[Acting Like Godot]

Oh, it is quite simple.

First, let us have a working definition of thought. Some may disagree with this definition, and certainly it could be adjusted. But for now, let's just say that thought is any one of the following:

1. Images in your mind. Eg the memory of your mother's face, or the colour of the walls in the first home you lived in, or a mental visualisation of a mess of numbers as you mentally work out 4563 divided 17.. That's thought.

2. Verbal self-talk in your mind. Eg "The kids are so naughty .... I gotta find a way to manage them better .... Tomorrow I need to finish that project at work ... and call Mr Johnson .... I wonder if I should buy a new vacuum cleaner. " etc etc.

3. Recall of past sensory perceptions (ie sensory perceptions that aren't happening right now, but had happened in the past). This is similar to the mother's face, or the colour/shape of walls mentioned in Point 1 above. However, it goes beyond vision, but extends to other sensory perceptions (eg touch, smell, hearing). Eg you "re-hear" in your mind an interesting conversation you had with your colleagues yesterday.

To be in a thoughtless state, is to be in a state where your mind doesn't have thoughts as described in Points 1-3 above.

We've all been there before. Example - as you lurch around in a wild, crazy roller-coaster ride, you'll be totally present in the moment and you won't have any thoughts of the kinds described in 1, 2 and 3.

Second example - at the moment of intense orgasm, the climax, the peak of your bliss, you won't have any thoughts of the kinds described in 1, 2 and 3,

Third example - you're listening with 100% attention to your most ultimately favourite piece of music by Beethoven. In that moment your attention becomes fused with the music - you're utterly absorbed in the rapture of the music. You won't have any thoughts described in 1, 2 and 3.

Fourth example - you're a sportsman, perhaps a 100m sprinter. In the last 3 seconds of your finest race ever, you put your entire being, your 100% concentration, into moving as fast as possible towards the finishing line.

So these are four examples of how people enter into thoughtless states. And you may enter into thoughtless states through meditation as well.

You can regard it in the following terms:

1. You have no thoughts of the future, no thoughts of the past

2. You are totally present in the moment

3. If you are aware of any sensory perceptions, then you are highly awate of them, and they are of sensory perceptions happening now

4. Your mind makes no intervening judgment, assessment, analysis, in the space between object and perception.

To explain Point 4, say you are listening to the Beethoven piece, you simply listen 100%. You are completely focused on the music. Also you are not describing, analysing, labelling, or judging your perception. You do not, for example, think thoughts like: "Oh this is my favourite part ... Here comes the arpeggio on the piano .... hey, the volume is too loud .... I still remember the first time I heard this piece, it was in 1993 ....". Instead you simply listen, and absorb the music entirely.

Now if you meditate enough, you can access thoughtless states quite regularly. And if you really meditate a lot a lot a lot, you'll reach the point that thoughtless states become the default state, even when you're not meditating.

It does not mean that you become stupid. It means that you think only when you want to think. For example, let's say you need to study. Then you will decide to study, and of course, to think. And when you start thinking about what you're studying, it will be with solid concentration on what you're studying, and your mind won't be distracted into thoughts about what you're going to do on the weekend, what's for dinner later, and who's going to win the Wimbledon finals.

It also means that you develop vast control over your thoughts. In other words, you no longer need to be plagued by negative thoughts. This should not be confused with escapism, or a refusal to face up to your problems. Instead what happens is that because you have such excellent control over your thoughts, you will be able to:

(1) think very clearly about your problem;
(2) understand what can be done, and do it;
(3) understand what can't be done, and therefore just stop fretting, worrying or losing sleep about it.

No more needless spinning-in-useless-circles kind of thoughts.

In the general prolonged absence of useless negative thoughts such as fear, anxiety, worry, anger etc, you simply become blissful.

That is all. Hope that clarifies.