[English] Thought watching meditation - Knowing the silent source of thoughts (by Sirshree)

Summary: Dear Truth Seekers, Happy Thoughts! Please close your eyes and be seated in the posture of meditation. Close your eyes. We have to know how to watch the mind and how to learn its behavior. As we cannot see the breeze but with the movement of the leaves we can see its presence. Similarly if you want to see the mind then look at thoughts. Thoughts give the right information about the mind, every thought has to be watched without getting identified. This is the most important stage. This is the stage where there are maximum chances of error. This cannot be understood by watching the thoughts for the first time. So you have to practice thought watching meditation. When we watch movie or a channel on the television initially we notice only a few aspect. When we see the same program for the second time we notice more details. It is same with the mind. But when we watch a movie for the first time our whole attention is focused on our favorite actor or actress. Isn’t it? When we see it for the second time then out attention may shift towards the people in the background. We see details. For thought watching also initially you will understand few things but with practice you will find a gap between two thoughts. One thought has passed, second has not come yet. The gap is there. You can be in that gap. In thoughtless state. So let us start this meditation. Dear Meditator, You have to become the complete meditator. For thought watching meditation, sit in an appropriate posture and take mudra of meditation, dhyan. Body posture should be straight but relaxed. Back bone should be straight, simultaneously you should be relaxed also. There should not be any stress on the back bone. Now relax yourself by taking one or two deep breaths and then releasing them slowly… Take a deep breath and release it slowly… Repeat it for one more time… Let your breathing continue to be as it as present now… At this moment your breathing may be shallow or deep breathing is going on… Be comfortable, natural, however it may be, let it continue the same. Do not control your breathing… Just watch as it goes on… If you control your breathing then it is not meditation, it is pranayam – that is regulation of breathing. Now this is right posture and mudra of complete meditator… Let your eyes be closed… Begin to watch your thoughts now… See, which thoughts are going on inside you… Start watching your thoughts… Keep your attention on your thoughts… Witness them… See your thoughts coming and going… Let the thoughts continue as they are in the normal natural manner. Some thoughts may be positive some may be negative… Some thoughts may be related to the work you do, while some may be of boredom… In every state keep your body steady… There is an interval or gap between the thoughts… One thought goes, another thought comes but there is a gap between these two thoughts… This interval may be the thousandth part of a second or for few second… whatever it may be… keep your attention on that interval… In this interval there is no thought… Everything has stopped or frozen… In this moment everything is silent… Decide in your mind that you will continue knowing silence between two thoughts… continue knowing the silence between two thoughts with the feeling of a witness… Passive witness… Keep inspecting your thoughts… Just as on the TV screen, you watch a program but there is an advertisement strip at the bottom of the screen which rolls horizontally… But you do not worry about those words ad, in the same manner let them roll horizontally… Horizontal thinking may continue but you keep your attention on your program that is silence, an interval, the self… The consciousness… If you miss the gap do not worry, pay attention to the next gap… Keep inspecting yourself… Through the gap between two compartments of the passing train, we can catch a glimpse of the opposite platform. In the same way we can catch a glimpse of the self witnessed through the gap between two thoughts. … … There is no need to pursue or chase the previous thought. Just watch a thought and say ‘Next’… If you get a thought, ‘No thought is coming at all.’ This is also a thought, ‘No thought is coming.’ Then you have to understand that this is also a thought… After seeing it say ‘Next’… As you go on watching thoughts you will also feel the joy of detachment… Detachment from thoughts…