Meditate and let the stillness answer all life’s questions

Is meditation a form of concentration? To many, it is another name for focusing on a mantra, a symbol, an image, a name and so on. As one concentrates, the mind

Is meditation a form of concentration? To many, it is another name for focusing on a mantra, a symbol, an image, a name and so on. As one concentrates, the mind wanders in other directions. The problem with the mind is that the more one wants it to focus on a particular thing, the more scattered it tends to get.

HT Image

So, the effort to meditate turns the mind into a battlefield. Do we ever watch something intently? Do we ever feel what is going on inside us? By watching ourselves closely, we can vaguely feel what we call peace.

Is meditation then a tool or a method to control the mind?

Mediation is simply about focusing our attention on one thought; it can be on the divine light within the heart. Initially, one might feel disturbed by one’s thoughts, but gradually we will learn how to let go and watch these thoughts just like we watch a movie. We will realise how our minds are often cluttered by the dust of thoughts and how letting them go leads us to a silence that provides us answers and peace.

There are many gurus who try to ‘teach’ meditation. Most of them want to sell the practice of mediation in the name of spirituality.

The important thing is, to begin by acknowledging the presence of unnecessary thoughts. The next is to watch how they sway between the past and the future. As we begin with these simple observations, there is a possibility that we might go a little deeper to find an answer to one of the most basic questions of our time: How to be calm and rid the mind of unnecessary disturbances?

(Inner Voice comprises contributions from our readers. The views expressed are personal)