The Elephant Mind

Hello Vishnudeva,
When I meditate, my mind gets distracted and unwanted thoughts come into play. I can’t clear my mind and make it completely empty.

V: That’s okay, because in Advaita Vedanta understanding one’s self is the purpose of meditation, rather than getting rid of thoughts. And this is a good thing, because as you have seen, it is virtually impossible to force the mind to stop thinking. In fact, efforts made to willfully restrain the mind lead to frustration and inner tension, both of which, ironically, are inimical to the practice of meditation itself.

So, try not thinking of meditation as actively managing the mind. Instead, think of the mind as a tank of muddy water that you are passively observing. Here, the mind is the water, and the dirt floating in the water is thought. And trying to coerce the mind into not thinking is like trying to get dirt to settle to the bottom of a tank of water by throwing in more dirt. Why? Because the desire to clear the mind, and the mental efforts made to do so, are just more thoughts. They only further muddy the water of the mind.

But when you simply observe the mind without judgement, it will, like an undisturbed tank of muddy water, settle and become clear on its own. Let the thoughts arise and resolve of their own accord, doing your best not to judge them, dwell on them, or contemplate their meaning. And when you inevitably get “hooked” by one of the mind’s alluring ideations or distracting anxieties, then just watch the mind judge, deliberate, reminisce, worry and ponder, and wait to see if it settles down, rather than stirring the mind up further by trying to force it to stop. If the mind clears up on its own, then good. If not, then simply watch it in all of its muddy glory until the allotted meditation time is over, and then “try” again next time. When you sit to meditate in the same place and at the same time everyday, your mind will eventually get the hint about what you are trying to do, and it will become more cooperative. And once you are able to allow the mind clear of its own accord through passive observation, you are ready to use meditation for its intended purpose, which is self inquiry.

But this approach, because it requires immense amounts of diligence and patience, rarely comes easily to people. So, when a meditator is not yet able to allow their mind to settle on its own through passive observation, Vedanta offers another option: the practice of japa. With japa, the meditator interjects a thought into their mind—in this case, a sacred mantra—and then focuses all of their attention on that that thought, to the exclusion of all other thoughts. The other thoughts are still present in the mind, no doubt, but because the meditator is occupied with the mantra alone, their attention remains steady, focused and undivided, rather than flitting hither and thither from thought to thought.

Here is a common story that explains the methodology of japa. In India, there are elephant trainers called mahouts. And when these mahouts would parade their elephants through the village, the elephants would cause chaos as they walked the streets with their trunks swinging about, knocking over vendor’s stands and snatching bananas and coconuts.

Now, in order to stop the elephants form running amok in the village, did the mahouts restrain the elephants and wrestle them into submission? No, because it is impossible for a man to overpower an elephant by force. Instead, the mahouts gave the elephants something to do—they gave the elephants a stick to hold with their trunks. And when the elephants had a stick to hold on to, their trunks were properly occupied and they no longer felt the need to swing them around causing trouble.

Your mind is like an elephant that must be coaxed into behaving, because it cannot be forcibly overpowered. The swinging trunk of the elephant is the process of your mind thinking, and the bananas and coconuts in the vendor’s stalls are the various thoughts. The mantra that you focus on in meditation is the stick. And by giving the elephant mind a stick to play with, the trunk of thinking is occupied. When the trunk of thinking is properly occupied, it no longer feels the needs to swing about wildly, continuously dividing its attention in an attempt to find newer, juicer or more interesting bananas and coconuts (thoughts). By directing the mind’s attention towards one single thought, all attention towards other thoughts is withdrawn, by default. The thoughts are there, but you are no longer paying attention to them. Considering that the mind cannot be compelled to stop thinking, this is the more sensible approach to meditation. And by training the mind with japa to not give needless attention to frivolous thoughts, you will be preparing yourself to meditate by passively observing the mind. Because “observing the mind” is really just allowing thoughts to appear in the mind, without fixing your attention on them.

Here are some tips for doing japa properly:

1. Use only a single mantra for this practice, one that you find meaningful. Continuously switching mantras is unhelpful, and using a mantra that your mind finds unappealing is ineffective.
2. There are three ways to repeat the mantra: loudly, quietly and mentally. Saying the mantra loudly is especially good if, at first, you find it difficult to completely focus on the mantra. Once you’ve mastered the ability to keep your attention on the loud mantra, you can then practice saying it quietly, like you are muttering. Then, you can move on to repeating the name mentally.
3. If you have trouble concentrating on the mantra alone, you can use a mala, which is a loop of beads similar to a Catholic rosary, or a Muslim misbaha. Using a mala aids in concentration by anchoring the repetition of the mantra to a physical object, thus occupying both the mind and the body.
4. In the absence of a proper mala, any beads will do. Recently, one of my students made a mala out of some old Mardi Gras beads he had lying around, and his practice of japa has been progressing nicely. (I absolutely loved this “Mardi Gras Mala”, because it shows that it is not the paraphernalia, but the practice itself, that matters).
5. To use the mala: Put your right ring finger through the loop of beads and let it hang at the first bead (called “meru”; you will know this bead because it is usually larger than the rest of the beads and marked with a tassel). Repeat the mantra one time, and then use your thumb or middle finger to cycle to the next bead. Repeat until you come to the other end of the mala. This is one round. You will know when the round is over when the meru bead is in front of your middle finger or thumb and you cannot move to the next bead. To do another round, flip the mala over so the meru is once again behind your ring finger, like when you started.
6. Your goal is to bring your full attention to the mantra. But be gentle with your mind. Remember that you are coaxing it, rather than fighting it. If you find your mind wandering, don’t waste attention on being concerned about the the wandering. Just observe the wandering like a disinterested witness and gently bring your attention back to the name.
7. Establish a set place and time to do your practice. Any place will do as long as it is clean and relatively quiet. And any time that suits you is fine as long as it is the same time everyday. Through regularity, your mind will come to recognize the time and place you choose as “meditation time” and “meditation place.” Then, the mind will know that it is time to concentrate, rather than wildly chase after thoughts, and it will fall into the practice of japa more quickly and easily.
8. Sit on the floor or in a chair, whichever is most comfortable. You want the body to be at ease, in order that your mind doesn’t become distracted by physical discomfort. Breathe and fully relax the body. Then hold the mala comfortably with your right hand, while letting the remainder of the mala rest in your left hand.
9. In addition to your formal meditation practice, you can also mentally repeat the mantra while you go about your daily affairs, especially if those activities are mundane and normally mindless, like washing dishes or taking a shower. An activity that requires your attention, such as driving, would not be suitable (or safe) for japa.

If you have additional questions, just let me know. And good luck!

All my best,
Vishnudeva