For me, meditation is being able to sit comfortably, with eyes closed, without trying anything to achieve or let go. Just sit silently, without any projection of thoughts. For me, meditation is the tool to hope to reach to a mental state where not even single thought exist.
So far, I haven’t reached to such a stage in meditation where I have felt thoughtless. Yes, the amount of thoughts do decrease, but still mind remains occupied with some thoughts.
I was giving a thought to what sort of thoughts do float during meditation? And I came across this categorization. In my experience, thoughts that do come during meditation is nothing but compilation of unfulfilled desires & dreams. These thoughts are the imaginations consisting of events that I wish to achieve. The two categories that I felt in my thoughts are:
1. Unfulfilled material desires: All the material possessions that I aspire to occupy in my life books a place as thoughts during meditation. Material things like a new car, a world tour etc. are projected during meditation, which actually disturbs the state of it.
2. Status I wish to hold: We often see dreams during sleep of having been a hero and saving the world. For that matter, sometimes ‘world’ is replaced with neighbourhood, city, state or sometimes someone special. So the images of such heroic incidents full of fantasy keep floating during mediation. Sometimes, being a spiritual hero too become a part of thoughts during mediation, i.e. I have attained the enlightenment and have become a super yogi!
Do you meditate? Would you like to share your experience of meditation?
Devang Vibhakar is the Founder and Editor of www.SpeakBindas.com. He has interviewed more than 350 people. His effort was recognized by Limca Book of Records, twice. He has been to Scotland as well as Germany as part of vocational & cultural exchange programs and has compiled five books so far. He's passionate about bringing forth interesting stories & interviews of entrepreneurs to avid readers of SpeakBindas. He can be reached 
Dear Devang,
Your current article is such a wonderful topic that enlighten my thoughts and I have also experienced similar as you have described. I would like to share with all.
While meditating, the chain of thoughts were not just wondering or random, initially I thought that they are distractions but once I started to realize it and learn to detach from it by observing it as absolute (selfless) and make them distinguished it with a mental note that I will attend them later. They calm down a lot. It took bit practice but it has been wonderful to achieve a thoughtless state just for a few seconds to a few minutes. I have learned it from Vipassana [link]http://www.dhamma.org/[/link] and to practice that all you need to do is just focus on your breathing (well first question comes to mind for the reader, As I had, Why breathing ? Because it is only truth that is exists and so-real. And because of breathing you are alive and exists. ) No chanting , no sculpture, no idols … Nothing, just pure breathing and… Your experience of existence. After a few sessions of practicing that I have noticed that the thoughts and wandering of the mind became very calm. Very beginning the mind became resilient to accept the changes but as time goes it adopts the changes and sooner through the practice it became to obey as oneself wanted. At the end realizing the self and selflessness is the critical state where all those knowledge of existing and non-existing came to the surface and put you through the journey which leads you to the ultimate being yourself and the reasons to your own existence in time-space.
Well I haven’t been completely there yet for long, for sure my quests are still continues. I would happily recommend someone like you to do vipassana who is in search of the answers to some deep questions which cannot be shared or found easily by being a normal human being.
I hope these experience will like all and if you need to know more about it please do not hesitate to email.
With warm regards.
Ravi Lodhiya
Ravi, I have been introduced to Vipassana many a times by friends who have attended it, but I could never devote the 14 day interval from my work to attend it. Also, still not finding that ‘crave’ to go for it. At present, I’m happy with experiments of my own.
Also, sometimes I find myself skeptical about people who have attended Vipassana and similar kinds of shibirs, for I really so no difference in them, on what they were before attending it and what they are after. It’s mostly same. This demoralizes me in attending any such shibirs, coz if it’s just for “mental satisfaction” and not any real search, then what’s the use of it?
anyway, I think my reply is taking us into realm of “arguments”, which has no meaning if we’re talking about meditation. I will keep readers updated on any further “experience” about meditation.
Dear Devang,
Yes surely you point out that it is not for you. I really appreciate that.
If meditation is not in its purest form then what is the point of doing it?
My point is simple, the methods that are in their purest form, which gives answers to the root questions can not be influenced by others. It must have been proven.
Again looking forward to others experience with meditation.
Warm regards,
Ravi Lodhiya
Meditation is inquiry into the very being of the meditator
As human beings we are all capable of inquiry, of discovery, and this whole process is meditation. Meditation is inquiry into the very being of the meditator. You cannot meditate without self-knowledge, without being aware of the ways of your own mind, from the superficial responses to the most complex subtleties of thought. it is not really difficult to know, to be aware of oneself, but it is difficult for most of us because we are so afraid to inquire, to grope, to search out. Our fear is not of the unknown, but of letting go of the known. It is only when the mind allows the known to fade away that there is complete freedom from the known, and only then is it possible for the new impulse to come into being.