Human beings are thinking creatures. We think day in and day out. Even while sleeping, thoughts do not leave us and stay with us in the form of dreams. We have different experiences during our lifetime. We observe different things, and our brain makes a "story" about that experience. For example, the same marriage function may be attended by several people, and yet, each one of them will have a different experience. It is because each person will observe the events differently and also make different meanings based on their past experiences and expectations. Somebody will come out with a "story" of having had a "grand event", while somebody will come out with "jealousy", and someone with "neglect".
Each person is equally convinced of his "story". These stories look very real to us. The sense of "I" is at the very centre of these stories. During our entire lifetime, there are hardly any occasions when these stories are challenged. We make one "story" about "me" and "mine" and the next story builds over that, and so on. Some of the very first stories are in the form of "my parents", "my toys", "my school", "my friends", "I like" and "I want to be". Our decisions, even after 30-40 years, are by and large driven by those stories. If we ever try to trace the origin of these stories, we will hardly ever be able to. The source and the background in which these stories were relevant is gone, and yet we own them up, and by and large, our personality is a product of these childhood stories.
But who are we really? We are definitely telling these stories because these stories vary from culture to culture and country to country. Even within a country, there are so many variants. I am sure that everyone is intelligent enough to understand that had we been born in a different home, our thought processes and personalities would have been different. Who am I? Since we are always flooded with a stream of thoughts, probably there is hardly any occasion in our lives to examine who we really are.
When we sit back in meditation, closing our eyes, these thoughts do not leave us. Most often, while sitting in meditation, we end up travelling into the past and future and nothing else. But is that really meditation? No. Definitely not. Meditation is a state of thoughtlessness where we examine these thoughts as a witness. But how can we a witnesses to our own thoughts? That's difficult. The flow of thoughts is measured by the electrons flowing in our neural system. However, electrons can't be a witness to the activities happening at the level of quarks and strings because electrons are too big in size. Similarly, thoughts can't witness what's happening inside our bodies at the sub-atomic level. To experience the body sensations, we need to get past the domain of thoughts and observe our bodies. Breath is the only possible medium of concentration because breath is very closely connected to consciousness. Consciousness can't be witnessed by thoughts. Thoughts can be witnessed by consciousness.
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