Thoughts ‘r’ Us

 Where do they come from? Is it mind or essence?
We all have thoughts.
Maybe we think we shouldn’t …wrong!
We merely have to distinguish between clinging reactionary thoughts, and thoughts that translate experience without clinging.

 One set comes from the mind, and the other from essence. Surprised?

 When we habitually react, this comes from the conditioned mind. This is consciousness clinging to concepts stored, judges and reacts. It’s a sort of acquired programming, which we (distracted essence) replay and replay, fixing us as a caricature of conditioned responses. We then join a world full of programmed responses, walking about the planet like emotional robots, some with a low self image and some with an inflated self image. It all depends on into which class you place your self, through pride or inverted pride. It is all the same…this is the lot of a sentient beings.

 However. There are thought responses from essence that are not part of this mechanical mindset. Here, when we say ‘thoughts’, we really mean ‘pre-thoughts’. Before a thought fully blossoms into words and images, there is a recognition, a pre-cognition. This is not necessarily extrasensory perception, but just a knowing. When you see someone from a distance, by just the stance or outline we recognise that person but haven’t given a name to them yet. It’s like that.

 This is similar to having focused vision or panoramic vision. Usually when we look through our eyes, we see this and that in a 3D manner: everything appears solid, and we are hooked. The attention is constantly distracted.

 Here is where we can take a huge leap in meditation. Become aware of your peripheral vision – everything is seen at once. Nothing is identified. Everything is just seen, and the seeing is also seen. That ‘just seeing’, without fabricating or embellishing anything, is essence…pure awareness. Now, if something is needed, we then focus and identify, do what is beneficial and return to panoramic vision.

 To fine tune this, we merely recognise essence as emptiness, and are merely aware of awareness. Perception has refined to pure perception. So thoughts arise out of emptiness for the benefit of others …compassion.

 It is in meditation that we can perceive the difference between thoughts in the mind which distract us, and thoughts arising out of emptiness expressing itself (essence love). This is where our own mind becomes the teacher: it teaches us to recognise the difference, when we are caught and held. Meditation is fine tuning this. Watching videos, reading books, hearing others cannot do this for you…you have to do it. You have to see.

 The mind is for philosopher. Essence is for the Siddhi. Philosophers argue. Siddhis do not.

 Incidentally, when essence is recognised as clarity, mind also has clarity, increasing intelligence. We no longer become bound up in the mundane, but released in the supra-mundane.

 If this is difficult to understand, that’s okay: we just have to sort the subtle body out. This is where mantra, chanting, puja and yogic breathing exercises come to work as they calm the inner wind, settling the subtle body so that we can rest.

I forgot to mention about ordinary circling thoughts. These are thoughts and concepts we have picked up over time. In meditation we become like a doorman at a hotel, we acknowledge the guest as they arrive, but don’t follow them in!