. Desire for thinking and the pleasure of thinking (i.e. the ego asserting its existence) tends to bring thoughts up, but relinquishing that desire and the thoughts will automaticaly disappear.

Progressively letting go more and more of the content of mind, will eventually bring up the contexts, which become the next content to relinquish. You go from body, to thoughts, to mind, to experiencer of the mind, to awareness of the experiencer, to witness/observer of the awareness, to the field of Consciousness, to the Self Manifest as Existence, to the Unmanifest.

Have fun

[RT Wolf]

Another thing to remember is that quieting the mind is not only done in meditation but can also be done any time, anywhere. I've found great benefits walking around and doing stuff, thinking only when I needed to.

At the beginning, at least, you might be meditating someplace quiet and focus on your breathing. If/when a thought comes up, just let go of. See if you can do that. We tend to feel like the thought we have is really important and that if we don't remember it, we might forget something, but that's really not the case. Statistically speaking, most of the thoughts you have during the day aren't adding any use anywhere. So, when a thought comes up, don't allow it to express itself (with practice, you'll start to notice the difference between a thought and the internally-verbalized aspects of it, they're not one adn the same) and just let it go.

That's for an open-mind meditation. There are other kinds of meditation where you are meditating on a problem, information or what have you. In that case, be more selective. Focus on just teh thoughts that guide you towards a deeper understanding and/or solution and let the others go.

Our minds work associatively. Ever started to think about something and think about something else and hten something else and suddenly you realize you're thinking about Egyptian clowns? Thoughts set off chains of other thoughts, so its best to release them as soon as you realize them.

Be the "watcher" of your thoughts. There's a difference between your awareness of your thoughts and your thoughts themselves.

[metaphy6]

Hi RT Wolf,

You said when a thought comes up, just 'let it go'. That is exactly what I wanted to know. How do you let go a thought? Also "Be the "watcher" of your thoughts". Do you mean watch your thoughts and at the same time not to cling to those thoughts? If yes, how do I do that? Any advice and tips will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Mark Lapierre]

To me, letting go of a thought means to allow the thought to happen, but to not consciously follow it with other thoughts. The breakthrough for me came when I figured out how to relax rather than consciously try to control my thoughts. Unfortunately that's not something you can explain. But the essence of it is that relaxing is all about not doing, rather than trying to do. So for me it means not trying to stop thoughts from happening and not trying to stop them when they do happen.

In my experience it's best to try one kind of meditation at a time. So if you decide you're going to focus on your breath, just do that and don't worry about what your thoughts are doing. If you get distracted by a thought, that's ok, just bring your attention back to your breath. You'll notice the thought, but don't let it hold your attention. Don't try to do anything with the thoughts, the only effort should be in maintaining focus on your breath. And keep at it. You will drift off a lot at the start but with perseverance it will gradually become easier to maintain your focus.

I believe that focusing on being the watcher of your thoughts comes later. The difference between your thoughts, and the awareness behind them, is a very distinct difference, however most people are completely oblivious to that awareness, so it can be hard to come to know. At least that was my experience.

When there are no thoughts going through your mind, your awareness is still present. That's the watcher. Even when you are thinking something, your awareness is still there.