Unruly Thoughts
Unruly thoughts are the enemy of the individual practicing the Spiritual Exercises of ECK. In contemplation, as the mind responds to different stimuli, thoughts crop up continuously.
Watch these thoughts as they arise. Soon you will be aware of thoughts following so closely one upon another that they resemble a river. Gaze unperturbed at the interminable flow of thoughts as if you were sitting on a riverbank watching the water flow past.
Do not try to stop any thought process at this stage, just rise above it. The effort to stop a thought from arising inevitably creates other thoughts. Leave unshaped any concept or idea which appears; become indifferent to these thoughts, neither trying to stop them nor fall under their influence. Work from the Atman Plane, the Soul region, unconcerned with what the mind has to say or how it acts.
Imagine the mind is like a small child looking with interest at a toy. The mind is nothing more than a small child which sometimes becomes unruly and wants attention. Handle the mind as you would a small child.
This stage is called the first resting place. If you are successful to this point, you will have attained freedom from the mental tyranny of thoughts and be ready for greater spiritual tasks.
—Sri Harold Klemp
The Spiritual Exercises of ECK