A HOUSE WITHOUT A MASTER IS CHAOS

The power of self-regulation

Without self-awareness, we are powerless in the face of our thoughts and feelings. Meditation gives us the tools to take back control of our mind and life.

Imagine a big house with wonderful furniture and plenty of food and sources of entertainment. There is only one problem: the house has no master. Since there is no master, anyone is allowed to come in, stay for as long as they like, and do whatever they want inside. Some people might make a lot of noise, break furniture, or bully the other guests, but nobody can do anything about it. There is a list of house rules, but because there is no master to enforce them, the rules are not respected. They are essentially just a wish list.

OUT OF CONTROL

Our mind is this chaotic house and the guests are all the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that visit it. The house rules are what we would like our life to be like—our values and aspirations—and the absent master is awareness. Without awareness, thoughts, feelings, and emotions are able to come in and create havoc in our minds. Nobody is watching over them, so they do everything they can get away with. As a result, our mind becomes our greatest enemy, and we end up feeling far from who we want to be in life.

WAKING UP THE MASTER

All meditation practices are an exercise in awareness, attention, and self-regulation: they are essentially a wake-up call for the master of the house.

The more awareness you have about what is happening in your mind at all times, the more you will know yourself. Awareness is this quality of watchfulness, of presence. It looks inside and knows what is going on in your mind and heart. It can discern which guests should be allowed to stay and which ones should be shown the door before they do too much damage. Under the all-seeing eyes of awareness, you are able to regulate yourself and your life much better—the house rules are respected, and you once again feel like it’s a good place to be.