”Don’t let your mind wander and think about everything, going here and there and everywhere.”

We normally feel good by doing something or having something. But this is the opposite. We feel good by not doing anything, and it is better. Why is that so? Because you don’t have to rely on anything to make you feel good.

Normally we need something to make us feel good, right? We need to do something or be somewhere, see something, hear something, or eat something in order to make us feel good. That kind of pleasant feeling is temporary and can also cause you to be depressed or stressed when you cannot get what you want. Then when you want to do something but cannot do it, you don’t feel good. Instead of feeling good, you feel bad.

We can always use this other way of feeling good because you don’t have to rely on anything. You just need to rely on yourself. What you need is the ability to concentrate. If you know how to concentrate your mind, focusing your mind on one particular object, not letting your mind think of other things, then your mind will feel good because your mind will be at ease and be peaceful.

But this is not easy because we are not used to concentrating or focusing. Our minds are generally scattered and keep thinking about everything. Even while you are sitting here, you could be thinking about something else already. So if you cannot focus or concentrate your mind, your mind will not become peaceful.

This is why we have to develop this ability to concentrate before we can meditate successfully. If you sit, in meditation without preparing yourself beforehand and without having previously developed concentration, you will not see any results because when you sit, your mind will be thinking about this and that, going here, and going there.

Your mind will not come to rest; your mind will not be still. The goal of meditation is to calm your mind, to stop your mind from thinking. If your mind stops thinking, you can experience a different kind of good feeling that is much better than any other kind of good feeling that you have ever experienced before.

But in order to achieve this, you must first develop the ability to concentrate. This is something that requires a lot of effort, because it is something that you have to practise all the time. As soon as you wake up and you start to be aware of your surroundings, you have to start concentrating.

Don’t let your mind wander and think about everything, going here and there and everywhere. You should control your mind by concentrating or focusing on one object…” By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto