You know, sometimes even when I meditate, I think of a problem, too. It was at hand, and sometimes pressing, sometimes very difficult to get rid of. So what I do is, I write down the problem, before I meditate -- this I will have to solve. Have a notebook beside you, or in your pocket -- a small one, so it's not heavy, and a pen. This is more practical, concerning your job; because once you write it down, the mind feels better. "Okay. He is going to take care of it." It has already lessened the intensity and the pressure. You tell your mind, it eases off. If you know the solution to your problem, write that down, too. That's even better for the mind to calm down. But during meditation, sometimes you have better ideas about how to solve that problem, have some clearer idea about what to do. Then you write it down immediately, because that may be the Master answering you, giving you the solution. So write it down before you forget. Also once you write it down, you are peaceful. Then you can continue to meditate; and later when you finish your meditation, you can take care of it. So don't hesitate.

The practice of meditation is not only to become a Master, as I've told you. It benefits you in many ways. It gives you peace of mind, gives you a clearer mind to solve your daily problems. It gives you physical purification so that you become fit and healthy. It is not only to become a Master or to be one with God. The by-products are plenty. Miracles happen, and health is restored. The sickness is removed, and the problem is resolved. So do more meditation. During meditation, if any ideas come up very clearly to you, write them down. Like this, you can continue to meditate, and the problem is gone.

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. June 7, 1998 (Originally in English)

When you meditate, you should have a pad next to you. Any clear ideas that occur, jot down quickly the main points -- one, two words to recollect later. During meditation, you are in a different level of consciousness. When you come back to this physical one, you forget because the mind is limited. It's like a computer. It's not equipped for all the information in the universe. So sometimes it misses out on information. It's defective -- the mind, the computer.