I usually don’t write on weekends.
It is a deliberate choice. As any fitness expert says, in training, rest is just as important as exercise. Saturday and Sunday are my rest days.
But I also love changes and experiments. So, I thought that I could use Saturday mornings to share some old apples. I rarely read my old posts, so it can be fun to look back and read something written by the old me.
So, here we are. Today, I’m sharing apple #771, in which I talk about my struggles with meditation, and I shared an inspiring message from Krishnamurti. Let me know your thoughts about this experiment.
One Apple A Day #771
to quiet the mind
"So, how is the mind to be quiet? [...]The moment you put that question to yourself vitally, actually, what is the state of your mind? Is it not quiet? It is no longer chattering, analysing, judging; it is watching, observing, because you do not know. The very state of not-knowing is the beginning of quietness."
Krishnamurti, Ojai, California 1952, Talk 10
Every morning, when I meditate, something weird happens. My mind becomes hyperactive. Like a kid in a playground with too many games, my mind jumps from one thought to another. Sometimes, it happens so fast I can't even realise how I did it, how I went from there to here.
But that's precisely the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve. Yes, I can feel my body relaxing, releasing the tensions in my muscles. But the main goal is to quiet the mind.
How do I get there?
In my search to answer this question, I found this talk by J. Krishnamurti. And it opens up a world.
My mind is quiet when I'm learning.
When I'm fully engaged in something.
When I don't know what's behind the next turn.
When I have to find answers.
Not knowing is the beginning of quietness.
I can feel a new journey opening before me.