Only when the mind is wholly silent, completely inactive, not projecting, when it is not seeking and is utterly still – only then that which is eternal and timeless comes into being.  – Krishnamurti

the thought machine

The mind wants to think, often repeatedly, about the same things. Even when we think we’ve had an original idea, when we trace it back, we realize it was a conditioned response based on what we already know or what we’ve already experienced. Here’s an example: Someone says ‘Look at that beautiful flower’. What do we think? We start thinking about the flower. We compare it to other flowers we’ve seen in the past or we judge its beauty. We don’t actually look at the flower and experience its profound beauty. We manufacture thoughts about the flower and about related topics, never really allowing self to just be and witness the miracle that is that flower…

finding stillness

Who manufactures thought? We do! Why is that often a problem? Because by incessantly creating thoughts we pre-occupy our minds and rarely allow clarity to emerge. It’s like constant ripples on a beautiful lake that don’t allow the lake-bed ever to be seen, or the perfect blue sky ever to be reflected! The trick (with practice) is to just be, see things, emotions, people and events for what they are. When we create thoughts about the experience we miss the real thing. It’s like reading about the aroma of a freshly-baked cake and not actually experiencing it first-hand!

Daily Affirmation: Today I simply am!

Recommendation: The Awakening of Intelligence by Krishnamurti