my ideas on thought control

[justinh]

(This was originally posted in response to Tia's comment in "New, Need help"  but grew into a very long posting, so I broke it off from that thread)

quote:Originally posted by Tia:
My idea of meditation is to be without thought.  It's really hard to stop the mind from grabbing every little insignificant thing and carrying it along.  If you can stop all the surface thoughts then you allow 'things' to come to you that exist on a deeper level.   It's  like listening for the important stuff that's deep inside you, but first you have to clear the mind and all that thinking, so you can hear it.

Tia, I couldn't have said it any better.

I think the core problem is that most people think "oh, control my mind, no problem".  Actually, I think it's really HARD... All day long I have that monkey-mind problem.  

It's harmless sometimes, but there are other cases such as the following:
1) Dwelling on your hatred of a job, place, environment, activity
2) Looking too sharply at other peoples' faults (too critical)
3) Pre-judging people you haven't met
4) Having too much of an ego about your abilities or strong points

These kinds of cycles become self-induced and self-feeding sources of pain or egotistical pleasure for your mind.  This can be seen when people put down others continually just to feel better about themselves, or people who complain all the time.  I fear that I am especially prone because I tend to focus very sharply on problems, leading me into these kinds of traps.

I tend to think that me being a software engineer has something to do with it. In the computer field we are always looking to break down a problem into its fundamental levels, design a solution, and implement it.  We are taught that everything has a logical solution and that if it doesn't work right then you just need to find what's wrong and fix it.  Simple as that.  Real life isn't so easy, and there is no "cure-all'.  Sometimes you just have to make due and realize that there's no magical way to make yourself 100% happy 100% of the time, no matter how hard you try to change and rearrange things.  This may sound simple, but I am fairly young and arrogant, and it took me a while to get un-stubborn and realize these things.

After doing meditation and understanding lots more about thought control I have come to realize these problems with myself.  These days I tend to catch myself and break the cycle a lot sooner.  I shudder to think had I gone another 10-20 years without understanding this important fact.  It would have been a lot of wasted energy on my part.

It seems that often, the people who get farthest in their careers and are the most happy are often the ones who are the nicest, most friendly, most centered and loving people who freely share their knowledge and collaborate with others without any presumptions.  IE.. people who don't build walls around themselves by trying to argue their way to the top, put down their coworkers, hide their knowledge, etc.  This is no accident, I believe.  To truly excel you must realize that you are no better than anyone else.  You have to cut loose, let go, and get real.  People will love you for it.

Out of curiosity, have you ever had any sudden moments of insight during a meditation session?

Thanks,
Justin