A common proverb says: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” But meditative traditions teach the opposite – that emptying the mind of all content is essential. To reach this state of thoughtlessness, certain preparations must be made: cultivating a strong and healthy body, steady posture and the composure and resolve to face the mind’s ploys. With these in place, one can begin taking charge of the mind and experience the blissful stillness of dhyana.
The Glory of A Silent Mind
The mind has a habit of constantly fluctuating and thinking. It acts like a commentator, labelling people or situations as good or bad, and forming relationships with them. It behaves much like a sports commentator on the radio, whose job is to speak nonstop, describing every detail of the game, the stadium, and the spectators’ emotions. Your mind is exactly like that. It is always talking, never settling into that zone of quietude.
On top of that, Western thinkers gave rise to the belief that “an empty mind is the devil’s home, so keep your mind engaged.” This is the worst statement on emptiness of mind! Buddha and various other masters had worked on ways to empty the mind, but these immature people encourage us to keep the mind always busy. Unfortunately, the West could not make the same progress in the sphere of mind or consciousness compared to material progress. Psychologists have not in the least understood the mind. The founder of modern psychiatry did his experiments with patients in the mental asylum, so they created their theories based on observations of sick people alone. The West knows the power of thought to some extent but does not understand the glory and beauty of a silent mind.
Deep Sleep and Meditation
Thinking uses a lot of energy – when you sit without doing anything except thinking, you will get exhausted even by that. But in deep sleep, you regain energy and wake up feeling renewed. Everyone enjoys sleep; whether illiterate or highly educated, all end their day with sleep. Nature has designed it this way because you have forgotten how to quieten your mind. The USSR pressured political prisoners by depriving them of sleep. They provided food, TV and magazines but would prevent the person from sleeping. And the maximum time to break anybody, even the hardest nutshell, was six days. By the sixth day, the person would plead, “Please let me sleep, and I will tell you whatever you want.”
Sleep is a great necessity. It replenishes all that is depleted in the daytime. In fact, we expend much energy through the mind as it is always occupied with desires, expectations and targets. By the end of the day, you have some unfulfilled projects, unhappy family members or bosses. And when you go to bed with all that guilt and grudges, it becomes difficult to fall asleep.
Understand that the most important aspect of deep sleep is that your mind goes into a zone free of all thinking. However, the unconsciousness of this dark zone does not permit you to relish that state. Hence, you can sleep for hours, but we cannot call you a yogi! Dhyana (meditation) is a way to create that non-thinking state of mind, but remain conscious. You are fully alert, yet the mind is thoughtless.
Necessity of Right Posture
Meditation does not come in a day; it takes diligent effort. You have to prepare very well, step by step – you miss a step, and you will miss the whole journey. The number one requirement is proper posture. To hold liquid in a glass we must keep the glass still. If we move it, the liquid will spill. In this example, the glass represents your body, and the liquid represents your mind. Without keeping your body still, the mind will spill – it is already spilling in hundreds of directions. So being still is the most important part, whether you are practising pranayama or mantra japa.
Sitting still requires strength. It demands strong lumbar, back and shoulder muscles, flexible knee and hip joints, and a clear, phlegm-free head and forehead. From the toes to the head, everything must be in balance. Hence the need to do asanas and the shat-kriyas (six purification practices of Hatha Yoga). See, this path relies on experimentation, not belief. I do not simply tell you to believe, as they do in organised religions. No experimentation can be done without sound logic.
You need to sit like a mountain. The spinal column has to be erect, not bent, and there should be no aches in the body. The colon must be clear – you should have a good bowel movement, which is a problem for many. Here, Ayurvedic dietary recommendations come into play, along with the practice of yogasanas.
Mind’s Tricks
Now you sit still, but suddenly your nose starts itching. Oddly, your nose only starts itching when you sit for dhyana. What happens to the nose? Physically, nothing – this is a ploy of the mind to distract you from your journey. When people try to sit still, you can often see them scratching themselves, as if plagued by some mysterious lice. They experience itches and pains, stiffening legs, or the urge to shift their weight from left to right. They do everything but be still! When you feel that something is crawling on your leg, it is not an ant, it is just your mind. One itch, one ant’s crawl or cramp, and you lose. Being still is very important, together with learning to synchronise your breathing.
You are supposed to follow the meditative technique, but the mind sneaks in and interferes. The mind does not want its lord to wake up. Remember, you are the lord – the mind is only your PRO, the public relations officer. But the PRO has taken charge because the lord is sleeping. So whenever the lord wants to wake up, the mind says, “Go back to sleep, do not get up.” It will bring a thousand excuses, like “What is the use of sitting with eyes closed? Go and do some work.” Or it will put you to sleep. Do not allow sleep to happen – if you have to slap yourself, do it. When the mind gives agitation, tell your mind, “The body is not going to get up, you can go wherever you want.” If it creates drama, just watch it. You do not see somebody else’s thoughts and emotions – you face your own. But you do not like it, because your mind is so cluttered.
Be still and synchronise your breathing. Let the mind’s drama go on, but be persistent, and soon the racing thoughts will wither away. They will get less and less, and a time comes when nothing but the object of focus is left in the mind. Do not lose hope; it is not difficult. When you say it is difficult, it is again your mind rebelling against you taking charge. It knows a million ways to distract you. Toppling a government is never easy – the mind has been ruling your life, but now you want to change the regime.
