So we continue with a topic of mindfulness of thinking. And today, it's the topic is restoration. And what I mean by that is the restoring of a healthy way of being. That we, the ways that clinging and attachment and fear and the resistance inhibit the natural healthy functioning of our psychophysical being. So the as we kind of no longer are carrying the burden of our attachments, carrying the burden of our responsibilities, you still have risk response abilities, but they love to be weighed down by them. To be able to shed a lot of the attachments that we have in preoccupations is a way to allow a healthy functioning. And so meditation operates. For some people a little bit like a, you know, if you're dirty, and you take a shower, and you're clean. And So meditation is a way of cleansing the mind, the spirit, the heart. So how does this relate to thinking there's there can be a restoration of healthy thinking. Or thinking which is beneficial thinking, which is light, clear, easy. And so one of the steps towards that is, as I've talked about, is to respect thinking. But here's a way of looking at it is that
every everything that we are, is made up of parts. And so thinking is made up of parts, it's part emotions, part physical tensions, for our part, motivations, apart their memories and our associations. And sometimes thoughts are motivational, they're trying to get something done. Sometimes they're simply very relaxed memories or relaxed, pleasant anticipations. So all kinds of real, there's real life relaxed reflections. As we begin respecting the different component parts of the complex of thinking, it's possible to recognize there's tension. There's heaviness, there's tightness, contraction. And that's our contribution to it due to the way in which we're involved or identified or are present some attachment we have, independent of whether it's appropriate to be thinking of whatever you're thinking about, the weight, the contraction, that tightness is not necessary. In fact, we usually think much better, more creatively, more efficiently. If there is no tension, if there is no tightness and heaviness, and, and preoccupation. And, and so to begin letting go and allowing thinking to, to be free of our reactivity to them, or Kotnis of them, allows our thinking, to operate, to be restored, to kind of healthiness, to think without fear, to think without hate, to think without desire, wanting something. It's maybe unimaginable, because of those are so much part and parcel of our thinking, to have thinking occur, but not to have it. Glue to our sense of self, me, myself and mine, my opinions, my stories. It's really remarkable how much thinking from some of us that we're somehow a central character in our thoughts. One way or the other. And as the we become lighter and freer, we're thinking that thoughts don't have us at the center of them anymore. And two thoughts just float up. And one of the ways One of the remarkable things that can happen in meditation if you do meditate long enough or deep enough is that With time, thinking is not so heavy and thick. It's not so solid. Sometimes when we're really caught up in something, thinking can be the most solid thing in the universe, it's so dense, so serious, so important, so much energy behind it. And when that when the content of the thoughts are negative, negative about ourselves negative about the world, the heaviness in this, and the contraction around the thoughts can be quite debilitating. They say that the leading cause one of the leading causes of depression is rumination, just kind of churning away with the same kind of thoughts over and over again, that are in a negative negative self talk. So to begin to put that to rest tonight, identify with him not be involved in it. And there might still be unfortunate kinds of thinking going on. But because we're not logged, latched on to it, or reactive to it, or taking it so seriously, we're just sitting on the boulder in the river and just laying the water right run by not identifying with it. Over time that thinking becomes thinner and thinner, lighter and lighter. And to remarkable process by which thinking has this lightness to it. It's like a thin, thin veil, maybe, or it's like a clouds drifting across an open sky. And clouds have no weight to almost thoughts have no weight. In of themselves, they're very, very light, they don't interfere with anything like a cloud kind doesn't interfere with anything, it just would put your head in a cloud and your hand goes right through. So that the thoughts feel like they're getting thinner and thinner, lighter and lighter, more and more relaxed. And, and these kind of feeling of them floating through floating by. And,
and this point, some people find that their thinking becomes creative. I certainly found that when I was when I meditate a fair amount. Generally outside of meditation, my thinking is very easy and relaxed, and creative. I'm more likely to write poetry. When I have this kind of very light, then thinking going on, I'm also more likely to think about things more clearly. I often will find that after I've meditated in the morning, that go back to some things I'm trying to figure out or do or write or something. And there's much more clarity and ease. I think there's coming out so much like the forcefulness that trying really hard to think or do something interferes with this natural creativity, intelligence that exists within us. So one of the possibilities with mindfulness of thinking is to understand the territory of thinking, the ecology of thinking, to recognize the different component parts of it. And understand which parts we don't have to be involved in which parts we can let go of, it might not be letting go of thoughts and themselves, it might be letting go of all the tension associated with him. Or it might be that maybe there's certain motivations connected to those thoughts, which are not something if you realize what the motivations are, isn't that I don't need that. And you can let go of the motivation, but you're trying to do with the thoughts. Or it could be that there's a lot of physical tension, connected to thinking and so you let go of that you relax that. And, and, or maybe the emotions that are connected, need real attention. That's what needs your love and your care, and your presence. So you know, by recognizing the component parts, then we start separating that suffering that away, it becomes easier to look at thinking right in the eye and just see it. And it's fascinating to do that. Sometimes we do that. Thinking just fades away. Partly because thinking continues through time, by our feeding it. And if we're just watching it, then we're not feeding it and then you kind of had dissipates. And but then what's interesting is when he anticipates and we're relaxed, at some point, maybe after meditation, if you stay relaxed, don't rush back into the thoughts and concerns of the day that there's this restoration of a healthy way of thinking and healthy, wholesome, useful. There's a there's a way of being when we're deeply relaxed Then at peace, we have a reference point for what health is, with being healthy is. And it's not healthy to start getting preoccupied again or started to get caught again in the preoccupation concerns of the day. We do have concerns, we do have things to take care of. But the wonderful thing to discover is we take care of them better. If we're not tight, if we're not rushing, for not pushing, we're not barreling ahead. We know we can get a bit of meditation, some of us and like, Okay, gotta get to work. And that attitude, then, is kind of leaning then into thinking, leaning, getting involved and thinking or the thinking itself gets revved up. And it's not necessary, maybe it's not necessary. Maybe there's a way of trusting that healthy way of being with thoughts where they're light and soft and gentle, maybe or just kind of, you know, not weighty and not pushing us that that we have a set out that's healthy. That's what useful. So here, restoration means restoration of kind of a healthy thinking. And they have the ability to know what that is. And the more he is more peaceful, more relaxed, you can become a meditation, the more you'll discover this reference point of a peaceful baby, a healthy way to be with the world of thinking. We don't have to only let go of thoughts. There are times when it's completely appropriate to be thinking and even in an even wonderful to be thinking, thinking can be a gift. You can be friends with your thoughts.
But you can be friends with relating to the thoughts in a very healthy way and the thoughts themselves can just feel healthy and it's actually possible to have thoughts which feel nourishing, that feel supportive that feel onward leading to greater peace. So thank you. We have one more day on thinking and and then tomorrow I'll talk a little bit about the plan for next week to kind of how to continue this series. So may you today discover something new about healthy thinking. Thank you
