Monkey Mind

Buddhism often describes meditation as a way of 'training the mad monkey mind', referring to the mind as a mad monkey, which is always jumping and racing from one thought to the next. During an average day we think around 64,000 thoughts! The Buddha said by the absence of grasping one is set free. Meditation is not something you achieve by trying. Although when you begin to practice you are seeking to meditate effectively, the more you try the more it will elude you. Meditation can be likened to holding a wet bar of soap; one minute you are holding it in your hands and the next it's slipped through your fingers. Let go of any outcome before you begin. Meditation is about letting go and to discover the secret gap, which is, you must let everything go. You will slowly realise that, friends, family, wealth, possessions are all attachments which will ultimately leave you when your time on this plane comes to an end. There are many meditation techniques, and over thousands of years different meditation practices have evolved. The true essence of meditation, however, is just to sit and be. Quite simply you are going beyond the 'conditioned' mind and elevating your mind to a state of pure self-awareness.