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Originally Posted by TheFlyingMan  Thanks Andy,
I've been playing with that as well - Like Eckhart Tolle says, the gaps in "no-mind" are expanding gradually.
One more quick Q, do you recommend stopping "good" thoughts as well that pop in? Happy memories to pop in from time to time and I normally let it run as it feels good, but will it mean that I still identify with my ego - as it is not "real" bliss? |
That's a really good question! I think initially it appears that we are losing something by this approach to thought and emotion, that somehow we become disconnected from the things that happen life. I don't think Tolle addresses this very well because he simply says to use thought where it's necessary and side steps the issue of the intrinsic value of pleasure in life; denying that, as I will show, is itself a form of attachment. Let me take a step back in order to get to my thoughts on the question.
No thought is good or bad, except the mind makes it so. That pleasant memory is good only because you have named it good, and the painful memory likewise. Furthermore, not only are individual thoughts neither good nor bad, thought itself is neither good nor bad. Though has no self-existence; that is, it only exists relative to other things. Namely the identity and its history. Since thought has no self nature by which to exist, we imbue it with existence by making it part of our identity.
So, it is attachment to thought forms that is the problem, not thought itself. The key is not to stop the flow of thoughts by judging them good or bad, but simply to realize that those are not you. In order to do this consistently, we must understand the ways in which we identify with things. There are three basic forms of attachment: attraction, aversion and indifference. (Indifference is the trickiest because it's not obvious how it is a form of attachment and people often mistake detachment for indifference.)
So the first step, and what Tolle teaches, is to notice thought arising and let it pass; don't get caught up in the thought. That works well with thoughts that we can easily dis-identify with. What I think he leaves out is how to let thoughts pass that we instinctively identify with. Memory, for instance.
I suggest a second step of noticing how the thought arises in relation to you. Notice your response to it: Am I attracted to it? Am I averse to it? Am I indifferent? Don't follow that with analysis because that will create more thought. Just be aware of what is arising and the manner in which your self is responding to it. If you have a particularly strong reaction to it -- especially if you have an impulsive emotional reaction (ie drama) -- try to observe the whole process unfolding in slow motion. Over time, this will help you disentangle the thought forms from your awareness and identity.
You notice I didn't directly address the "good memory" scenario. That's because it's your method of identification (attraction, aversion, indifference) that makes it good, bad or indifferent. The object is not to change your response, but to keep your response from causing you to identify with it. Still take pleasure for what it is; also take pain for what it is. Don't disassociate with anything, but don't identify with it either. Enjoy your memory, but be aware that it's nothing more than a movie -- a story about something that happened -- it is not the truth of you.
This all comes with practice. Don't get caught up in how well or poorly you're doing it and don't worry about how it unfolds. You can't force a flower to bloom or a butterfly to come out of its cocoon without killing it. Most of all, remember that the goal of this is to reduce suffering, not create it. If it's not making you happy then something is wrong.
Andy