Question: When we want to concentrate or meditate on a special thought or problem, how should we do it?

Sri Chinmoy: First let us consider a problem. You have to know the seriousness of the problem. If it is a serious problem, naturally you will have to meditate on it for a long time. If it is not serious, you can solve the problem in a few minutes. If you concentrate on any problem, big or small, think of it as something made of glass. If you drop glass, it will break. It is brittle and fragile, and at any moment it will give way. If you think of a problem in this way, you will find that this is the easiest way to solve it. But if you take it as something very heavy or solid, you will not be able to solve it.

Now let us take a thought. You will say that naturally you concentrate only on good thoughts. But unfortunately, we do unconsciously meditate on bad thoughts. Jealousy, doubt, suspicion — all these we cherish unconsciously. When this kind of bad thought comes, you have to feel that the bad thought represents a person. Just think of jealousy, fear, doubt and hypocrisy as people, and immediately give them a human form: "This fellow has undivine qualities." When it is a good thought, also give it form: "This man has all good qualities — humility, sincerity and so on."

Then what do you do? When you see a good man, feel that he is leading you and try to follow him as long as he wants you to. But if you see a bad man — a man full of fear, anxiety and so forth — feel that he is going to chase you mercilessly and that you have to immediately run away from him. You must never allow him to come near you. When you see someone destructive in front of you, immediately react as though he will destroy you. Feel that your very life is in danger. Very often in the spiritual life, people do not take bad thoughts seriously enough. We cherish these undivine qualities and feel that they are only insects pinching us. But when you have these undivine qualities, you have to feel that they are worse than dragons, something very dangerous.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Meditation: humanity's race and Divinity's Grace, part 1, Agni Press, 1974
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