Question: When you meditate, do you reject thoughts or do you think?

Sri Chinmoy: There are two types of thoughts: divine thoughts and undivine thoughts. If a thought is divine you can let it grow. Let the seed grow into a tender plant, and finally it will become a huge banyan tree. Undivine thoughts should be rejected altogether. If thoughts are undivine, you have to destroy them, or, if you are able to show abundant capacity, you should transform them. If you have the capacity to transform darkness into Light, you should do it, but if it is not possible, then you should always try to stay in the room where there is Light.

Unfortunately, in the case of beginners I have seen that undivine thoughts always enter in. Fear, doubt, jealousy and hypocrisy enter into the beginners aspiring life, so it is advisable for a beginner to reject all thoughts mercilessly during meditation. For fifteen minutes he may cherish divine, aspiring, spiritual thoughts, and then in just a fleeting second an undivine thought will enter and his meditation will be ruined. The best thing for beginners is not to allow any thoughts, good or bad, during meditation.