Meditation is the art of witnessing the cloud of thoughts

Meditation is the art of witnessing the cloud of thoughts and feelings. As our witnessing grows this inner cloud of mind starts settling down and our inner sky becomes more clear.

Our real self is always present but it is not visible as long as the cloud of mind is there. We just have to remove the dust from our inner sky and real self starts shining. Meditation is the art of clearing this inner confusion by witnessing it.

Zen story of a student interested in Martial arts

There is a very famous zen story of a person who wanted to learn martial art. He went to a zen master and said to the master "I wanted to learn martial arts sincerely, How long will it take me to master the martial arts."
The master's reply was casual, "Ten years."

Impatiently, the person answered, "But I want to learn it quicker than that. I will work extra hard, and will be very sincere and regular. How long will it take to master arts then?"
The teacher thought for a moment, "20 years."

Moral of the story - Mind is always impatient. Real effort goes in understanding the mind and putting it aside so that our inner nature can shine in our actions. More impatient we are, more time it takes to understand our mistakes and learn any art form. Stay relax and no need to be ambitious in spirituality. Through ambition ego enters into spirituality also. Avoid the ambition, craving for siddhis- occult power and power in spirituality. There is no need to be in hurry.