Consciousness Explained Through a Simple Story

To understand consciousness more clearly, let us look at a simple story.

Imagine a child holding a candy. The mind of the child keeps saying, “Eat it, eat it. It tastes good.” The child enjoys the pleasure and continues eating. Later, the stomach gets upset—but the mind does not immediately consider the consequences.

Now, imagine the same situation with conscious awareness.

The candy is still there. The mind is still saying, “Eat it.”

But this time, the child is conscious.

Instead of fighting the thought, the child simply controls the body. The hand does not move toward the candy. The body is held steady.

That is enough.

The Key Insight

By practicing the actual meditation,

It creates a gap between the body and the mind.

Even if the mind keeps insisting, “Eat, eat,” once the body is not cooperating, the thought loses its power. When the hand does not move, the thought slowly fades away on its own.

This is an important understanding:

👉 Thoughts gain importance only when the body acts on them.

👉 When the body remains centered and controlled, thoughts lose their influence.

Consciousness Is Not Controlling the Mind

We do not need to argue with the mind or suppress thoughts.

We only need to remain conscious and centered in the body.

The movement of the hand is always our choice.

When we consciously choose not to act, the mind’s demand automatically weakens.

Why Centeredness Is Essential

The mind naturally behaves like:

a pendulum, constantly swinging from one extreme to another

or a monkey, jumping endlessly from thought to thought

This is its nature.

Just like eating too much candy can disturb the body, blindly following every thought can disturb our inner balance.

That is why staying centered in the body is essential.

Maintaining a stable posture and bodily discipline helps us shift back to the center again and again.

Body Discipline Leads to Inner Stability

When centeredness is practiced consistently, the body learns discipline.

Through this discipline, consciousness becomes stronger.

Over time:

Thoughts arise, but they no longer control us

The body stays steady

Awareness remains intact

This is how consciousness and centeredness work together by practice.