When we begin to observe our thoughts, their power begins to fade.
Sometimes, if you watch your thoughts, you’ll start to notice that they appear and disappear quite quickly, leaving little gaps between them.
- At first the gap between one thought and the next may not be very long.
- But with practice, the gaps grow longer and your mind begins to rest more peacefully and openly in objectless attention.
Sometimes, the simple practice of observing thoughts becomes something like watching TV or a movie. On the screen, lots of things may be going on, but you are not actually in the movie or on the TV.
- There is a little bit of space between yourself and whatever you are watching.
- As you practice observing your thoughts, you can actually experience that same little space between yourself and your thoughts.
- You are not really creating this space. It was always there. You are merely allowing yourself to notice it.
Just look at the thoughts themselves, rather than the causes and conditions from which they emerged.
Re-source: Reobserve
watch (something) again carefully and attentively
Self-created suffering inhibits us from dealing with painful situations simply and directly.
- Let go of the search for reasons and stories , and simply look at the experience directly.
The more practical approach to emotions, similar to that of working with thoughts, is simply to rest your attention on the emotion itself, rather than on its object.
- Just look at the emotion without analyzing it intellectually.
- Don’t try to hold on to it or resist it.
- Simply observe it. When you do this, the emotion won’t seem as solid, lasting, or true as it initially did.
Sometimes though, the object associated with a disturbing emotion, a person, a place, or an event is just too vivid or present to ignore.
- If that is the case, don’t try to block it.
- Rest your attention on the sensory perceptions related to the object of your emotion.
- In doing so, the object of emotion can become a powerful support.
craving and resource from “Joyful Wisdom” – Embracing change and finding freedom – by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche with Eric Swanson
