Are you familiar with the expression “monkey mind”? In meditation, it equates the ceaseless energy and curious playfulness of a monkey to the mind’s constant hunger for stimulation, ideas, and information. There’s no controlling it; and efforts to suppress it often lead to frustration. Spiritual maturity invites a wiser relationship with that voracious appetite, one born of a detached awareness.
The mind is always eating.
If you hung a sign in your mind that said, “Eating Prohibited”, the mind would chew on that. In other words, it’s the nature of the mind to think. It snacks on thoughts, stories, opinions, worries, headlines, memories, plans. Even when the body is still, the mind is rarely fasting. When we sit down to meditate or even attempt to simply relax, it often feels like the noise in our headspace grows. This isn’t a personal failure or human flaw. The mind was designed to scan, compare, analyze, and seek novelty. It’s like a 24-hour radio station that is always picking up signals.
We don’t always notice how noisy this space can be because we’re identified with every thought. We aren’t even aware of what we’re thinking because we assume we are the stream of thoughts, the commentary, the judgments, the fears.
When we enter a spiritual practice like meditation, something shifts and awareness grows. We begin to see the mind moving almost compulsively from one bite to the next. Munch, munch, munch. What’s next for lunch? It can be very unnerving and uncomfortable to discover. But it is actually a sign of progress.
Don’t Fight It
Naturally, many seekers assume the point of meditation is to silence this monkey once and for all. That’s a misunderstanding. They exert great efforts to try to control it or “fix” it. Such efforts can result in frustration and irritation when they fail. Then comes the belief, “I can’t meditate.” Ironically, this is just another one of those monkey mind thoughts we can attach to and believe!
The mind will always seek the next thought and chew on it. Trying to dominate it into a quiet submission only creates more tension, struggle, inner conflict, and ironically, more noise. Realizing this is a turning point because suddenly a real choice becomes available. Instead of getting pulled first this way and then that by every thought, we get a glimmer that maybe all that mental noise doesn’t even merit our attention.
Let discernment replace control.
Very little of what the mind thinks is actually helpful. Reliving drama. Gossip. Impossible-to-solve conspiracies. Fear-based narratives. Endless comparison. These kinds of thoughts may feel stimulating, even addictive or helpful, but they don’t nourish. They deplete and exhaust the nervous system and distort perception.
By contrast, other inputs have a very different effect. Wisdom teachings. Clear inquiry. Beauty. Inspiration. Grounded, aligned ideas. These don’t overstimulate the mind; they orient and align it. They are however still just thoughts and not the experience of deep connection and tranquility we crave.
This is why mantras, the constant repetition of holy phrases or prayers, can be so beneficial. It’s like giving the mind a chew toy. It’s so occupied on one thing that your deeper awareness has a better chance of coming forward.
Eventually, gradually, with practice, we can starve the monkey of our attention. And it will not have the power it once did. Our acceptance of its nature makes it less desperate and frantic. And slowly, gradually, even though it continues to stuff its face, any noise recedes into the background of awareness.
Attention is sacred.
Quote
It is the very mind itself that leads the mind astray — of the mind, do not be mindless.
~Takuan Soho
Clear Blue Sky Meditation
Relax and sit comfortably. Imagine a bright, clear blue sky. Focus on the sky. As you notice a thought arise, or as you catch yourself having been pulled into a line of thought, see those thoughts as a cloud dissolving and disappearing back into that cloudless sky as you chant the sound OM.
Journaling
As often as possible, pause and gently observe your mind throughout the day. What conversations, media, or internal narratives is the mind chewing on? No judgment. Journal about the effect each input has on your body and energy. Keep notes about the mental “foods” you habitually consume, noting how they shape your emotional and energetic state.
Stop identifying with and fighting the mind.
A tranquil, quiet mind isn’t born of exertion and control but of simply depriving it of attention. Accept its nature and realize you are the witness, separate from every thought that passes through it.
And from that place of deep awareness, the mind stops being a tyrant and starts becoming the loyal servant of your inner wisdom.