New students who join my classes commonly share that they wish to empty their minds. Feeling overwhelmed by the swelling of thoughts, it sounds reasonable to wish for a way to unload or to reset. However, can we really empty our minds, or clear our heads? Some students have described perceiving a sense of emptiness.
What does empty feel like?
To empty one’s mind suggests that we leave nothing within, like emptying water from a cup. It is the wrong visual. Bruce Lee famously said, “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water.” His point was to free ourselves from our own mental “cages” of preconception, beliefs and bias.
In mindfulness training, we watch our thoughts and emotions appearing and disappearing (filling up and emptying) – all on their own! Without reacting to them, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system. This invites a sense of calm and relaxation. This tranquil state creates a sense of quietening. It feels as if our thoughts have finally settled. Students often describe feeling light and clear-headed.
Self-realisation
Students in my classes discover that their minds cannot be empty. Many described their mental states as “busy”, “preoccupied” or “distracted”. A 50-year-old friend recently shared about trying to tame his “monkey mind”. Now a common term, the phrase crossed over from the Chinese metaphor “xinyuan” meaning feeling restless or unsettled. Imagine an agitated monkey screaming and jumping non-stop in its cage.
I first came across the term in 2013 in the book “Why Meditate” by Matthieu Ricard, a French cellular geneticist turned Buddhist monk. I was following doctor’s orders to learn meditation (of any kind) because I was thinking too much. Skimming past the Buddhist aspects, I self-studied the techniques. Unfortunately, I too had the same expectations as my new students: the chatter within my head did not quieten down.
Subsequently, with the help of a teacher, I learnt to just observe the “monkey” hopping about. I began to understand and accept the true nature of my thoughts: they appear and disappear undisturbed. Filling up then emptying.
Next steps: Attend a public class, arrange for a private session, or plan for a corporate workshop.
