The Art of Simply Being: Understanding Meditation, Hypnosis, and the Nature of Thought

Understanding Meditation and the Nature of Thought

Meditation is often shrouded in mystery, conjuring images of monks in deep contemplation or an unattainable state of bliss. In reality, meditation is a simple and deliberate act: it is the practice of stepping back from your thoughts and just being.

To understand this, imagine your thoughts as clouds drifting across the sky. You can either observe them from a distance or hop from one to another, allowing them to carry you away. When you focus on a single thought, it is as if you have climbed onto a cloud, letting it take you wherever it leads, swept along by its associated ideas and emotions.

But here’s the crucial distinction: you are not the clouds. Just as the sky is not defined by the clouds passing through it, you are not defined by your thoughts. Thoughts arise in your mind, but they are not who you are.

Consider a knife spreading butter. The knife is a tool, an object, but it is not the act of spreading itself. In the same way, your mind produces thoughts, but those thoughts do not define you. However, when you identify with your thoughts—when you believe them to be your essence—you fall into the illusion that they are what you are.

A simple way to test this is to ask yourself, “Who am I?” Try answering with as many statements as you can: “I am a teacher,” “I am kind,” “I am a thinker.” Each statement is a thought, a label created by the mind. But if every “I am” is merely a thought, then who—or what—is the “I” that observes them?

Meditation is the space in which you step back from these thoughts and see them for what they are: passing clouds in the vast sky of your awareness. In this space, beyond thought, you simply are. And in that, you find true presence, peace, and clarity.

How Meditation and Hypnosis Differ

While meditation encourages detachment from thoughts, hypnosis works by engaging with them in a different way. Hypnosis involves focused attention and guided suggestion to influence the subconscious mind, often with the goal of modifying behaviour, perceptions, or beliefs. Instead of stepping back from thoughts as in meditation, hypnosis often guides a person deeper into them, using them as tools for transformation.

A key distinction is the role of awareness. In meditation, you cultivate a state of open awareness, where thoughts come and go without attachment. In hypnosis, the conscious mind takes a backseat while the subconscious becomes more receptive to suggestion. Meditation promotes self-awareness and presence, while hypnosis is a more directed process that seeks to reshape thought patterns or habits.

Both practices share an altered state of consciousness, but their goals differ: meditation seeks pure awareness, while hypnosis engages the mind to create change. Understanding these differences can help you choose the right practice depending on whether you wish to simply be or actively reshape aspects of your mind.

So the next time you sit in meditation, remember: you are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind them, watching as they pass, free to let them drift by without you being swept away or captured by them.