The purpose of our life is to move and grow along a spiritual path,

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 5 The Observing Mind The ability to observe own thinking mind The purpose of our life is to move and grow along a spiritual path, and this can be achieved only by transforming ourselves through all of the experiences of life s journey. However, we simply cannot transform ourselves unless we transform our mind. There are many ways to change the way we think and feel about ourselves. We cannot change our mind unless we have the willingness to watch and observe our thinking mind; otherwise we are, most of the time, so deeply engrossed that we forget that it is the mind that does the thinking. We are completely identified with our mind. We are largely unaware of what we are thinking and who does the thinking. One needs to observe the mind, and it is the first condition when we undertake the task of the mind s transformation. We are trapped in incessant streams of thoughts, which are mostly useless and repetitive. Watch the mind closely. Just below the thoughts is an undifferentiated stream of consciousness. It s a zone of no thought, a place of eternal peace and bliss. If we observe our mind closely, we realise that it operates at two levels; hence there are two entities within our head. On the outer level, we have what Buddha called the monkey mind. It is mostly restless,

2 66 Balvinder Kumar capricious, inconsistent, indecisive, and very difficult to control. Here I reigns supreme. If we remove our attention from this monkey mind, and ignore the clutter of our thoughts, we find our inner mind. The problem is that our monkey mind (thinking mind) engages our consciousness in so much fast-changing data from the surrounding world that we forget to acknowledge our inner mind, the witnessing mind. We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. Dalai Lama XIV Every one of us must have noticed that when we expect our mind to avoid any particular set of negative thoughts, we realise after a few moments that those very thoughts still arise in our mind. If that is so, it means that some part of our mind must have been noticing the thoughts arising in the mind during those moments. If our mind was thinking, then who was observing the thinking mind? It was our mind watching our mind! In Zen, they refer to this as the thinking mind and the observing mind. It is a common concept in Buddhism, the two minds theory. Today psychotherapists use this concept in resolving many of the mental problems that we face in modern society. Our thinking mind is always chattering, whenever we are free, not paying attention to any task or activity, and even when we are attending meetings and engaged in conversation. The other person might assume that we are being attentive to what he or she is saying, but on average, at least half of the time our thinking mind has wandered elsewhere. The mind is not one hundred % present at that moment. It is busy

3 Awakening the Thinking Mind 67 traveling, often recalling memories or worrying about the future. This causes stress, because it is not enjoying what is at hand, which is the present moment. Most of our psychological stress happens because our thinking mind and observing mind are fused, and we do not recognise the difference ( The main reason is that we simply cannot control our thinking mind. The emotions pop up and will continue to pop up. Emotions, thoughts, thinking mind, and our Self intermingle, and there is no separation among them. The thinking mind and the observing mind both operate simultaneously and parallel in the mind. Generally, though, the observing mind is not noticed because we are totally engrossed in the thinking mind. In the thinking mind, thoughts keep on appearing and disappearing, and our Self is completely identified with this aspect of our mind. In this part, we either enjoy or struggle with the thoughts. They preoccupy our entire mind. Human suffering is also a by-product of thoughts that arise in the thinking mind. Negative thoughts and emotions are natural to the human brain; we cannot escape them. If we resist those negative thoughts and emotions, they rebound with even greater force. Then the suffering, instead of getting redressed, increases. As described by Dr. Cliff Heegel, Rather than helping us to connect with the reality around us in the present moment, the thinking mind often captures our focus and takes us mentally to seemingly more interesting thoughts of a different time and place. When the thinking mind dominates, we spend most of our time only partially aware of our surroundings, scarcely capable of noticing the richness of the world we actually inhabit in the present moment. On the other hand,

4 68 Balvinder Kumar Dr. Heegel tells us, The observing mind is incapable of boredom. It perceives everything it notices with openness and interest, because this moment is fleeting, alive only this instant. It is always present and is always available. Through the observing mind, we connect with the vast range of our experiences. It does not matter if the experience is new, exciting, familiar, or even unpleasant it is all simply acceptable. One of the toughest tasks we face is how to control unwanted thoughts. Instead of quickly dismissing them and judging ourselves harshly for having such thoughts, we should first acknowledge that these thoughts are neither right nor wrong. They are just thoughts. However, it is the emotion that is associated with such thoughts that makes it unpleasant or unwanted. By observing those thoughts closely, we can delink (dissociate) thoughts from the associated emotions. Witness the thoughts even if they are frightening, and fill you with fear. By witnessing them, their associated negative energy can be dissolved. Besides, by observing thoughts, we can cultivate space between the thoughts or the primary consciousness that underlies all thinking. This is the place of internal peace and bliss. We can penetrate this place only through the observing mind. Awareness through the observing mind can do wonders as far as management of mind and thoughts is concerned. Mindfulness skills are extremely useful in emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal problems. This is the foundation for many therapies that are used to cure a host of mental conditions. Through this simple technique, we can know what we are thinking, how far we are able to manage our thoughts, and what we may do to control our thoughts. The benefit of observing is that the mind becomes quiet and serene.

5 Awakening the Thinking Mind 69 Eventually, we can observe things without a running commentary of a talkative/thinking mind. Observe without getting caught in the experience. We must experience without reacting to that experience. Mindfulness involves observation of constantly changing internal and external stimuli as they arise. If we start practicing simple observation, we can manage and control the incessant inflow of unwanted thoughts. As explained by the Western spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle in A New Earth, The problem most people have is not thinking; it is not knowing how to stop thinking. Observing is the basis of self-awareness. When we observe our experience, we are more likely to have a feeling of being in control of our thinking. No matter what we are doing, we can just step back and observe. Let thoughts come and go without disturbing the mind. Unwanted thoughts should not stick to our mind. Many researchers have found that this is a way to cope with intense feelings. Most of us feel that the stress or anxiety or depressed state that we experience is due to the events outside of us. We expend much energy trying to control these states without realising that their source is internal. Observing is very beneficial because when we do this, the thoughts just come and go. We can free our mind from too much thinking, especially of the negative kind. To understand the reality of this world, we must go inward, and this is exactly what the ancient wisdom also says. An inward journey is necessary for true realisation of who we really are. Going inward simply means taking the path of introspection and self-contemplation. Introspection has been a subject of philosophical discussion for thousands of years. It generally provides a privileged access to our mental state. It is the closer observation of our conscious thoughts and

6 70 Balvinder Kumar feelings. In psychology, the process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one s mental state, while in a spiritual context, it may refer to the examination of one s inner self. It is closely related to selfreflection. The only person with the power to change us is ourselves. Through this inward journey, we can learn about our thinking and behaviour pattern through the observing mind. So the greatest gift we can give to ourselves is the opening and flowering of self-awareness. By doing so, we get to observe the mind and its thoughts, coming in and out of our awareness. Self-observation can eventually free us from the negative conditioning that so often impedes our progress. TO SUM UP By observing thoughts, we can cultivate space between the thoughts or the primary consciousness that underlies all thinking. We can penetrate this place only through the observing mind. If we start practicing simple observation, we can manage and control the incessant inflow of unwanted thoughts. Only by way of closely observing our thoughts, can we dissociate those thoughts from the associated emotions. This act will make negative or destructive thoughts neutral. Through the observing mind, we connect with the vast range of our experiences. It does not matter if the experience is new, exciting, familiar, or even unpleasant it is all simply acceptable.