4. The Wandering Mind

Episode 3 Wandering Mind.

The Monkey Mind is a production of TheCEOMonk.com. The publisher of the book: “A CEO, an Entrepreneur, a Tourist and the Monk.

Our mind is constantly in motion. We think, analyse, make assumptions, have inner conversations, make decisions and judgements. Sometimes we are more logical, where the sequence of thoughts follows the order of see, think, and act. Other times we may be less rationale, where we say before thinking. Or act before explaining our intentions.

Our Minds, is like a young monkey, constantly jumping from branches to branches, moving their arms, legs, or tail, and always curious for anything interesting. Like the curious monkey the mind is is constantly thinking of many things, making assumptions, judgements and conclusions. The mind respond to inputs from our 5 senses of sight, sounds, smell, taste and touch. We are always looking for any opportunity to “do something”.

Do you find yourself listening to multiple conversations, even to those across another table. Does your car radio channel plays in the background while you are driving? Do you work and study with music streaming through your ear phones. The mind crave for sounds.

The mind processes over 60,000 brain signals, or thoughts, per day. That’s about 1 thought for every breathe we take. Imagine our brain and mind are parts of a computer. The brain is the hardware, while the mind is the software. Our 5 senses behave as input devices, like the keyboard, mouse, sound card, video card, and fingerprint sensors. The software synthesises these input signals as data and passes them through programmed logics, to produce the desired output.

Similarly our mind processes the signals from our 5 organs as data and decides how we response to them. The response could be fight or flee when when we felt threatened. The response could be smile or frown when we heard a feedback about us. Or we could react by shouting and doing hi-fives when the football game on TV showed a winning goal by our favourite team.

Why do we want to tame the Monkey Mind?

Who controls our behaviours? Does our minds influences what we think and act? Or do our actions influence our mindsets? Some behavioural experts claim that our beliefs program our mind to think in a certain way. Beliefs creates attitudes and mindsets. These Beliefs, attitudes and mindsets influence our actions. The actions we could take are: thinking, speaking, doing, moving, fighting, frowning or feeling happy, angry or sad. Etc

These actions in turn result in outcome that are desirable or undesirable. These outcomes form an Experience, which are either good experience , neutral experiences or bad experiences. These Experiences will strengthen our original Beliefs or weaken them - when repeated, could result in the mind changing the Beliefs . It is like reprogramming the mind. Our mind listens to these Beliefs just like our computer respond to the software app that was installed. If a virus program was installed by accident, it messes up the entire computer. A virus software program installed in the computer is similar to a belief installed in our mind by the repeated bad experiences. A great software installed in our computer, wold be similar to a Good Belief installed in our mind by having great experiences.

During meditation, to prevent the mind from wandering, we need to give it something to do. We use visualisation and repeating of a mantra. A mantra is nothing more than a phrase to keep the audio channel of the mind occupied. And visualisation is to keep the visual channel of the mind busy,

Now being our mediation with visualisation and r mantra.

Now, adjust your clothing and sitting position and make yourself comfortable. You may sit on the floor or on a chair. You may sit on in the semi-lotus position by folding in your legs towards you and placing your right leg over the left bent knee. If you are sitting on a chair, sit with your back straight without leaning on the backrest of the chair.

Now place your left hand on your lap with your palm open and facing upwards. With your right palm open and facing upwards, place it on top of your left palm. Allow the index finger of the right hand to gently touch the tip of the left thumb. You may place a small towel on your lap if you feel more natural. Adjust your arms all the way up to your shoulders keeping them a slack and relax.

Let us begin our meditation session now.

Its inner peace time.

Imagine you are taking a walk in park in the morning. The air is cool fresh surrounded by greenery and colourful flowers. A bright warm ray of the morning sun peek past the dense foliage of the mahogany tree. A tiny drop of clear morning dew hanging at the tip of a leave captures this ray and sparkles brightly. As you move closer to observe this sparkle, you felt a sensation of calmness inside the center of your abdomen. Sitting down, you decided to meditate.

Take 3 slow and deep breathes.

Very slowly allow your eye lids to close touching gently as if you are dozing off to sleep. Do not squeezing them tight. Just feel comfortable and relax. Let your mind rest for the next few moments. Let go of any thoughts - do not question, do not doubt, do not analyse.

Inhale deeply filling your lungs with fresh and cool air. Allowing the air to flow through your nose, through your lungs, reaching the bottom of your abdomen. Keep your awareness here observing the air turning around as you breathe out, releasing all tensions from your body.

Continue breathing feeling the sparkle of that bright dew dancing at the tips of the leave. Gently, visualise this dew drop inside the middle of your abdomen. Just floating inside here, clear, pure and bright. just allow this image stay inside the abdomen, and observe it as your abdomen rises and falling with each breathe. Allow the mind to stay here, floating lightly, with the clear pure bright dew. Feeling peaceful and free.

If the mind started to wander ..bring it back gently to this bright clear dew.

There is not need to go anywhere. No need to do anything. No need to answer any questions.

Feel that your mind is the drop of dew, clear, bright and pure.

Like a clear crystal ball.

Just be here.

Repeat this mantra “Clear and Bright - Pure and light” continuously.

You may observe the dew drop by sensing with your consciousness without seeing it with your eyes. Just know its presence - and feel the radiance and its brightness.

If the mind begins to wander, recite the mantra to bring the mind back to the crystal clear dew drop. Feeling the radiance spreading from the center of your abdomen. Clear and Bright. Pure and transparent.

Continue to meditate in silence for a few moments.

Clear and bright, clear and bright, slowly, bring your awareness back to the center of the abdomen. Feel the outline of your body becoming clearer. As you bring your awareness back to your sitting position and the place you are sitting. Gently, take 3 deep slow breathes. And when you are ready… gently open your eyes.

This is the end of the meditation session. Be thankful for your experiences and the time spent today. Continue to wear a smile throughout the day. Whatever the experiences you encounter during this session do not be attached to them. Attachments create expectations. Which make it hard to “let go” and relax in your next meditation. Throughout the day, try to return the mind to the center of your abdomen - which is also the home of the mind.

The Monkey Mind is a production of TheCEOMonk.com. The publisher of the book: “A CEO, an Entrepreneur, a Tourist and the Monk.