In meditation, it is best to keep out ALL thoughts. Imagine you have posted a “DO NOT DISTURB” sign on the door of your mind, or that your forehead is surrounded by an impenetrable titanium shield, and all approaching thoughts literally bounce off that shield. There is no way they can enter.
Sri Chinmoy writes:
“The moment we can stop paying attention to wrong thoughts, the wrong thoughts have no power. But what happens is that we are terribly afraid of them. We dwell in them and think they are going to ruin us. Just by thinking about them, just by being afraid of them, we give them power. So do not be afraid. You are the lord in your house. You are meditating inside your own consciousness, and somebody is knocking at your door. If you do not pay any attention, how will he dare to come in? When you are meditating you simply must not open the door to these wrong thoughts. And in case they have entered before you were aware, what do you do? Again, you do not pay any attention to them.”
– Sri Chinmoy
Another pathway to controlling the mind is simply to convince yourself you have no mind at all. Identify with something which has no mind – such as a candle flame, a flower or a pool of water. If you have no mind, you will not be disturbed by thoughts, for thoughts cannot exist without a mind to house, nourish and entertain them.
Never fear that by clearing the mind or imagining you have no mind, that your mind will leave you! When you have finished your meditation, your mind will be waiting for you like a faithful dog, better, fresher, clearer, purer, sharper, more eager, more reliable – and happier.