Instructions
In order to directly experiencing a thought, take the quiet time in the recording to attend to a thought.
Meditation
- Let the mind rest, aware of a calm and spacious mind.
- Turn your attention to look at thoughts, the moving mind.
- Generate thoughts throughout the meditation or allow your mind to generate thoughts.
- Pay attention to the mind that moves.
- Look directly at a thought.
- Are you able to see a thought directly without being caught by its content?
- As the mind moves do you find thoughts are bothering you?
- What happens to the thought if you see it directly?
- Continue to generate thoughts and look directly at them.
- Look at a thought right now and notice what happens to it.
- Rest free from looking at the moving mind and refrain from thinking about it.
After Meditation
- Can you distinguish the difference between a thought that you have looked directly at and a thought that you have not looked directly at?
- Was there a point in the meditation when the moment a thought started to arise, it appeared to be insubstantial right away and then could not be found?
- Did you find yourself wanting to conceptualize what you were experiencing or was what you were experiencing free of concepts?
- Are thoughts truly a problem, something to get rid of?
- Have you developed the ability to not be so distracted by thoughts.
- Do you recognize the nature of a thought as insubstantial, yet appearing?
- How much do you identify with your thoughts? Solidify them? Cling to them?
- Could you recognize a sense of peace and tranquility within a thought?
During the Day
Look at the moving mind. Develop the ability to recognize the mind is moving, but remain free of being caught up in the content of the thought.
Often look at the mind in order to develop the ability to be aware that thoughts are insubstantial, yet thoughts are always appearing.
Remember thoughts are not the problem, holding on to them and making stories around them can cause problems.