When we practice meditation, our mind is calm and quite simple, but usually our mind is very busy and complicated, and it is difficult to be concentrated on what we are doing.

This is because thinking leaves some trace before we think. Our activity is shadowed by some preconceived idea. The thinking not only leaves some trace or shadow, but also gives us many other thoughts about other activities and things. Most people have double or triple thoughts in one activity.

However, the shadow is not the actual thinking itself, since right thinking does not leave any shadow. Thinking which leaves traces comes out of your relatively confused mind.

Then, what should we do with our mind?

To prevent leaving any traces, you should do something with your whole body and mind. You should be concentrated on what you do. You should do it completely, like a good bonfire, not like a smoky fire. You should burn yourself completely. If you do not burn yourself completely, a trace of yourself will be left in what you do. You will have something remaining which is not completely burned out. Meditation is a activity which burns yourself our completely; this is the goal of meditation.

Excerpted from [Zen Mind, Beginnger's Mind] written by Shunryu Suzuki