MONKEY MIND

"Monkey mind," a Buddhist expression, refers to the typical human mind that jumps from one thought to the next to the next like a monkey swinging from branch to branch in the jungle.  The goal of Buddhism is to get the monkey out of the trees, to quiet the mind.

This goal can be realized in three ways.  The first is to take a look at the content of the mind and see what is causing all the commotion.  Is it some emotion, some perception, some idea, what exactly is the matter?  When the content is seen for what it is, often something insignificant, a decision can be made to put it on hold, that is to put it on the back burner, or to reject it outright.  The mind settles quickly with this.

The second means of calming the mind is through meditation, by centering the mind.  This traditionally is done by focusing on one's breathing, or by chanting a word or words, or by listening to a regularly struck gong or bell or chime.  In the case of the latter, one listens to the sound trailing off until it is replaced at last by the next strike of the gong.  The monkey mind stops here, too.

Finally, there is a method described by the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle.  It is a way of returning the mind to the present moment, the Now, which again is a centering of the mind.  He says that one should focus his attention on the body, feeling the life force there.  Feel the tingling in the finger tips, for example.  The mind thus out of itself, free of thoughts, again grows still.