Day 18

When Thoughts Arise

When I first started meditating, I thought that the sign of a good sitting was an absence of thought. Every little thought that occurred to me became a scourge on my practice and on me for being a "bad meditator." I've come to understand that meditation isn't so much about the suspension of thought as it is about learning to think what I want to think. As a beginner, I could see very early on that I was not in control of my mind. As I sat a bit more, I started to notice and categorize the types of thinking I was engaging. Usually I could place my thoughts into a few main "buckets" or categories—random, planning, lamenting, and obsessing.

I started to find that my planning thoughts were all future focused and tended to be pretty neutral in tone (things like can't forget to load the clothes dryer, or need to check Ksanti's homework). Random thoughts were similar (though perhaps not future-focused). I also noticed that my lamenting and obsessing thoughts had a more belligerent and persistent tone. When I found myself worrying over something that had happened (lamenting) or something I wanted to happen (obsessing) it was more difficult to label or qualify the thought in order to just let it go.

Yesterday I was surfing for instructions on dealing with thoughts that arise during meditation practice and I came across the Vitakka-Santhana Sutra (from the Majjhima Nikaya) courtesy of Access to Insight. It is also known as The Sutra on the Removal of Distracting Thoughts. It offers five graduated instructions which I'll paraphrase (follow the link to the Sutra for the full-text):

When unskillful thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion arise:

1. Try to think about something skillful [change the subject]

2. Consider the inherent problem(s) that arise when thinking unskillful thoughts [I'm making myself miserable, etc.]

3. Stop giving the thoughts your full attention [consider the thoughts physical objects you can see, close your eyes]

4. Attempt to dismantle the source of the thoughts [try to see how you are fanning the flames and stop]

5. Subdue and beat down the evil mind with the good mind [using all available concentration and might, overcome the unskillful thoughts iwth good... practice gratitude, etc.]

Each instruction is followed by a metaphor that illustrates how to carry out the instruction. After each instruction, a checklist (of sorts) is offered that allows you to determine if that particular instruction worked:

1. The mind stands firm

2. The mind settles down

3. The mind becomes unified

4. The mind becomes concentrated

So you try the first instruction, then run the checklist. If you find you are still hooked, you move on to the second instruction and continue the loop until the unskillful thoughts dissipate.

While neutral thoughts can be easily eliminated by simply thinking about something else (or while meditating returning attention to the breath), sometimes it is not that simple. Next time I find myself following a stream of obsessive or lamenting thoughts (during meditation or otherwise), I'll give this a try. If you find yourself particularly hooked, maybe this instruction will help.