Food for thought

"Oh, will you give it a rest!" I tell my mind.  My mind shrugs and replies "What can I do?  It's my nature to think".   Just like my crazy dog who bolts out the door at the first sight of a squirrel.  It's his nature to hunt (he's a beagle) so that's what he does.   So too, our minds must do what it was meant to do -- Think. 

I've resigned myself to the fact that I can't run away from it.  Wherever I go, my mind will follow. Rather than allowing my mind to run wild,  I attempt to direct it.

This morning I noticed that I was obsessing over a thought so as I prepared for meditation I decided to read from the Upanishads.  Giving my mind some lovely verses to the think about rather than falling into the negative thoughts patterns. 

Taittiriya Upanishad:

"OM is  the supreme symbol of the Lord.  Om is the whole.  Om affirms; Om signals the chanting of the hymns from the Vedas. The priest begins with Om; spiritual teachers and their students commence with Om.
The student who is established in Om becomes united with the Lord of Love"

I meditated outside today, there was a gentle cool breeze, the birds were singing happily.  After reading for a few minutes,  I sat up straight, closed my eyes, deepened my breath.  Repeating the mantra, meditation came easily today.  As I open my eyes, I was feeling calm, peaceful.

Once again I open the Upanishads:  "If you are in doubt about right conduct, follow the example of the sages"  

You can't run away from your mind but through the practice of meditation, you can learn to still the fluctuations of the thought waves of the mind.  Follow the example of the sages and practice right living, use asana to make your body strong enough to sit comfortably in meditation,  practice one pointed concentration which will lead you to meditation.  Then in meditation your mind can finally  "give it a rest"  -- even if it's only for a little while,  you will feel refreshed, calmer, more peaceful. 

You can run away from the mind but we can, with diligent practice, change the thought patterns.  Let's face it, your mind is going to think - just give it good stuff to think about -- If you have some aversion to the Upanishads - read some other inspirational passages.