the qualifying mind.

Do you notice how much you give qualities to everything that happens to or around you?
"This is good", "I've had better", "They're better than me"... It just goes on and on, chasing the tail of our mind's every thought.

The mind is in constant chatter; the ego commenting on everything and ultimately keeping us locked in the illusion of the momentum of 'me and my life'. This seems. tobe the ultimate attachment for us all.

With a rampant and untamed mind we are constantly identifying ourselves and others by naming, describing and attaching to every moment. We then start to believe everything we think and have an opinion on... sometimes momentary, perhaps irrational, thoughts become something we give too much weight to. And this of course becomes heavier over time.

Through a meditation practice we can come to know a different side of the mind. We can start to become acquainted with the silent witness who can observe these thoughts, but not become involved with them. This awareness helps us to understand ourselves, our ego, our tendencies on a much deeper level so that eventually we may be free from 'our stuff'.

That 'stuff' being: those things we return to in our mind, in our commentary, time and time again - "I'm not good enough", "I am not worthy", "I am unlovable" and so on...

When we begin to meditate these things will become very loud at first and will, of course, attach to the practice itself. This qualifying mind takes over. "This is stupid", "I can't meditate", "This doesn't even work", "Why can't I do it?", "This is so..."

But, the more we just allow these thoughts - which may feel counter-intuitive to trying to learn to meditate - the more we will uncover this witnessing awareness, sitting quietly in the background, able to simply observe the self, and has, in fact, been there all along.