Sublime

No matter how readily you believe that thoughts pop into your head of their own accord, you choose what takes up space in your mind.

In Buddhism, the mind (manas) is likened to a monkey swinging from branch to branch, leading us again and again into the dark world of pain and suffering. The practice is to shine the light of mindfulness on our mind’s paths so we can see them clearly and prevent our mind from wandering down paths of inappropriate attention.

The fourth and most important step: Sit down quietly and observe how your mind functions. There is a steady flow of thoughts and feelings and reactions there.

We imagine an encounter with a wise old person in a cave or on top of a mountain or in some other remote place. This wise being knows the answers we desperately need after our long journey. In fantasy we ask questions such as, Who am I that I do not yet know I am? or How am I standing in the way of my own growth? or What do I need to do to let go

Thich Nhat Hanh describes it this way: “The mind is like a television set with hundreds of channels. Which channel will you turn on?” Usually we are so focused on the dramatic story being told that we don’t notice that there is always consciousness that receives it. Through mindfulness, we can learn to acknowledge which channel is playing. We can

Even though consciousness makes us human, most of us are so immersed in our inner world, so unconscious, even asleep, that we aren’t aware that there’s a script continually running through our minds. We believe that script is the true “us,” the Self. But that chatter is just our thoughts. We practice thoughts all day long. You might have stopped at