The Nature of the Mind

If we close our eyes for a minute right now, we’ll experience that the mind starts thinking.  One thought, then another, then another, the mind thinks all day long.  This has led some meditation traditions to label the mind as a monkey, ‘the monkey mind’ leaping from one thought to another as a monkey leaps from one tree to another.  From this it has been deduced that it is the nature of the mind to wander.

In the late 1950s, a monk from the Himalayas brought a simple technique of meditation to the West.  The monk was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the technique was Transcendental Meditation or TM.  One of the revolutionary things about Maharishi’s teaching was that he said it was the nature of the mind to be still, content, blissful and happy.  The only reason the mind is constantly thinking is because it’s searching for happiness as a bee searches for nectar in flowers.  If we show the mind the way to happiness and contentment, it will take that path spontaneously.

This is what TM does.  It’s a simple way of turning the attention within and allowing the mind to experience quieter states of thought until it comes to rest in a natural state of pure consciousness or restful alertness.  One remains fully awake, fully aware but experiences the mind becoming gradually more quiet. It’s a similar journey to the one the mind takes at night as we’re falling asleep and it’s just as effortless.

TM is a practice that you need to be taken through several times with a qualified teacher so that you understand the simplicity and effortless nature of the process and learn what correct meditation is. The Meditation People teach high quality Transcendental Meditation courses online.  It’s learned in four sessions usually from Saturday to Monday.

We also teach TM face to face courses in Hove three times a year in January, May and September.