Usually mind is restless and scattered on different objects. It wanders on two ropes of past or future. It remembers the dead events of the past or remembers the unforeseen happenings of future. In our scriptures, it is compared to a maddened monkey restless by nature drunk with the wine of desire, stung by the Scorpio of jealousy at the success of others and possessed with the demon of pride. So it is quite an uphill task to control or concentrate such a mind.
Not only that. It has become our Master. We are happy only if the mind is cheerful. We are depressed when the mind is gloomy. We consider ourselves nothing but mind. The fact is, "I am neither the body nor the mind nor the intellect (the determining faculty). I am the omnipresent Atman. I am the Master of mind, body and intellect and not their slave." When I gain my master-ship over the mind, I have control over the whole body; instead of being a slave to this machine, the machine is my slave. Instead of being able to drag 'ME' down, it becomes greatest helpmate.
The way to gain master-ship is MEDITATION which is awareness, alertness, wakefulness and understanding about 'ME'. The more we think about 'ME' or 'HE' or 'SELF' the more we fall away from REALITY i.e. 'ME' or 'SELF'. Thinking leads us astray from the REAL. The 'REAL' does not need thinking. The 'REAL' 'REAL ME' needs awareness, alertness and wakefulness which is MEDITATION.
Gurudev Shri Swami Vishvas Ji proclaims:-
अपनी न की तलाश, बड़ी चूक ये हुई
बरसों किये खराब, खुदा तलाश में हमने
Self is within all of us. I and my father are one. He is not dwelling in the seventh heaven. He is with us all the time. I am He. "Thou art that".
The great hindrance and adamantine wall is MIND which is Maya. Wealth, World or Property is not Maya. Mind is Maya. When we close our eyes, we see thick darkness which is Mind, Maya - the continuous and endless flow of thoughts coming from somewhere, nowhere, elsewhere and everywhere. Thoughts are coming in bulks, buses, trucks, trams, trains, helicopters and aeroplanes. Sometimes the meditators get too much discouraged and disheartened.
Mind releases a film on mind's screen which has a beginning and no-end. More we try to overcome or overpower or control our thoughts more vehemently they throttle us. The only way to attain master-ship over mind is just to watch and watch it without any interference or involvement. Observe your thoughts, observe your mind as you are standing on the side of a road watching the traffic without any judgement, evaluation, condemnation or appreciation. Just pure observation.
As we become more and more accustomed to observation, a strange phenomenon starts taking place. When we are 10% aware that much energy has moved from the mind to the observer (i.e. Me) and mind is left with 90% energy available. A time comes when the observer is 50% aware and its awareness goes on increasing as mind goes on losing its energy. Traffic becomes less and less and observer becomes more and more and more. Our witnessing Self goes on increasing in integrity.
90% Observer 10% Mind
99% Observer 1% Mind
100% Observer Mind disappears
The road is empty. The screen of the mind becomes completely empty. Nothing moves there is just the observer which is ME.
When the awareness is complete, witnessing is 100% and observation is uninterrupted, thoughts disappear and mind becomes no-mind. That is the state of thoughtlessness which is the right state. In that state we get our master-ship over the mind and mind which creates huge storms in our lives reveals numerous mysteries of life to us. Instead of being our master, it becomes our helpmate, our servant.
But the highway for attaining our master-ship over mind is MEDITATION which is not at all the concentration of mind. Looking inside is meditation. Just pure watching inwards, turning the eyes inwards 180 degrees and 'ME' 'I' have arrived home. 'I' am not going anywhere. Not a single step has to be taken. I am to move from here to here. I am already here but I am not aware.
Meditation is awareness, alertness, wakefulness and understanding. It is seeing, observing, watching and witnessing. Watch anything in the mind and you are cut off. Watching is a sword. If a thought is moving in your mind, watch it. Suddenly you will see that thought is there, you are here and there is no bridge left between thought and you. Don't watch, you become identified with thought, you become it. Watch, you don't become it. Mind possesses you because you forget to watch it. Learn it.
Meditation is a non-doing state. We have to make no effort whatsoever. In fact effort is a great barrier in Meditation which is not something outside of 'Me'. It is true and real nature of 'Me'. Meditation is to be done for the sake of meditation and it is not done to fulfil any desire. It is unmotivated. It is a state of desirelessness. In state of meditation, silence comes, peace comes, divine comes. All that happens spontaneously but if we desire for them, nothing will happen.
Numerous mysteries of life cause great upheaval in human brain. The simple question, 'who am I' remains unanswered. In connection with that a great Spiritual Master has stated:-
"This life is a Master Novel written by God. A man would go crazy if he tries to understand with reason alone. That is why I tell you to meditate more. Go deep into meditation. Enlarge the magic cap of intuition and then you will be able to hold the ocean of infinite wisdom."
We all may not be able to reach that state of super-consciousness of Samadhi but definitely we can regain our lost master-ship of mind through regular Vishvas Meditation which is quite natural, simple and spontaneous. No extraneous effort is required, no rosary, no mantras, no sermons, no scriptures. Only devotion, earnest Pyas and Prem are required. Even those emotions are aroused on their own when we sit in meditation without any tension, any anguish or stress and strain.
Sit in a very comfortable posture, close your eyes and step on an inner enjoyable journey to your own Source which is All-existent, All knowledge and Bliss. Your awareness knows the way and starts flowing towards its sources. All we are to do is just to be a witness as a person standing on the bank of a stream watches the waves rising high and falling below without any evaluation or judgement. Thoughts will start diminishing and eventually disappear and mind becomes subservient and gives back master-ship to 'Me'.
Such is a great blessing of meditation that lost master-ship over mind is regained but we have to do it regularly and sincerely. A lukewarm attitude or 'stop & start' won't lead us anywhere. Then we would be in the cruel clutches of mind which would throw us into the thick gloom of death and devastation.
Meditation is the nectar of all scriptures which takes us to our own source and makes us realise our own real and true Nature which is effulgent and All Bliss. Gurudev Shri Ji proclaims that immense treasure of 'BLISS' is within all of us but we are looking for it outside. St. Rabia looked for a needle in the street lost in home because it was dark at home.