Of Mice and Meditation

During meditation, thoughts enter my mind, stay, and leave, if I don’t dwell on them.

When I give attention to a thought, it lingers and evokes feelings. Something related to the thought or person or incident arises. Once my thought tangles with my attention, it becomes not so easy to let go. I wrestle.

Soon, another thought gangs up and then another and then another…

I become more cautious.

I watch for those thoughts that would attract my attention. I keep some distance. The problem is… the more I lose them in the distance the closer they chase me. I get trapped but manage to break off.

Soon I become wiser. I treat a rising thought like a mouse entering my kitchen. I make a door that leads to my mind kitchen. When the mouse enters the door, I just watch and check things out, but give no response.

Sit still. No reflection of his presence.

The mouse exits, disinterested. Since he couldn’t find the food he was looking for, my attention, he left. Alas, success!

Now all the mice that enter my mind do not stay long. They enter, look for my attention, finding nothing, and they exit.

In a while, the experienced mice talk to each other “Hey guys, no food in that mind, don’t go.”

My mind slowly becomes empty with less and less visitors.

No mice.

A few mice, rookies who know nothing about me and my no-food-kitchen drop by, find nothing, and leave disappointed, never returning.