Question: The moment I sit down to meditate, all kinds of silly or ugly thoughts come into my mind. Is there any specific technique you can recommend to help me overcome these thoughts?

Sri Chinmoy: First you have to determine whether the thoughts that are attacking you are coming from the outer world or from deep within. In the beginning, it is difficult, I must say, to distinguish the thoughts that are coming from outside from those that are arising from inside you. But gradually you will be able to feel that some thoughts are coming from outside, and these thoughts can be driven back faster than the thoughts that attack you from within. So it is better that each of you right now fight with the outer thoughts first and deal with the inner thoughts later on.

When you see that a thought is about to enter you, please try to muster your soul's will from your heart and bring it right in front of your forehead. The moment your soul's will is seen by the intruding thought, the thought is bound to disappear.

Now I wish to speak about thoughts that you have already accumulated within you. When you see a thought arising from deep within you and when that thought is not divine, but absolutely impure and unlit, then immediately you should try to do one of two things. Try to feel that there is a hole right at the top of your head and then make that thought flow out like a river which goes only in one direction and does not come back. It is then gone and you are freed from it. The other method is to feel that you are a boundless ocean, with its calm, quiet feeling of tranquillity, and that the play of the fish is on the surface. The ocean pays no attention to the ripples of the fish.