Why is meditation an essential training for the mind? Bhagawan clearly explains to us today.

To lead a happy life, man needs peace of mind. The mind is like the turbulent Ganga. It has to be restrained by the use of brakes, as in a fast-moving vehicle. Dhyana (meditation) is the brake devised for the control of the mind. Dhyana means one-pointed concentration. All the diseases which afflict man are the result of agitation in the mind. The enormous growth of disease in the world today is due to the loss of peace of mind. To get rid of illness and to lead a calm, healthy life, man has to cultivate mental peace. Man’s mind has three kinds of capabilities. One is Anekagrata (a wandering mind). Another is Shunyata (vacancy, emptiness). The third is Ekagrata (single-pointed concentration). What is Shunyata? It is the state in which the mind goes to sleep when something edifying is being said. The mind is unresponsive to what is good and beneficial. Such a state of mind is called Tamasic. It is the blindness of ignorance. Anekagrata (the wandering mind) is an equally undesirable mental state. It also degrades man. Then there is one-pointed concentration of mind (Ekagrata). This is what everyone needs most today.