Can Meditation Practice Affect How We View Our World? A Series of Articles

Part Six – Where Are Our Thoughts Anyway?

In this series, we’ve covered using the breath as an anchor for our attention and meditation practice. We’ve also discussed how to get some distance from the immediacy of thoughts, viewing them “from a distance” instead of getting caught up in their incessant murmur. Additionally, we’ve discussed how to return to our present state of mind when we’re swept away by thoughts and how to remain in a state of present awareness regardless of whatever arises within our mind.

From our practice, and from what we’ve experienced so far, we may begin to wonder where our thoughts are anyway? Are they “located” in the mind? Do they remain anywhere after they’ve arisen and, if so, where do they “go?” When I’m most caught up in my mind or in the stream of thoughts arising within my mind, I find it hard to remember that my thoughts are nothing but very impermanent, and fairly illusory phenomena within the mind. It’s not like there’s anything that I can hold on to and say, “this is real.”

Thoughts Are Fleeting

When we begin to look at our thoughts, we find them as fleeting and insubstantial. They lack any true or valid existence. They lack any form. When we reflect on it, they lack any true power to control who we are or what we do. And yet, how often do we react to our thoughts? How often do we say something that we wished we hadn’t said, or do something that we regret? How do our thoughts go from being mental phenomena within the mind to powerful, physiological experiences within our body?

Here’s the rub, here’s where the rubber meets the road, here’s where the thought gains its power: a thought is a mere arising, a mere phenomenon of the mind until we assign a meaning to it. That may sound like a no-brainer, but that is at the root of why our thoughts affect us to such a significant degree.

Because I believe that I’m a great dad, if someone tells me that I’ve done something that was really bad parenting, or even if I think that I’ve done something that was really bad as a father, the thought “that was really stupid! How can I do such a stupid thing?!” has such power that I can immediately feel – physically – horrible. Why is that?

It’s Not the Thought That Matters

It’s not the thought that matters, it’s what I make of that thought, how I judge myself against it, and whether I harbor beliefs about myself in relation to that thought. As soon as I associate something about “me” with a thought, I experience a feeling or an emotion about it. That’s where the trouble begins. Okay, so how do I stop that habit, how do I interrupt the cycle of – for instance – thinking that I’m a bad dad when that thought arises?

Antidotes for Thoughts

One way is to have a handy bag of antidotes available for each thought that arises. That way, when the thought, “you forgot to practice soccer with Noah [my son]” arises, I can think, “but I did last week,” or “it’s not such a big deal,” or “I did practice guitar with him,” or…..That can work, but it’s also exhausting because it means that we always have to antidote thoughts that are either threatening to us or that we dislike. There is an easier way.

Thoughts Have No Substance

When we work with our thoughts as fleeting phenomena based upon our way of thinking about things and when we practice meditation, mindfully aware, without following our thought and emotions, then our tendency to take our thoughts as something substantial will gradually – ohh, ever so gradually! – diminish.

With time, patience and practice, we can come to see our thoughts as no more substantial than the clouds in the sky. This doesn’t mean that we’ll stop relating to our thoughts at all, and that when some brilliant stroke of genius comes to our mind we’ll simply ignore it and allow it to fade into the landscape of the mind. In fact, we may find that true inspiration comes more easily when our mind isn’t cluttered by the process of out thinking about and trying to manage all of the thoughts that are arising.

Now, It’s Time To Meditate

What do we do next? Take time to formally practice mindfully, spaciously, with awareness watching the breath. Use the breath as an anchor to bringing the mind back to the present. When you’re comfortable doing this, begin working with watching the thoughts as they arise, allowing them to simply rise and fall without becoming attached to them. As a support, you can download the scripts (below) for watching the breath and thoughts. Then, please drop me a line or comment and let me know how this works for you. Is it easier than you’d thought it would be? Do you get stuck in certain thoughts?

Riding the Breath With the Mind

Beginning to Work with Our Thoughts

How To Meditate

Maybe you’ve already got a meditation practice. If that’s the case, great! Keep it up. And feel free to use all of the content from this site to support you in your efforts. If you haven’t started to meditate, begin now.

Many people don’t meditate because they believe that they need to do “something special” in order to meditate, maybe you’re one of them. “Doing something” special isn’t the case. All you need is your breath, and a few minutes of time set aside to begin your practice. Here are some tools to get you started:

This site has tons of tools for learning how to meditate.

I encourage you to look through the HUNDREDS of articles that I’ve written and especially check out my weekly meditation tips and other useful meditation materials provided for your health and well being. And please let me know if you’d like to discuss anything with me, have any questions or need clarification regarding anything that I’ve written about.

Thanks for visiting and have a mindful day.