Changing the Nature of Thinking

Question: I go to a Zen teacher here in Seattle. He tells us that we should observe our thoughts during meditation? I’m not sure what this means. How can I observe my thoughts without thinking them? And if I’m sitting thinking all the time, how is this meditation?

Answer: Perhaps your teacher is being a little glib in his directive that you should ‘observe your thinking’. I think he should have been be a little more detailed because I can understand your confusion.
There are a number of aspects to ‘thinking’ – but for the purpose of the question, let’s just talk about just two of them.

First – there is the content of the thoughts themselves – the story the thoughts are conveying. When it comes to meditation, this is the most troubling aspect, because the story seduces us, and we lose touch with the breath and begin mindlessly following the story wherever it goes.

Second – there is the simple phenomenon of thinking itself – the ‘noise’ of it – that is, the bare activity you sense in your head.

So then, when we talk about ‘observe the thinking’ it’s the second aspect we’re talking about.

Your teacher is asking you to observe the thinking – not the thoughts.

In this you’re practicing the ability to know the activity that’s happening in your mind, without involving yourself with what it’s saying. Or, to put it another way, you’re practicing being aware of the noise, while being detached and disinterested in what it is telling you.

The mind will always think – that’s what a mind does. That’s what it’s for – to produce thought energy. And on its own if, if the thought energy is left alone, it disappears as quickly as it appeared. When properly observed, thoughts arise and disappear almost instantaneously. Trouble is, throughout our life, we’ve been taught to pay attention to all the thoughts our mind produces – to stop the flow and entertain, or discuss, or argue with the thoughts that have arisen. Which is why, if those thoughts are unpleasant, it can seem as if we’ve become victims of our own minds.

So now, as we meditate, we’re learning to leave the flow of thought energy as it is. We’re practicing being aware of the noise in our minds, while ignoring of what it is telling us.

And at first it’s confusing, because your mind has a habit of paying attention and discussing almost everything that appears. But if you keep practicing letting go, over time, it’ll become easier. And the main object of the breath is the tool we use to help us do this.

Each time your attention is seduced into participating with the thinking, the practice is to instantly let it go and return your attention to the breath. You’re still aware of the thinking, but with your attention on the breath, it’s just noise in your head.

The more you practice this, the more subtle the thinking will become, and you’ll realize the thoughts you used to take so seriously, are not worth giving credence to. They are not the source of your intelligence. They’re just messengers from a deeper, more intuitive level of mind.

At that point, you’ll not take them so seriously. And that will change your relationship with the thought energy that’s constantly arising in the mind. The thoughts will become less wordy, and more subtle and intuitive.
And you’ll find yourself living from ‘knowing’ rather than thinking.

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