the concept of the neutralizing thought

[Miss Hepburn]

''You are thought''. Fascinating.
Then, for many, it may move onto...well, Yes...but,
I am awareness...just simple awareness - witnessing, watching observing, experiencing...all that is around...not really 'thinking'.

Then, I am reacting...to the cold, to hunger, to falling, to beauty ...so now I'm also 'feeling'.
So we have -We are our thoughts, awarenesses, reactions and feelings...not in that order!!
Hmm.

[charly233]

I use the following affirmation to assist with negative thoughts:

I neutralise and destroy any thoughts that I do not wish to experience.

[saurab]

Originally Posted by charly233

I use the following affirmation to assist with negative thoughts:

I neutralise and destroy any thoughts that I do not wish to experience.

But the thought has already come up and you have experienced it. The key, in my opinion, with negative thoughts is to not touch them, leave them alone, and not believe them. THen slowly and slowly, that thought will lose strength and will stop coming up. But if you fight with it, say things to that negative thought then you are trapped in the mind and reacting to every bad thought.

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Maisy

I think at some point you realize you are thought. From that point on you have the option to be something else.

So who or what is it which is observing thoughts?

The fact that we can observe our thoughts indicates that what we are is separate from our thoughts.

Or are you suggesting that the personality nature is dictated by our habitual patterns of thought?

Again, the fact that we can observe our personality nature indicates that what we are is something separate from the personality.

Peace

[charly233]

Originally Posted by saurab

But if you fight with it, say things to that negative thought then you are trapped in the mind and reacting to every bad thought.

Thanks for your observation.

I'm glad you have an approach to negative thoughts that works for you.

[Gem]

In this thread there are 2 primary strategies

1) Just observe the thought and let it be
2) Actively change the thought

As such we tend toward 2 camps, but in Buddhist philosophy there is space for both approaches. The first is mere awareness whereby you simply recognise this is a negative mind and let it pass, and the other is right effort whereby you intentionally expel negativity and impure mind-states and cultivate positive wholesome states.

The issue isn't if one is the right way and the other is the wrong way. The issue is generating adverse reactivity toward unpleasant thoughts - because obviously, adverse reactivity is just additional negativity that only compounds the problem.

If you recognise the negative mind, how the negative mind is generated, and how to cease generating negativity, you can see how the mere recognition is included with the right effort to resolve the issue at its genesis.

[Unseeking Seeker]

a bird flies by our window
soon gone from line of sight
leaving no residue

likewise with thoughts
if there be no ownership assigned
like any other object

tail no longer wags dog
thought is an instrument
mostly rested, used when needed

then that that remains is awareness
pure and unfettered
abiding therein we are free

to know, release
to become, be
exit lower mind

[charly233]

Originally Posted by Gem

The first is mere awareness whereby you simply recognise this is a negative mind and let it pass, and the other is right effort whereby you intentionally expel negativity and impure mind-states and cultivate positive wholesome states.

The issue isn't if one is the right way and the other is the wrong way.

Yes. That makes sense. Well put.

I gravitate towards writing affirmations to stop negative thoughts from manifesting. At the same time I value the approach of simply accepting the so-called negative thoughts and letting them be.

[Maisy]

I think it can be like picturing ourselves like a movie camera lens. We point at things with our attention. If we point at some dogs fighting that becomes our experience. If we point at a quiet green field and wildflowers that becomes our experience.

The weird thing is our camera lens is habitually pointed at the content of our minds and thoughts so that is our experience. The spiritual path can be said to be about higher awareness. I think a normal way to be is not even being aware we have the option to direct where the attention is. We just experience wherever it is pointing and that's normal life to us. But a more aware state is to have the option to direct it off of the mind and thoughts when we notice it is there and it is unpleasant.

The posts about fighting the mind or thought, well there is never a need to resist or fight anything, if one is doing those things, really the attention is still on mind. If the camera lens is on two dogs fighting, we can just take the attention off of that. That solves the whole problem. Move it elsewhere.

There is no how either. It's more a matter if you have the awareness or not. I guess someone could ask well how do you get the awareness but it's not something you get it's something you are. Awareness is what we are. It's just most may think they are the mind and are then not aware keeping the attention and identity there is optional.

[Maisy]

Originally Posted by iamthat

Or are you suggesting that the personality nature is dictated by our habitual patterns of thought?

I was using that phrase "at some point you realize you are thought then have the option to be something else" in the sense the lines between awareness and what you are aware of and therefore experiencing and are in a sense are not really clear cut. You are always aware of something, even nothing is something one can be aware of.

I think when we say "we are" the answer can be an experience not a concept of a being. Obviously we exist but when we talk about what we are, the answer can be an experience. Experience is always changing, like now I am happy, now I am fearful or sad or whatever but we only exist in the present so if asked "what are you?" we would say happy or sad or whatever we are experiencing in that only moment and now and present that we have.

We may have an abstract idea of our existence apart from our experience but there is no such thing because what we are is awareness. Awareness is ALWAYS aware of and experiencing something and for all practical purposes that EXPEREINCE is what we are. It's like a cup in a cafe. Someone sees the cup and asks, what is that? And the answer is directly related to what is in the cup. Coffee or hot chocolate or tea. What we are and our experience is directly related to where we place or keep our attention.

So if our attention is on the conditioned mind and thought and we talk and experience each other, what we are in that situation is thought and mind. If we take our attention off of mind and thought, we can be and experience something different. If nothing is in that cup in the cafe and somebody asks what is that? The answer would be nothing it's empty.