Thoughtless

Good Day,

Some thoughts just won't go away. We humans are obsessional beings. It's one of our biggest problems. We tend to lock onto things like sexual fantasies, worries and ambitions. We feed these over the years and give them plenty of exercise by playing with them in every spare moment. Then when we want a clear mind and wish them to go away and leave us alone. It is scarcely surprising that they don't obey.

If they are YOUR thoughts then why won't they stop when you want then to?

There are no "good" or "bad" thoughts. It is more accurate to relate to our thoughts as 'skillful' versus 'unskillful'. An unskillful thought is on connected with greed, hatred, or delusion. These are the thoughts the mind most easily builds into obsessions. They are unskillful in the sense that they lead you away from the goal of Liberation. Skillful thoughts, on the other hand, are those connected with generosity, compassion, and wisdom. They are skillful in the sense that they assist you towards a liberated mind.

A liberated mind is not built out of thoughts (it's actually quite the opposite). good toughts do not always make a good person. Thoughts of compassion produce only superficial compassion. Therefore, skillful thoughts will not, in themselves, free your mind or your conditioning. It is being mindful of our thoughts and whether they are skillful or unskillful that ultimately bring us liberation from our obsessions.

Sometimes this tactic alone doesn't work. The obsession is simply too strong. In this case you've got to weaken its hold on you somewhat before you can successfully balance it out. Here is where guilt, one of man's most misbegotten emotions, finally becomes of some use. Take a good strong look at the emotional response you are trying to get rid of. Actually ponder it. See how it makes you feel. Look at what it is doing to your life, your happiness, your health, and your relationships. Try to see how it makes you appear to others. Look at the way it is hindering your progress. Do this thoroughly.

No one wants to be accused of being thoughtless, but by focusing some of our efforts on the thoughts that we obsess or worry over we can free our minds from them, making room for the greater thoughts and the enjoyment we find when we no longer are owned by such thinking.

Have a wonderful day and ponder this - We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. - Buddha.

Peace and Love, Jim