The Point of Meditation Is Not to Rid Yourself of Thought
It’s to practice allowing everything
For many years, I had this idea of what meditation was — or what it was supposed to be.
It turns out I was completely wrong. But we’ll get to that.
I saw meditation as the way to emptiness, and for me, emptiness used to seem like peace. I reasoned that since it was my thoughts that were causing me so much turmoil, if I could just eliminate them, I’d be happier. I’d get a break. I imagined how peaceful it would be if I could just escape all that mental noise (preferably forever, but I’d take even a few minutes a day!)
I thought that if I practiced enough and disciplined myself enough, this magical day would come where I would sit down (or lay down) to meditate, and my mind would just be empty. I envisioned the bliss that would come from knowing I had achieved the impossible: a completely quiet, still mind, free of thoughts—and therefore free of problems.
But as with most things in life, having an idea of what something is versus experiencing it for yourself are two very different things. It wasn’t until I actually started meditating that I realized my error.
The goal of meditation isn’t to “get rid” of thoughts; it’s to…
