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Going back to the original question of "How do thoughts arise?", there is a certain spiritual teacher who says that our thoughts are not our own. We simply exist in a mental field where thought exists; particular thoughts pass through our awareness and we think that these thoughts are ours.
I have some issues with this approach - it seems too random. The thoughts which arise within my awareness usually pertain to practical aspects of my life or they are abstract ponderings on topics of particular interest to me or they are reactions to something perceived externally, such as a story on TV. I do not find myself suddenly thinking of things which have no connection to me.
It may be that we inhabit an environment filled with thoughts and we are all like radios tuned to different frequencies, so we receive thoughts which correspond to these frequencies. Or it may be that we do not receive specific thoughts but instead we pick up on certain energies which our mental apparatus converts into thoughts which are relevant to ourselves.
All this is open to question. But it is strange that we each probably have thousands of thoughts every day and yet the nature and origin of these thoughts is such a mystery.
And a final thought on the stopping of thoughts. One difficulty I have found in myself is a subtle attachment to thinking. I am naturally quite mental, and the world of thoughts is both comfortable and familiar. Holding my awareness in a state of no-thought and preventing the next thought from arising is stepping way from that which is comfortable and familiar, even though I enjoy the peaceful relief from the incessant mental chatter.
Just some thoughts.
Peace
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