Distinguishing monkey mind from intentional thoughts?

[InterruptReQuest]

I've been having this question on my mind for some time now. I have heard of "monkey mind" several times and I have a general idea on what it is, but I'm having hard time distinguishing between what thoughts come from the monkey mind and what don't. Are all thoughts that are "accompanied" by an internal voice counted as monkey mind or is it only "unintended" thoughts? How do I recognize between intended and unintended thoughts? Also, are "auditory thoughts" (eg. earworm) that may not have a internal voice "speaking" (like a melody from a song) counted as monkey mind?

[mandyjw]

Pay attention to how your thoughts feel. An epiphany is often sudden and seems completely random like it came from nowhere, but it feels amazing. Judging our own thoughts after they have happened is more thinking and judging ourselves. Being curious about our thoughts is being aware and questioning them. The best thing you can do is pay attention to how you feel. Generally curiosity feels great, judgement feels bad. 

[allislove]

@mandyjw +1

[DreamScape]

Intentional thoughts always have a stronger and louder feel to them. They feel more real and they're not clutter 

[SoonHei]

@InterruptReQuest mandy nailed it spot on above.

FEELING

 

all your intentional thought will be powerful and make you feel happy, inspired, charged, energized - because well, who intentionally puts themselves down or thinks of suffering thoughts.

 

monkey mind will be thoughts which take away your power, feel heavy, negative etc.

 

follow that feeling compass

[wavydude]

Depends on how you look at it. 

Generally your current thoughts are result of your past thought and action. 

For example you might think why did you eat salmon for breakfast, you had salmon for breakfast because you like it, you like it because your parent feed it to you as child, they feed it to you as child because they parents did they same, theirs parents did they say because theirs ancestors lived by the sea and finished for salmon and so on so on all the way to the big bang.

So basaed on that there is no doer and everything is just happening