try rewarding your mind

Try rewarding your mind for its silent moments. This is a little more advanced, as meditations go. It assumes that you have already reached the point where your mind is quiet, from time to time, without thoughts.

Such silence is of great value on the spiritual journey. For our truth is not to be found in words and thoughts, but in the deeper spaces within us. And these can be felt, explored, when the mind is quiet, when there are no thoughts to attract our attention.

So to encourage these silent moments, we can subtly reward the mind for its times of quiet. Here is one way to do this. Go out into nature and find a quiet spot with a beautiful view, which could be of the landscape, or perhaps a meadow full of spring flowers – anywhere that you find attractive to look at.

Then sit and close your eyes. And follow whatever meditation method works for you, to quieten the mind. It could be watching your breath. It could be focussing your vision on the third eye area, with your eyes closed: any method that you know, that helps the thoughts to subside.

And when you feel the mind to be quiet, when there are no thoughts, for a few seconds at least, open the eyes, and look around at the beauty before you. Try to do this without thinking.

Of course, sooner or later, a thought will come. And when you are aware of a thought, close your eyes again, and return to your meditation method. When your mind is silent again, once more open your eyes, and enjoy the view. Carry on in this way for as long as you feel to.

This will subtly be training the mind to be more silent; encouraging it not to be so full of thoughts. It will take some discipline, like all meditation methods. But try it: try rewarding your mind for its silent moments.