While most people believe that they choose their thoughts, in truth, their thoughts merely occur. A person takes a stroll and sees a beautiful home, the thought of homes then occupies that person’s mind, while in that thought mode, a siren sounds and the thoughts turn to sirens and the noise they cause. Whatever is placed in front of the person becomes that which fills his mind. The vast majority of people actually live their lives in this manner, haphazardly and unconsciously, whence thoughts and experiences simply occur to them. This situation is one in which the person is being fully controlled by the world around him and the events that occur in the course of his life. The quest in meditation is to liberate ourselves from this enslaving condition.
(Excerpt from the book; Toward the Infinite: The way of Kabbalistic Meditation)
We are always meditating at one level or another. Thoughts are continuous, we are always thinking about something, the issue at hand is however, are we in control of our thoughts, do we consciously choose what to think about, or do these thought simply occur to us. When we do finally choose to think, and consciously meditate, the issue then is; what do we choose? The choices are the materialistic thoughts regarding our own selfish desires and aggrandizement, or transcendent thoughts, contemplation of the spiritual. This is the primal goal of the meditation, to replace our mundane thoughts, with transcendent, spiritual thoughts…
Meditation in its most basic form trains the person to control his thoughts, and thereby experience controlled thinking. That is to say, to master your thoughts, and to be capable of making a conscious decision as to what you are going to think about, and for how long. This is easier spoken of than accomplished. Observe the difficulty of concentrating for a protracted period of time on a single subject. Notice the way extraneous thoughts interfere with your focus, as if possessed of a mind of their own. For example, resolve to focus your attention on a painting or object in front of you. Within a moment or two, at the most, your mind will slowly begin to drift to other areas of the room. At best, you may find yourself thinking that you are supposed to be focusing on the object. One thing is certain however, and that is that you will not be thinking about the painting or object itself. The mind ‘burps up’ unrelated ideas to the matter at hand. It distracts and exhausts itself by straying, and then needing to be reengaged.
Each one of us is a complex intricate creation. There is more to the human mind, and psyche, than the naked eye perceives. There are levels upon levels, layers upon layers of consciousness operating within each individual. It is true that we are able to control the conscious elements of the mind; for the most external part of human consciousness is indeed subordinate to man’s will. This means that if you wish to think about something, whatever it may be, your conscious mind will be doing the thinking. However there are deeper elements in the mind, layers of subconscious, and these cannot be as easily controlled or manipulated. The subconscious seems to have a life of its own, although it may often seem an erratic and chaotic one.
This chaos can invade at the most inopportune moments. It may be internal dialogue, or simply random thoughts that interrupt our concentration. The result is distraction and often confusion. It takes an act of will to bring the focus back to the agenda of the moment. Most people suffer from this phenomenon to a greater or lesser degree. We all are at times forced to think about something, although we wish to think of something else.
A primary result that is sought in meditation is control of the thinking process on a conscious and subconscious level, so that thinking and focusing can be prolonged on any specific issue. At first it may be for just a few short moments, but with practice, the duration increases. With time and experience, a person can master his entire being, and achieve full control of his self.
A fundamental function of the meditation is to experience the freedom to focus, and to liberate the conscious mind from the tyranny of habitual random thinking. Thus, by reaching this level of mastery, the meditator can turn his attention to whatever he chooses with greater efficiency and clarity.
Most people do meditate from time to time, but their meditations are generally regarding money and other materialistic gain. The meditation involves contemplation of their possessions and financial situation. At times one may even meditate on a loved one, contemplating the person and the love they feel, but these meditations, while serving their purpose, are but within the realm of mundane consciousness. The objective of this method of meditation is to replace these thoughts with spiritual ones, and train the mind to naturally think these loftier thoughts. The meditation itself will eventually cause an internal transformation of our consciousness.
We are always meditating at one level or another. Thoughts are continuous, we are always thinking about something, the issue at hand is however, are we in control of our thoughts, do we consciously choose what to think about, or do these thought simply occur to us. When we do finally choose to think, and consciously meditate, the issue then is; what do we choose? The choices are the materialistic thoughts regarding our own selfish desires and aggrandizement, or transcendent thoughts, contemplation of the spiritual. This is the primal goal of the meditation, to replace our mundane thoughts, with transcendent, spiritual thoughts…
Toward the Infinite – The Way of Kabbalistic Meditation is available in all fine book stores and on the web at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Toward-Infinite-Way-Kabbalistic-Meditation/dp/0742545121/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
