As meditators, it can be tempting to see the thinking mind as an enemy, but we can instead discover a wise and skillful relationship with it. This talk presents possible ways of working with the wide range of manifestations of thought: from papanca (proliferation) and obsession to creative, reflective and helpful thinking, to seeing the empty nature of all thought.

How does thought operate as a system driving our minds and actions towards incoherence and suffering.

As mindfulness deepens, we can uncover the 4 root causes of getting lost in our thinking, as well as remembering the aliveness of being when we step aside from thinking.

Our thinking mind, when unnoticed, spreads out into imaginary worlds about an imaginary version of ourselves. How mindfulness helps us recognize the various trances our mind spins.

Thinking problems and emotional problems - and how to work with them

Doubt can be an obstacle to meditation or a form of healthy inquiry. It is helpful to ask questions, to ponder, and be willing to doubt our beliefs and opinions. Ask yourself: are my views true? We hold many unexamined beliefs—beliefs about self, about how things should be, about what other people should do. The Kalama Sutta encourages us to question what we think, and to not adopt beliefs based on hearsay or mere tradition. We can use our minds to critically inquire into how things actually are. Doubt as an obstacle, on the other hand, is a painful state that leads to confusion, fear, indecision, and uncertainty. It manifests as obsessive thinking, planning, and anxiety. The Discourse to Malunkyaputta (Middle Length Discourses, M. 63) proposes that if we indulge in speculative thinking we might miss the opportunity to free ourselves from suffering. Specific suggestions are offered for working skillfully with the hindrance of doubt.

Finding freedom every moment, using the power of mindful awareness of thoughts.

Through all spiritual traditions, there is a valuing of silence and stillness. When the mind has quieted, it becomes possible to see into the truth of what we are. Yet quieting can turn into a battle with the process of the thinking mind. This talk explores practices that allow us to settle in a natural way, the presence which is silence itself, and the wisdom and love that flows freely when we live from that silence.

Because we live in such a mental culture, we sometimes interpret meditation as getting rid of all thinking. But inquiry and investigation, often aided by language are crucial to Buddhist practice. We look at three practical methods of inquiry, using (1) mindfulness (2) deep listening, and (3) the lens of particular teachings.