No Thinking about Thinking

          https://www.facebook.com/MichaelHallPhD/videos/1363603673764104/

The above link is to my Facebook page, where you can find a video of this talk  No Thinking About Thinking given Sunday, June 23, 2019. 

No thinking about thinking

Two weeks ago, when we considered the work of John Butler, I mentioned John’s observation that the primary obstacle to awakening is the lack of suffering. John may well be right. However, I have another nomination for greatest obstacle. While suffering is often the prime motivator to commence a serious spiritual search, the primary obstacle to awakening is our passionate love affair with our thoughts. It is mostly not possible or necessary to stop thinking altogether, although if that happens, you will be truly blessed. For the past 15 years I have encouraged people to lose interest in their thoughts. By thoughts I include opinions, beliefs, assumptions, and convictions; in general, all that we hold to be true.

In today’s talk, we will discuss the experience of living in the ordinary world without noticing, caring about, or taking seriously your thoughts. What would this feel like? How would it affect the choices and decisions we make? Is it even possible to live in this way?

Why are thoughts such a big problem, anyway? Ed Muzica recently quoted his teacher Robert Adams: “Robert used to say to me, ‘I have no idea why it is taking you so long (to reach enlightenment), except that you are too smart. You are always thinking, thinking, thinking, and you can't escape, it has become your nature.’” https://www.facebook.com/edwardmuzika.  

Can we look at our thoughts as being like clouds, just drifting by, going nowhere, doing nothing, certainly not mine? Just thoughts, or clouds, or nothing at all, really. How would this view, lived out fully, affect our direct experience of the world?