This weeks meditation exercise takes the form of three questions asked of Sri Chinmoy regarding attitudes towards keeping the mind free of thought. His answers are very helpful.

Sri Chinmoy often expressed the opinion that a meditation practitioner — no matter how long one has been meditating — should have something of a ‘warrior attitude’ when it comes to dealing with the restless and vacillating nature of the mind. One approach is to imagine that we are a very strict guard standing outside the door of our ‘mind-room’. Our orders are that no thought — good or bad — be allowed to enter the room when we are sitting to practice meditation. If this type of approach is practiced regularly and sincerely, we garner the capacity to have a disciplined and tranquil mind, and our entire being becomes flooded with peace, clarity and poise.

Could you use more of these qualities in your life? Certainly, most of us could! Think of how having more peace, clarity and poise in your mind might change your own reality and the reality of the world around you for the better — and read on...

Question: How do you go about emptying your mind in order to be able to meditate?

Sri Chinmoy: First, you have to aspire. Then, you have to make your mind vacant. You should not allow any thought to enter into your mind and take shape. Suppose a name comes. As soon as the first letter of the name appears, you kill the name. You have to make your mind vacant, as empty as possible.

Question: How do you do it?

Sri Chinmoy: With your power of concentration. Suppose a thought, or a vibration, or something else is coming. Immediately, shoot an arrow and pierce it into pieces. An idea comes, somebody’s name comes, or some thought comes. Immediately, just throw it out. It must not come and enter into your mind. Before it touches your mind you have to cut it into pieces. But if you already have thoughts and ideas within you, within your body, within your mind, then you have to meditate like this: be as relaxed as possible. Feel as if you were inside the ocean. Then absorb those thoughts and ideas so they do not have a separate existence. They are lost in the sea. If they are already within you, throw them into the sea. If they are coming from outside, then do not allow them to enter into you. After doing this your meditation is bound to be successful.

(Source: Meditation: God Speaks and I Listen, Part 1)

Question: How can I control my thoughts?

Sri Chinmoy: If these thoughts are not good thoughts, if they are not divine, if they are unhealthy, there are two ways to control them. One way is to feel that there is a room inside your mind, and naturally the room has a door. It is your room, so you can stand outside the door and not allow any thought to come in. You can keep the mind room under lock and key, and stand at the door. Since it is your room, who can enter without your permission? But if you leave the door open, anybody can come in, and once they are inside it is difficult for you to throw them out. So you have to prevent them from coming in.

Today
I am determined to free myself
From the turbulent ocean
Of my thought-mind.
– Sri Chinmoy