Stilling monkey mind.
I have known about, and learned to live with (and even enjoy, sometimes) the relentless churning of my monkey mind, with hundreds of thoughts flitting through every minute, non-stop internal entertainment. I never thought that I could stop this fast-flowing river of images, hypotheses, laundry lists, and stories that keep my mind constantly busy. Only those enlightened folks, like the Dalai Lama, could know the stillness of calm mind.
Until this past Sunday, when the leader of a class in chanting and mantra posed a question for us to ask ourselves: “What is my mind doing?” In our quiet and reflective mood, after meditation, I wondered this and then, for a split second, my mind stopped in surprise, and stayed in total stillness. Then the ruckus recommenced. But now, there is possibility. I know this, in the deepest recesses of my being.
Again, in Monday’s yoga class, there was the briefest flash of stillness, and then the knowing: “I am not my thoughts.”
Okay then.
Who am I?
