Remember you are not the stream of thought. You are the conscious observer of the thought stream.
By Patrick Kelly
Refresher course. As we practice meditation, it is often prudent to review the knowledge and practices we have learned already. People often say, “I was feeling so much better, but now I’m back in my thoughts again and suffering as I did before.” I’ll ask, “How are the meditations going?” The answer is often, “Haven’t been doing that much.” Practice meditations. Remember you are not the stream of thought. You are the conscious observer of the thought stream. You are the peace, love and joy beyond understanding.
The student said to the teacher, “Teacher, I find challenges as I move forward on my path toward conscious awareness. I experience great moments of peace, despite the stream thought running through my mind; yet, I still spend much of my time caught in the negativity and suffering by the thoughts created by my mind. It is as if I let my guard down and the programming and conditioning of my thought-filled mind returns and leads me into negativity.” The teacher responded, “Keep the light of conscious awareness on and keep meditating. Review the knowledge you have learned and begin again. Begin as many times as necessary until conscious awareness comes to the forefront of your life. You can measure your progress on your journey by the amount of time you spend in peace and joy despite your stream of thought.”
Simple meditations. You know several meditations. Practice them. You can create your own, choose something: sounds, objects, sensations, etc. Bring your awareness to these things, observe the stream of thoughts going through your mind and bring your attention back to the focus of your meditation when you realize you have been pulled in. It is that simple. The change comes naturally. It’s your day! ••
For more on this topic and meditation practices, visit wakingupwithpatrick.com
