Namaste friends

It’s so true isn’t it? The second you sit down, close your eyes and try to relax (or sleep, meditate, or just to get a little quiet) your mind jumps into high gear and suddenly there are all kinds of thoughts zapping all over.

Well, of course it is perfectly normal and nothing to become frustrated or annoyed about. Certainly you shouldn’t go thinking you’ve failed or are ‘doing it wrong’.

That’s been my trouble for a long time: if I wasn’t able to ’empty’ my mind then obviously it was something about the way I was going about it. I was the one making a mess of it.

In the last while I’ve started to realize that it’s the mind’s job to keep itself busy. In other words you’re never going to stop it thinking.

The best we can hope for, I’m learning, is that we come to the point where we see where the thoughts are headed, and we’re able to gently, kindly and without fuss, refocus attention back onto our breath or whatever aid we use to help us focus. It’s not so much about pushing the thoughts away or trying to stop thinking. It’s really about putting our attention somewhere else

And then what might happen every so often is a time, usually only a few moments, when you’ve reached beyond your mind’s reach.

Meanwhile, don’t worry about where you are headed. I can’t find the exact quote, but Swami Ramdas also said something to the effect of

Once you set your feet upon the path you are already at your goal

Like most things in life, the journey itself is where it’s really at.

Pouring tea can help focus the attention