Is It Possible To Stop Thinking?

[Nahm]

@DrewNows Well said. 

[Jack River]

6 minutes ago, DrewNows said:

@HellspeedFocusing on the breath may be a good starting point or temporary solution to ending the stream of thoughts but as we begin to understand the nature of thought, simply directing attention no longer becomes necessary. However, i do really enjoy focusing on the breath, as well as the whole body, during yoga and weight lifting activities  

As in intelligence doesn’t exclude parts of experience. It seems that the ending of this exclusion based attention, which is reactionary, is the ending of conditioned response and then seems to come about this intelligence. 

Edited November 1, 2018 by Jack River

[Shadowraix]

I think you might get a more clear answer if the question was redefined to: "Is it possible to not have thoughts in your direct awareness"

[Hellspeed]

You are talking concepts people, wake up, go full throttle breath. After 8-10h a day give it a year at least of breath you will get my point.

[Jack River]

26 minutes ago, Hellspeed said:

You are talking concepts people, wake up, go full throttle breath. After 8-10h a day give it a year at least of breath you will get my point.

A few of us here are pointing to awareness which isn’t divided. We are referring to thought as movement. Nothing to do with concepts. This Movement tends to move directed in a certain direction. Thought/psychological movement will focus on a part of experience to bring about a self imposed silence. Anyway I’m not sure if that’s what you’re suggesting here, but I think @DrewNows was suggesting that. I’m not quite sure where you stand here so sorry. Either way it’s all good man. We’re in this together?

Edited November 1, 2018 by Jack River

[DrewNows]

@HellspeedI hear ya but what happens when life gets in the way of your 60h/week breath work? Controlling the mind is futile but understanding the mind brings about peace. Have you ever wondered why we have certain thoughts/emotions or even in-cognitive actions in certain situations? 

Why limit ourselves to merely the breath when there is total awareness? 

[Jack River]

14 minutes ago, DrewNows said:

Why limit ourselves to merely the breath when there is total awareness? 

Because the reactionary impulses of the controller are so ingrained. All that prevents that awareness. Resistance=control and control=more reactionary impulses. 

[DrewNows]

1 hour ago, Jack River said:

Because the reactionary impulses of the controller are so ingrained. All that prevents that awareness. Resistance=control and control=more reactionary impulses. 

Okay, these impulses provide very receptive credibility as being "the way" to which thoughts cease and temporary liberation/pleasure is induced. How  do we see this psychological security as limiting/thought-self/partial to the whole of intelligence? 

[Jack River]

2 minutes ago, DrewNows said:

Okay, these impulses provide very receptive credibility as being "the way" to which thoughts cease and temporary liberation/pleasure is induced. How  do we see this psychological security as limiting/thought-self/partial to the whole of intelligence? 

Yep. Good question dude. 

Maybe in seeing it is implicit in the question of “how do we” that that is again an impulse/reaction itself. We may see that it is so habitual that this type of response arises. Which is why understanding, like you suggested, is such a necessity. 

 

[outlandish]

Yes it's possible.

You can quiet your mind until all that's left is a kind of background hum of neural subcircuits/subconscious chittering away without catching your conscious mind's attention.

You can get used to these moments, and then  still even further until that hum becomes silent and all you're left with is unconditioned awareness. I cant say I've spent a lot of time in this headspace, but  a little bit and it's real and possible.

[iamme]

Ultimately you don't want to repress your unwanted thoughts but to make them gone by processing them. Disbelieve your false beliefs. If your beliefs are true, they are also peaceful and don't bug you for attention. 

[Shadowraix]

2 hours ago, outlandish said:

You can quiet your mind until all that's left is a kind of background hum of neural subcircuits/subconscious chittering away without catching your conscious mind's attention.

I've had a few instances where my mind was so silenced it was like all thoughts were muffled, they were there but as whispers.

[non_nothing]

Instead of stopping, the more powerful way is to identify it aside you. Because instead, imagine that if you had stopped it completely for a moment, for real. Now you'd be worried about whats wrong

 

-OR- (BIG OR)  at the first place you'd not ask this question.

 

Let's strengthen this approach. I'd offer doing mini-meditations throughout the day.

 

1- Set alarm with 1 hour intervals during your wake time. Scan your body for 10 to 30 seconds.

2- When you got spare time e.g. waiting for bus, waiting in line, waiting for something, waiting for a message. Start observing your thoughts until the event you've been waiting for is ready. For ex. you're waiting for bus, set your goal as "I'll watch and observe my thoughts until the bus come, bus wlll eventually come. If not, I'll sense something is wrong, that's totally okay. But I must not give up quickly if bus not shows up  instead stay calm for a while[1]. And I will observer my thoughts. I won't be stressing for myself to whether that I hold on to the thought or not, It's perfectly fine to holding on. I just observe it. "

[1]: Alternative approach (easier method): Also set a timer for your guess of bus arrival time approx. i.e. set a timer for 3-5 minutes, then forget about whether bus will show up or not, if shows up earlier than you expected, unset alarm and you've completed.

 

Eventually you'll get familiar with observing your thoughts and get familiar with that It's not you.

[Nahm]

@non_nothing You’d not be, so you’d definitely not be worried about anything. On the contrary, would be the realization there was never anything to worry about. Bliss. It might seem like thought is needed to get things done, etc, but it is not. Synchronicity just is, and everything gels naturally, unresisted by thought, as there never was a doer. 

[non_nothing]

24 minutes ago, Nahm said:

@non_nothing You’d not be, so you’d definitely not be worried about anything. On the contrary, would be the realization there was never anything to worry about. Bliss. It might seem like thought is needed to get things done, etc, but it is not. Synchronicity just is, and everything gels naturally, unresisted by thought, as there never was a doer. 

Man... why do you spoil it for him

[Nahm]

@non_nothing He can’t hear.?

[Forestluv]

14 hours ago, EvilAngel said:

Are you sure you weren't thinking during those 5-10 minutes, "this is wonderful, I'm not thinking any thoughts"? ?

How is it possible to remember an experience without having the thoughts to "record" the experience? 

Yes. Memory is not thought-dependent. Generally, my memory is better during thoughtless / low thought stretches. Thinking can reduce awareness levels.

Have you ever been so in awe of natural beauty that thoughts ceased for a bit? Or, a monent of such deep that you melted away? Or, perhaps a flow state while engaging in an activity like mountain biking, skiing or rock climbing?. . . Last weekend, I got into a micro flow state while dancing - only a few thoughts during an hour period. My mind-body merged with the environment and flowed. Much more intuition than thought. 

Also, constant thinking isn’t healthy - it’s like having a resting heart rate of 100 bpm. I like giving my mind-body a rest from thinking

[AlwaysBeNice]

Adi Da claimed he never had thoughts when he was 50 or so, idk.

Ye it's possible, and what really helps is to know that all thoughts are 'meaningless' or 'not true', and to not care if a thought comes up.

[IVONNE]

Simply sit and do absolutely nothing and let flow but the only is that it may take hours to get into the state and its if your willing to take it and be patient 

[julia coach]

@CroMagna Nice question, the Same question was asked 3000 years back from someone, those weren't interested in Meditation or spiritual life.

I'm giving the same answer here.

You can't stop the brain without a thought. Whether are you doing meditation or not. When do we meditate? At that time, we simply look inside for brain wave are traveling in the mid-ocean. Don't focus on those waves. Just let them go, as they are doing. This is the right exercise of Meditation. If you'll try to control your thoughts, they will give you a reaction in form of other thoughts and process will move on. Thought after thought......

Just leave it as they are doing. Don't focus on. Let it be as they are. They will go soon without disturbing you if you don't hurt them. You will get the same results.