“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” – Buddha
rnI have harped on the fact that our thoughts create our reality and directly influence our experience of life many times now. I do so mainly because it is such an important insight to grasp for body and life transformation.
Yet, in many cases we may understand the concept intellectually but fail to truly seize the wisdom and application of the notion.
Likewise, one may fully understand the concepts of how to gain muscle mass, but if we fail to apply what we know, then there will be no biological change.
Thus, knowing that your thoughts create your reality is of little use to you, unless you take full control of your mind and think the thoughts that will lead you to action and therefore your desires.
When what you KNOW and what you DO become congruent with each other, then you will have more than knowledge… you will have WISDOM!
It has been estimated that the average person thinks over 60,000 thoughts in a day and a lot of those thoughts are old, repetitive thoughts that they have been thinking for quite some time.
How many people do you believe are truly conscious of all of these thoughts that they are thinking?
How many people do you believe have consciously chosen the majority of thoughts that enter their mind?
Many people have expressed a problem with not being able to stop thinking. They have problems concentrating and staying focused. They lie awake at night, thoughts pouring through their heads… worries, fears, tasks needing done, anticipation of things to come, you get the idea.
They have lost control of their mind. Their mind is now controlling them. So, many people turn to the latest drug they see on television and search for the solution in a pill.
“The biggest disease of the mind is over-thinking… Thinking too much is like eating too much. The heaviness makes it impossible to remain light and flexible.”
Are you in control of your mind? Remember, the mind is nothing but a tool for us to use. We should be the ones in control of it, harnessing its power for realizing our intended purposes.
Yet a large portion of humanity has become slaves to their mind. The mind uses them, wears them down, wears them out.
In fact, the sad reality is that most people are so enslaved by their minds that they think the mind is who they are. They are completely identified with it, with their thoughts and their beliefs.
They have become like sleepwalkers, lost in the illusion of the dream.
Yet this is the natural process of our evolution. You must first be asleep… in order to awaken! When we’re born into this body we were born into an illusion and many of us have not reached the level of consciousness where we see this illusion for what it is.
You are not your thoughts and beliefs! They are simply passing forms of energy like the weather or the clouds.
Likewise you are not your mind or brain. These too are passing forms of energy. Even your body will break down and one day dissolve back into the earth from which it came.
You are the essence of which is beyond all forms. What you are is the consciousness in which these things may exist. You are the field of awareness in which these thoughts may transpire, but you are not the thoughts.
Thoughts are simply recycled information and likewise your body is recycled earth. Thoughts, like your brain and mind, are simply tools of creation.
This is where meditation can be employed. You can use meditation to take back control of your mind, to clear the mind of uncontrollable thoughts and still the water, so to speak.
Meditation can also be used to access the subconscious and tap into the deeper wisdom that lies beyond the realm of our conscious mind.
By making use of meditation and integrating it into our daily routine we can effectively reduce the number of thoughts we are thinking each day by stilling the mind.
This then opens us up to a whole new world that is free from the often negative and repetitive thoughts that before cluttered our consciousness and muddled our perception of reality.
By eliminating these unnecessary and excessive thought patterns we also improve the efficacy of the other techniques we will utilize for influencing and harnessing the power our subconscious mind.
When one is thinking considerably less random, and monotonous thoughts, the thoughts that they have consciously chosen to think will have more of an impact on transforming their reality.
Meditation is a simple practice. However, just because it is simple does not mean it is easy.
Your mind will try everything in its power to distract you, to convince you that this is a waste of time, to lure you back into the unconscious thought patterns that are keeping you trapped and enslaved by it.
It will yell, scream, and plead with you to abandon this stupid meditation practice:
“Why waste your time just sitting here, when you could be doing something?” it will rationalize.
In most people’s cases it will win, but for the few that continue to push onward… their lives will never be the same.
At first, you may not notice much difference, but after some time and dedication to the discipline (not as long as you think) you will notice a new quality to your consciousness.
You will have greater focus, clarity, peacefulness, and insightfulness arising within your everyday experience.
This ability to become fully present is what is referred to as mindfulness in Zen and you will begin to have a deeper understanding of your true nature. You will begin seeing things, not as you think they are, but as they really are- beyond the filter of your thoughts, beliefs, personal opinions and biases.
In a world that was once dead to you, there will be breathed a fresh breath of life. In this moment, you will awaken and you will never be a sleepwalker again.
Does that sound crazy? If so don’t worry… it will all make sense one day!
rnBrandon Cook