The most important thing is that any effort taken to make the mind thoughtless becomes an obstacle in becoming thoughtless. When we take efforts and try to make the mind thoughtless, even that effort itself is a thought. What do we principally do when we decide to become thoughtless? Because becoming thoughtless cannot be achieved intentionally. By efforts we can concentrate on a single entity. But this is not so in thoughtlessness.  The thought “I have become thoughtless” still remains there. So  this is not a totally thoughtless state. To perceive the thoughtless state itself is a thought. So trying to be thoughtless is essentially concentration, it is a condition of mind. Concentration is also a thought, except that it is a pinpointed thought. But even this thought is an obstacle and hence it is essential that this thought also is left.

Now the question is whether there is a way to become thoughtless. “Yes” is the answer. There are various thoughts that come to our mind. Thoughts are not a continuous phenomenon.  It is the flow of many energies which get form because of words. It is worth understanding what happens when a thought comes to our mind.

For example, we are just sitting and a thought came to mind. At this time try to understand how the thought came and why. It is not essential that we should succeed in finding these answers. But ask these questions to yourself with a feeling that someone from inside us is going to guide us and you are going to hear the answer from inside. Don’t verbalize these questions or try to find meanings of the thought. After seeing an object why did a particular thought come to my mind? Did this thought come because I have seen this object before or was there any incident related to it, is there any relation to the surrounding environment. Try to find this out. Try to find the root of the thought without giving an answer. If we try to find the answer then it becomes a play of mind. Such an answer is pre-determined. It is a ready made answer from the garbage-bag of the past and hence can not be really in tune with the present that is NOW. The current thought and the reason behind it can be different from similar thought in the past and the reason behind that thought.

Like this try to go deeper in the mind. The reason we have to go beyond words because   our forms expression  are basically in चैतन्यस्वरूप Chaitanya Swaroop  (dynamic formless energy). When the Chaitanya is given motion in a particular direction, it produces symbols. So the dynamic formless energy, when takes forms, they emerge as specific words, arrangement of words and gestures. But if we can observe this dynamic energy before it has taken forms, then thoughts get destroyed before they are produced and thoughtless state can be achieved. We always experience that -thoughts return to our mind. In reality they do not return to the mind …… but we keep on giving them energy (by losing our awareness and by getting carried away in our own thoughts). A football player kicks the ball and the ball keeps on going further. If he wants to stop that ball, then he should immediately stop giving Gati (momentum) to it. Only then will the ball stop once it loses the momentum previously provided to it. But if he only wishes that the ball stops and still keeps on providing fresh momentum to it, then the ball will not stop. Similarly if we do not stimulate the thought which has come to our mind, if we do not provide it with food, it stops automatically. Our experience is that many times the thoughts themselves get tired and stop (i.e. we get tired by providing continuous energy to the thoughts and hence the thoughts stop). Instead of waiting for the thoughts to tire and stop, if we stop giving momentum to them, they stop and we become thoughtless. This is the best way to make the mind thoughtless because it is out of awareness, intentional and done with understanding.

We are habituated to getting entangled or carried away in various things. The thoughts may cease but we may remain entangled in such stagnation. This inertia is a sluggish state. It is not tranquil and certainly not sensitive. While doing नामस्मरण  (reciting names of deities) one keeps on saying  विठ्ठल-विठ्ठल Vitthal-Vitthal (name of a deity from Maharashtra). The name विठ्ठल, that word, it is a symbol. These words are not my thoughts.  What is the condition of thoughts before this symbolization took place, do seeds in the inner depths of mind produce these thoughts … like this if we try to continuously try to be aware of this process, then it leads to understanding of thoughts and gradually thoughts start receding.

Like this if we get into habit of observing our thoughts then gradually we become aware of the thoughts even before they take full form. If we can catch the thoughts at this state then they stop. This happens because when we “think” we are with the thought. But when we are aware that a thought is coming to our mind (i.e. taking form) then we are not with the thought. So we gradually develop an awareness. In this alert state, we are in a position which is previous to stopping thoughts. Then while the thought is taking form, while it is rising, we become aware of it. If we study these processes with intense tranquility and sensitivity, if we observe, then we can understand the root cause of the thought which is taking form. Once this reason is known the entire thought process ends and effortlessly we reach the thoughtless state.

Once reaching this state of mind (i.e. thoughtless awareness) the process of diving deeper and deeper within the inner depths of mind starts. As we start the descent to the bottom of the mind, we realize what rubbish and muck is accumulated in there. We willfully remove all this muck, all this dirt. Once that process is complete we get to a very natural and effortless thoughtless condition.