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It’s funny how the mind can be so busy, but when someone asks us what we’ve been thinking about we still realise it was essentially nothing. That all the mind’s witterings have been so much wasted neuronal noise, in the end signifying nothing...
It’s funny how the mind can be so busy, but when someone asks us what we’ve been thinking about we still realise it was essentially nothing. That all the mind’s witterings have been so much wasted neuronal noise, in the end signifying nothing...
What mind thinks can be important ie i should see a doctor about this chest pain or when should i have my taxes in etc. Problems arise when we start hanging on to them or try to stop them, when we obsess about our plans for quieting the neighbor's dog or think thoughts are interfering with our meditation and we are going to stop them (only making them more frequent.)
Thoughts can signify something ( i see you like the Great Bard). It's what they are that's nothing. If we can see that without a seer it can help a lot with the twitterings.
In the short term we should observe thoughts neutrally, let them come and go in meditation, sort of like walking through a crowd in a train station without stopping to chat or push someone out of our way.
It’s funny how the mind can be so busy, but when someone asks us what we’ve been thinking about we still realise it was essentially nothing. That all the mind’s witterings have been so much wasted neuronal noise, in the end signifying nothing...
What mind thinks can be important ie i should see a doctor about this chest pain or when should i have my taxes in etc. Problems arise when we start hanging on to them or try to stop them, when we obsess about our plans for quieting the neighbor's dog or think thoughts are interfering with our meditation and we are going to stop them (only making them more frequent.)
Thoughts can signify something ( i see you like the Great Bard). It's what they are that's nothing. If we can see that without a seer it can help a lot with the twitterings.
In the short term we should observe thoughts neutrally, let them come and go in meditation, sort of like walking through a crowd in a train station without stopping to chat or push someone out of our way.
I like the way Joseph Goldstein puts it. Sometimes what we think about is important and justified, but what about the seventeenth time we think about it?
It’s funny how the mind can be so busy, but when someone asks us what we’ve been thinking about we still realise it was essentially nothing. That all the mind’s witterings have been so much wasted neuronal noise, in the end signifying nothing...
What mind thinks can be important ie i should see a doctor about this chest pain or when should i have my taxes in etc. Problems arise when we start hanging on to them or try to stop them, when we obsess about our plans for quieting the neighbor's dog or think thoughts are interfering with our meditation and we are going to stop them (only making them more frequent.)
Thoughts can signify something ( i see you like the Great Bard). It's what they are that's nothing. If we can see that without a seer it can help a lot with the twitterings.
In the short term we should observe thoughts neutrally, let them come and go in meditation, sort of like walking through a crowd in a train station without stopping to chat or push someone out of our way.
I like the way Joseph Goldstein puts it. Sometimes what we think about is important and justified, but what about the seventeenth time we think about it?
We do it because we have the desire to be occupied at all times. What we are occupied with may or may not be important but we do it just the same. We can't be alone with ourselves, which is why we choose to be with out thoughts.
@ techie, for the most part, we don't make our thoughts, they just arise, so we don't create them to keep us company. We will attach to thoughts that arise, however, and i'm not sure why. Is it entertainment? There's probably some of that. Really though, i believe we follow our thoughts because of an old habitual pattern.
I actually remember when i began attaching to my thoughts. As a child. I had done something "bad"' and i started thinking about it obsessively That was the first time i noticed discursive thought. Maybe our discursive thought is something we developed to help us with an unresolved issue that now manifests in various forms. I've heard a psychiatrist say that depression comes from an old unresolved issue, so maybe that applies to discursive thought as well ?
It’s funny how the mind can be so busy, but when someone asks us what we’ve been thinking about we still realise it was essentially nothing. That all the mind’s witterings have been so much wasted neuronal noise, in the end signifying nothing...
What mind thinks can be important ie i should see a doctor about this chest pain or when should i have my taxes in etc. Problems arise when we start hanging on to them or try to stop them, when we obsess about our plans for quieting the neighbor's dog or think thoughts are interfering with our meditation and we are going to stop them (only making them more frequent.)
Thoughts can signify something ( i see you like the Great Bard). It's what they are that's nothing. If we can see that without a seer it can help a lot with the twitterings.
In the short term we should observe thoughts neutrally, let them come and go in meditation, sort of like walking through a crowd in a train station without stopping to chat or push someone out of our way.
I like the way Joseph Goldstein puts it. Sometimes what we think about is important and justified, but what about the seventeenth time we think about it?
We do it because we have the desire to be occupied at all times. What we are occupied with may or may not be important but we do it just the same. We can't be alone with ourselves, which is why we choose to be with out thoughts.
I think what you say makes sense for me. In my meditation I do tend to think a lot. I don't generally ruminate over past traumas or successes, more often than that I end up doing what I label as blissful imaginings, so like picturing some pleasant interaction with friends or family. A lot of times what thoughts come are about psychological, political, moral or philosophical questions and doing so has beneficial effects in determining how I should live my life.
So I'm kind of conflicted over letting them go, which I usually try to do, and letting them roam. Maybe it's true that part of me would just get too bored without something to think about.
TLDR; I'm conflicted and don't really know what the right answer is.
@ person, the Buddhist approach to thoughts that i'm familiar with is not to attach to them or try to push them away. We simply observe them come and go. If we attach to a particularly juicy thought and get carried away, it helps to say thinking in our mind when we come back, just to acknowledge we've been gone, and to prevent us from immediately getting carried away again.
Boredom is not such a bad thing in meditation. When the entertainment stops we have a better chance to see the true nature of mind (empty awareness). I have heard of boredom spoken of as hot and cold. Hot boredom is the kind that wants you to quit meditating immediately; it pulls you off the cushion, and you can't stand another minute of it. Cool boredom is less dramatic, closer to the way mind really is (calm and restful).
In any case, we need to sit through whatever arises, because we have to learn who is in charge of mind, initially, and not let it rule us. Later we find no one is in charge of mind and we just sit with that and let it do what it does, and that becomes effortless.
Whatever the thoughts get up to...for the most part....I don't mind
One day Thought decided to think "Hmm in the Mind I'll kick up a stink" I think I'll cause suffering and pain, for I'll think and think driving the Mind insane But the Mind got wise to Thought's devious plan, and with Wisdom's help made a mental garbage can So now as the Thoughts continue to flow, the Mind pays them no mind and in the can they go Except for the odd ones that Wisdom selects, that may come in useful for when writing a text (Ok I couldn't think of anything witty to end with )
Comments
Yep....
It’s funny how the mind can be so busy, but when someone asks us what we’ve been thinking about we still realise it was essentially nothing. That all the mind’s witterings have been so much wasted neuronal noise, in the end signifying nothing...
What mind thinks can be important ie i should see a doctor about this chest pain or when should i have my taxes in etc. Problems arise when we start hanging on to them or try to stop them, when we obsess about our plans for quieting the neighbor's dog or think thoughts are interfering with our meditation and we are going to stop them (only making them more frequent.)
Thoughts can signify something ( i see you like the Great Bard). It's what they are that's nothing. If we can see that without a seer it can help a lot with the twitterings.
In the short term we should observe thoughts neutrally, let them come and go in meditation, sort of like walking through a crowd in a train station without stopping to chat or push someone out of our way.
Hope you are well, @Kerome
I like the way Joseph Goldstein puts it. Sometimes what we think about is important and justified, but what about the seventeenth time we think about it?
Yep
We do it because we have the desire to be occupied at all times. What we are occupied with may or may not be important but we do it just the same. We can't be alone with ourselves, which is why we choose to be with out thoughts.
@ techie, for the most part, we don't make our thoughts, they just arise, so we don't create them to keep us company. We will attach to thoughts that arise, however, and i'm not sure why. Is it entertainment? There's probably some of that. Really though, i believe we follow our thoughts because of an old habitual pattern.
I actually remember when i began attaching to my thoughts. As a child. I had done something "bad"' and i started thinking about it obsessively That was the first time i noticed discursive thought. Maybe our discursive thought is something we developed to help us with an unresolved issue that now manifests in various forms. I've heard a psychiatrist say that depression comes from an old unresolved issue, so maybe that applies to discursive thought as well ?
I luvs a good mind.
Mine is mined by karma, not calmer. We dig the karma gold.
Unfortunately it is not mine.
Fortunately as mentioned we can claim the still. Practice the dharma rasayana of die-stilling alchemy/aka meditation.
Can you dig it?
http://tiny.cc/0elbty
I think what you say makes sense for me. In my meditation I do tend to think a lot. I don't generally ruminate over past traumas or successes, more often than that I end up doing what I label as blissful imaginings, so like picturing some pleasant interaction with friends or family. A lot of times what thoughts come are about psychological, political, moral or philosophical questions and doing so has beneficial effects in determining how I should live my life.
So I'm kind of conflicted over letting them go, which I usually try to do, and letting them roam. Maybe it's true that part of me would just get too bored without something to think about.
TLDR; I'm conflicted and don't really know what the right answer is.
@ person, the Buddhist approach to thoughts that i'm familiar with is not to attach to them or try to push them away. We simply observe them come and go. If we attach to a particularly juicy thought and get carried away, it helps to say thinking in our mind when we come back, just to acknowledge we've been gone, and to prevent us from immediately getting carried away again.
Boredom is not such a bad thing in meditation. When the entertainment stops we have a better chance to see the true nature of mind (empty awareness). I have heard of boredom spoken of as hot and cold. Hot boredom is the kind that wants you to quit meditating immediately; it pulls you off the cushion, and you can't stand another minute of it. Cool boredom is less dramatic, closer to the way mind really is (calm and restful).
In any case, we need to sit through whatever arises, because we have to learn who is in charge of mind, initially, and not let it rule us. Later we find no one is in charge of mind and we just sit with that and let it do what it does, and that becomes effortless.
Whatever the thoughts get up to...for the most part....I don't mind
One day Thought decided to think "Hmm in the Mind I'll kick up a stink"
)
I think I'll cause suffering and pain, for I'll think and think driving the Mind insane
But the Mind got wise to Thought's devious plan, and with Wisdom's help made a mental garbage can
So now as the Thoughts continue to flow, the Mind pays them no mind and in the can they go
Except for the odd ones that Wisdom selects, that may come in useful for when writing a text (Ok I couldn't think of anything witty to end with
It was a good effort though.