From Medication to Meditation: Calming the Monkey Mind

Zen Buddhists sometimes refer to the pattern of thoughts that stream from one subject to another as the monkey mind. If you've ever watched monkeys in the wild, they freely swing from one place to another without any apparent reason but perhaps just for the fun of it. Observing the thoughts generated in the privacy of your mind can be almost as entertaining. When meditators sit quietly and bring their awareness to it, they become acutely aware of how much activity is going on in their minds. Just bringing a spotlight to the activity can often quiet the mind down in the same way that the very presence of a school teacher can quiet the rowdy students in a classroom. (More)

Source: Honolulu Advertiser