“A meditator has to remember not to struggle with thoughts. If you want to win, don’t fight – that is a simple rule of thumb. If you want to win, simply don’t fight. Thoughts will be coming as usual; just watch. Hiding behind your blanket, let them come and go. Just don’t get involved with them.

“The whole question is of not getting involved in any way – appreciation or condemnation, any judgment bad or good. Don’t say anything; just remain absolutely aloof and allow the mind to move in its routine way. If you can manage… And this has been managed by thousands of buddhas, so it is not a problem. When I say this can be managed, I am saying it on my own authority. I don’t have any other authority.

“I have fought and have tortured myself with fighting, and I have known the whole split that creates constant misery and tension. And I have also known finally seeing the point that victory is impossible, and I simply dropped out of the fight. I allowed the thoughts to move as they wanted; I was no longer interested.

“This is a miracle. If you are not interested, thoughts start coming less. When you are utterly uninterested, they stop coming. And a state of no-thought without any fight is the greatest peace one has ever known. This is what we are calling the empty heart of the buddha.”