What is the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness?
It is hard to find someone who has no thoughts in his or her Mind. Being a human, everyone is having a huge number of thoughts daily. Some thoughts notice due to conscious awareness and most of the thoughts almost not noticeable as not being aware of them. In fact, human Mind is designed to create thoughts after thoughts every moment as the Mind designed to act in such a way. But, most of the people have too little understanding or almost no understanding about the true nature of thoughts. If you ask your friend circle or colleagues, you will be able to see such scenario. What is the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness? Is it really possible to understand the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness? How to understand the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness? All these questions are very interconnected. This Article will help you to understand the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness.
Let’s move step by step after a brief about Mindfulness in order to get more clear understanding.
According to Wkipedia, Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention in the present moment without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or through other training. Mindfulness drives from Sati, a significant element of Buddhist tradition.
If you look at the above definition given by Wikipedia, it indicates that the Mind has the ability to bring its attention in the Present Moment purposely without judgement. That means, the Mind has ability to be aware of its movement due to awareness by remaining in Mindfulness and also have the ability to bring back its awareness in the Present Moment.
So, in Mindfulness, the Mind is totally aware in the Present Moment, and it has the ability to remain in awareness. As awareness is there, that means the Mind has also the ability to keep focus & pay total attention to its every movement. All these abilities achieved by the Mind through some kinds of training like Mediation or some other form of training. That means Mindfulness is not Meditation.
Let’s move to further step, how the Mind can understand the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness.
The Mind has the ability to be aware of thoughts in the Present Moment in Mindfulness:
As the Mind has the ability to remain in awareness in the Present Moment in Mindfulness, the Mind is totally aware of its movement. No matter where the Mind moves or wanders, awareness always remains in the Mind. That means, the Mind is aware of its own position at the very right moment. The Mind can wander in the Past or in the Future or even in the Present Moment. The Mind is moment to moment aware of its own activities like movement or wandering or any kinds of activities are going on in the Mind.
As the Mind is totally aware about its movement, the Mind can bring back its attention in the Present Moment by using its ability to bring back. Since the Mind is aware of its movement & functions, the Mind is also aware about thoughts. Thoughts are also the activities of the Mind as they all arise in the Mind. Isn’t it? It means that the Mind is also aware of all thoughts.
The Mind is totally aware of thoughts in the Present Moment. Thoughts are not arising in the Past or in the Future. Thoughts are arising in the Present Moment. So, the Mind is aware of thoughts, which is also the functions of the Mind. The Mind is creating thoughts, and they are arising in the Mind, the Mind is itself aware that thoughts are arising in the Mind.
So, like all other functions or activities which the Mind is aware, thoughts are also under awareness of the Mind. As the Mind can bring its attention in the Present Moment by awareness, the Mind is also aware of thoughts as they are arising in the Present Moment too. Right? Why not you also observe your Mind, how it’s aware of thoughts while reading this Article?
So, awareness of the Mind can help the Mind itself to be aware of thoughts those are arising in the Present Moment. That means, the Mind is aware of thoughts in Mindfulness in the Present Moment.
The Mind has the ability to observe thoughts without any judgementt in Mindfulness:
In Mindfulness, the Mind also has the ability to keep itself remain without any judgement or evaluation. Whatever occurs or happens in the Present Moment, the Mind is aware of all. But, keep itself without judging or evaluating the situation or thoughts in relates to. Only aware & observe where no judgement or no evaluation engaged or involved.
Awareness of the Mind always in the Present Moment that implies by the Mind. Being aware of arising of thoughts, the Mind observes how thoughts arise, how thoughts moves, how thoughts disappear. Every step of thoughts from arising to disappear are under observation of the Mind. The Mind keeps continuing to observe with total attention without judging them. The Mind also observes what consequences or impact occurs in the mind due to thoughts.
The Mind understand that all thoughts have no inherent power or self power. If no judgement is made over thoughts, they only arise & disappear in the Mind. No footprint or impression can remain of all thoughts in the Mind while no-judgement were taken place. Thoughts remain as only thoughts. They only arise & move and then disappear in the Mind.
Being aware of thoughts from the arising to disappearing and also after disappearing, the Mind absolutely act like an observer without any judgement or evaluation or engagement. All this observation done by the Mind using the ability of awareness and ability to remain in the Present Moment without any judgement as the Mind remains in Mindfulness.
So, the Mind observes thoughts arising to disappear and also impact or consequences of such thoughts. A total movement of thoughts are under observation of the Mind even all thoughts are creating by the Mind also. The ability of observation is there in the Mind in Mindfulness.
Observing thoughts without Judgement, the Mind can understand the true nature of thoughts in Mindfulness:
Being aware of every movement of the Mind, the Mind is itself aware of thoughts. As the Mind is totally aware of also thoughts, it keeps focus & observation on how thoughts arise, how thoughts move, how thoughts disappear and what impression they create in the Mind once they disappear. Let’s examine together what understanding about thoughts that the Mind can understand by observing thoughts with total attention & awareness of thoughts without judgement in Mindfulness.
They Mind can understand–
- The Mind is the creator or source of thoughts.
- Thoughts move in the Mind once they arise and disappear in the Mind.
- Thoughts have no inherent power, and they only become active with external powers once any judgement made over them.
- All thoughts are the imaginary creation of the Mind.
Lets deep down on all above
The Mind is the Creator of all thoughts that can understand in Mindfulness:
No thoughts arise out of the Mind. There is no doubt at all about this. That means, all thoughts are creation of the Mind. The Mind, in fact, creates all thoughts by itself. Why thoughts creates by the Mind?
No solid answers yet to find by the Medical Science yet why thoughts arise in the Mind. We can base on our common experiences and understanding, which is generally acceptable for everyone.
Thoughts never arise outside the Mind that is any other place in the Body. All thoughts arise in the Mind. Obviously as well, logically we can determine that the Mind is the Creator or source of all thoughts. The Mind is creating thoughts, mostly in unconsciously. In fact, most of the thoughts arise & disappear fast which the Mind don’t pay attention or don’t aware to keep focus due to be aware in other activities. Hence, a major portion of thoughts disappear immediate after arise, which the Mind itself doesn’t aware at all & don’t pay any attention.
Being aware & paying observation without any judgement, remaining in Mindfulness, the Mind can very clearly understand that all thoughts are nothing but the creation of the Mind. That is the source of all thoughts are in the Mind. Thoughts are not arising outside the Mind.
Thoughts also disappear in the Mind that can understand in Mindfulness:
Keeping focus & observation of thoughts from arising to disappear, the Mind can understand that thoughts also disappear in the Mind. No thoughts go out of the Mind. That means all thoughts ceases by the Mind from where they were created.
The Mind also can understand that any thought arise, they must be disappeared or ceased. Thought has no long life. Only arise, move & disappear without any impact, while thoughts are not judged at all.
The Mind can understand that thoughts have movement in the Mind while in Mindfulness:
Keeping Focus & observation of all thoughts, the Mind also can understand that thoughts have a movement. Once thoughts arise, they move through and disappear in the Mind. That is, each thought moves after arising and disappear.
There is a gap in between arising & disappearing. This gap is the duration of thoughts. That is, thoughts has a movement that consumes a time, even it is absolutely tough to determine how long a thought can remain in the Mind or what is the duration of a thought. May be one-day Scientists can be able to determine accuracy of thoughts duration.
So, base on common understanding, we can understand that all thoughts has a movement in the Mind in between arising to disappearing.
The Mind can understand that all thoughts are momentary while in Mindfulness
Observing all the thoughts, the Mind can understand that they disappear very fast after arising. No long duration of thoughts or thoughts don’t last for a longer period of time. They arise, moves & disappear in the Mind. So, thoughts are momentary.
This momentary nature of thoughts can’t inspire or impress the Mind as they were not judged by the Mind at all. The Mind also not inspired while understand the momentary nature of thoughts.As the Mind is in Mindfulness, the Mind understand the true momentary nature of thoughts. The Mind only moves to remain in awareness.
In Mindfulness, the Mind can understand that thoughts has no inherent power at all:
As the Mind don’t judge any thoughts, only be aware and observe without any judgement to them, thoughts disappear without any inspiration to the Mind. Thoughts can’t push or inspire the Mind to get actively involve to judge them. So, thoughts have no option, rather to disappear as usual.
The Mind understand that thoughts can’t do anything, or they are totally powerless unless judge them. That means, thoughts only gain power from the Mind when they were judged and the Mind actively gets involved with thoughts to analyze. Otherwise, thoughts has no own power.
Understanding about the true nature of thoughts that they don’t have inherent power the Mind remains in Mindfulness, the Mind starts to lose interest about thoughts. Thoughts can’t inspire or chase the Mind to get engaged or involved with them due to noon-judgement involvement of the Mind,
As the Mind is in Mindfulness, the Mind has the ability to keep continue to observe with awareness & non-judgement. Being observed thoughts, the Mind understand that thoughts has no real value at all. All thoughts are totally valueless, even they are associated or related to any or more situation of the past or the future or the present. Thoughts are not real, and they are absolutely imaginary creation in relates to times.
Understanding the true nature of imaginary base of thoughts and no value & no power of thoughts, the Mind doesn’t inspire anymore to get involved in them or inspires to get attached to thoughts.
Conclusion:
Being in Mindfulness, the Mind is always remaining in awareness and has the ability to observe thoughts from arising, movement & disappearing and also impact or consequences in the Mind too. The Mind can understand the true nature that thoughts are nothing but the imaginary creation of the Mind who has no inherent power at all to impact over the Mind unless they were judged. And also understand that thoughts are momentary & they disappear in the Mind too fast.
Understanding all these true nature of thoughts, the Mind only keep its movement to be aware & observe without judgement and keep remain in Mindfulness in all times.