Is it possible to stop thinking?

[Someone here]

I'm practicing (do nothing) meditation technique these days and self-inquiry to try to calm down the activities of my mind. 

In my observation.. it is impossible to stop thinking.

The notion of thinking itself is a grey area because you could say emotions.. perceptions.. sensations are a type of thought as well. Even beyond that, the subconscious mind itself can be viewed as a collection of thoughts and notions under the surface.

But even if we talk about the recurring surface level thoughts. From a functional perspective.. Stopping them will mean a regression in one's Evolution. You can't suddenly go back to an animal state prior to thoughts. Likewise.. transcending thought would mean being in continues state of Samadhi.. where one can't function in this world. 

Thoughts come and go out of nowhere and are outside of your control (like weather or your body's metabolism). Trying to stop your mind can be a powerful ascetic practice since you will quickly realize that it is impossible. 

Thoughts on stopping thoughts? 

[BipolarGrowth]

Yeah, you can do it. Zen no-mind paired with No-Self will obliterate thought. Your character could orate a filibuster on the Senate floor for 48 hours, and you still wouldn’t have done a single thing or thought a single thought. I’ve found that true no-mind and No-Self in myself loves to live through the ego. The thing is that the ego runs itself now. You are detached. You are the witness, but upon looking for yourself, you know that you can never be found. Everything is absolute Nothingness. Your thoughts come from the void of Nothingness whether you are in incessant thought or in pure no-mind and No-Self. I can’t even say that all of this hasn’t applied to “myself” as I’ve wrote this post. 

Edited May 27, 2021 by BipolarGrowth

[Someone here]

@BipolarGrowth how so? 

Even when you are 'not thinking', you are thinking the thought "I am not thinking" , or "I am aware"

[Javfly33]

Yes, of course. 

[BipolarGrowth]

2 minutes ago, Someone here said:

@BipolarGrowth how so? 

Even when you are 'not thinking', you are thinking the thought "I am not thinking" , or "I am aware"

There is no mental activity. Most of the time now at least for me. It’s like your heart beating itself. It becomes an automatic process. 

[Someone here]

39 minutes ago, BipolarGrowth said:

There is no mental activity. Most of the time now at least for me. It’s like your heart beating itself. It becomes an automatic process. 

  

Do you mean The thought that stops moving is the psychological thought. Thought will still move to solve practical problems. To control certain aspects of environmental or to meet physical needs? 

[Carl-Richard]

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

But even if we talk about the recurring surface level thoughts. From a functional perspective.. Stopping them will mean a regression in one's Evolution. You can't suddenly go back to an animal state prior to thoughts. Likewise.. transcending thought would mean being in continues state of Samadhi.. where one can't function in this world. 

Two distinctions: 1. Meditation initially removes repetitive, fear-based, self-referential thinking. It does not remove problem solving ability or planning. 2. At later stages it may dampen or completely remove any 1st-person experience of thinking, but you will still be able to function. You can say that your declarative memory becomes non-declarative.

An example of non-declarative memory would be procedural memory (for example tying your shoes). When you tie your shoes, you do it without representing it in your mind (you just do it). Likewise, you can solve problems without representing them in your mind. In fact, most high-level problem solving happens "offline", outside of conscious awareness. All you become conscious of is the answer, not the full insight into the process of arriving at that answer.

[erik8lrl]

Yes, you can reach a point where you can turn your mind on and off like a switch.

[BipolarGrowth]

47 minutes ago, Someone here said:

  

Do you mean The thought that stops moving is the psychological thought. Thought will still move to solve practical problems. To control certain aspects of environmental or to meet physical needs? 

There’s usually no thought in any of this for me. I have discussions, do different activities, and usually am quite detached. I would say more physical activities or extreme conditions would probably shake this though. 

[Consilience]

You can but seeing emptiness, no self, God, etc., does not require a quiet mind. A quiet mind helps to see clearly into the nature of reality, but a permanent state of no mind is not the goal or a necessity for Awakening. Speaking from experience chasing after a silent mind and finally seeing the futility. 

[WelcometoReality]

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

Thoughts on stopping thoughts? 

Yes, thought happens. It's an experience just like the other senses. No need to stop thought because the only thing that tries to stop thought is also thought.

[The0Self]

Even if “you stop thinking,” you’ll still have the subtle thought of moving through time. When you stop thinking even that, you don’t even stop thinking, as there wasn’t anything there in the first place that could stop:

It’s recognized by no one that there was never anything going on, much less “thinking,” in the first place... So there was nothing there that could stop. Certainly no “one” who thinks. Thinking is just what appears.

Someone thinking = experience = illusion

You never are thinking. You experience that you are thinking. But there is only everything or what apparently happens, appearing as anything, including thinking; experience; awareness; meditation; chair; sitting; door; food; bed; seeing a tree; love; agony; fun; anger; interest; passion... everything.

Edited May 28, 2021 by The0Self

[Tim R]

6 hours ago, Someone here said:

The notion of thinking itself is a grey area because you could say emotions.. perceptions.. sensations are a type of thought as well.

"Emotion" is a thought. "Perception" is a thought. 

But when in meditation thoughts have subsided, there won't be any emotions, or perceptions - this doesn't mean that your consciousness will be empty and there's just nothing going on, but you will experience emotions, perceptions and thoughts without labeling them as that. There will simply be...that! And after a certain point, you won't even call it "that" anymore. 

"Thought" itself is just another thought. It's like someone who has managed to fool you into believing that he could lift himself up by his bootstraps. 

6 hours ago, Someone here said:

From a functional perspective.. Stopping them will mean a regression in one's Evolution. You can't suddenly go back to an animal state prior to thoughts. Likewise.. transcending thought would mean being in continues state of Samadhi.. where one can't function in this world. 

You will function even better than before.

6 hours ago, Someone here said:

Trying to stop your mind can be a powerful ascetic practice since you will quickly realize that it is impossible. 

Yes, you can't do it. Just let it happen and be patient.

 

[Anahata]

Have you tried meditating while talking a walk in a quiet and peaceful area where there are no people around? I suggest you try that before diving into more advanced types of meditation where it's required that you stay in a sitting position.

[gettoefl]

you

are

not

the

one

who

is

thinking

[BipolarGrowth]

17 minutes ago, gettoefl said:

you

are

not

the

one

who

is

thinking

+1

[Breakingthewall]

Possible. you have to understand how thought creates the self, and the falsehood of the self. 90% of thinking is an activity to maintain the self. once you realize its falsehood during meditation, the thought stops. After (minutes, hours) it begins again, it does not stop forever, since the self returns, but one can spend time completely merged in the present, without thoughts that create the fictitious separation. in my opinion the purity of those moments are worth more than a lifetime of ego. It is essential to achieve this and cultivate it, even if it is necessary to meditate 4 hours a day. compulsive thinking sucks big shit, it's not life. the purity of the absence of thought is paradise.

[Guest EmptyVase]

Maybe meditating on what's prior to thought will reveal that, which is beyond yet imminent.

[Death_]

@Someone here No, you cannot. It is stupid if you are trying to stop your mind from thinking.

[kag101]

Of course not.

Mind secretes thoughts just like the salivary glands secrete saliva.