HERE ARE THE WORDS
This contemplation offers a practical way of managing and resolving unwanted thoughts and feelings.
Practised consistently, benefits will soon become self-evident.
The ultimate nature of everything we know, at its essence - is energy.
This reality is difficult for our mind to grasp, because it's not how we see the world.
But we can easily recognise energy all around us...
The heat of the sun, the force of gravity, lightning in the sky.
Less obvious is energy being transmitted throughout our nervous system.
Like the sense of touch, pain, pleasure, hunger, excitement, happiness, sadness, fear.
Let's recognise the movement of energy in us using a short meditation.
Close your eyes.
Bring your awareness into the place where you experience thoughts.
Stay focused there.
Now very slowly and gradually allow your awareness to expand outward into the whole body.
Stay in awareness of the whole body.
Think of a specific place where you can clearly remember being relaxed.
Now return... and open your eyes.
When you thought about the relaxing place, how did you feel in your body?
The thought, created an energy that you experienced as a feeling in the body.
Thought energy creates and merges into feeling energy.
When you were completely in the thought-feeling energy of relaxation, where did other thoughts go?
They dropped away - they dropped into your unconscious mind.
This always happens when one particular thought-feeling is dominant.
All others drop away.
But of course, as we all know, this doesn't last long.
Soon other thoughts start appearing again, and they change how we're feeling.
Thoughts rise out of our unconscious all the time.
And they're generated by hidden energy sources.
The thoughts are like bubbles, that once formed, must come to the surface.
The energy sources are related to experiences.
For example...
Our body needs to drink - so we experience thirst - and the energy of that experience creates the thought: "I need something to drink".
Once the experience of thirst is quenched, it's energy dissipates.
Most energies are short-lived like this, but some experiences leave a strong imprint...
...and the resulting energy may remain in the unconscious for a long time...
...or even an entire lifetime.
There are also energies, unique to each individual, that are in us from birth...
...determining underlying patterns of thinking and feeling.
What we do not realise is that we habitually sustain these energy sources...
...because our attention : energy - automatically goes to them.
And it's triggered by the thoughts they generate.
Every thought has a different quality and strength, according to its energy source.
Uplifting thoughts have energies related to happy memories,
feelings of security, kindness, compassion and love - experiences that we enjoyed appreciated...
These we can welcome and nurture.
However, unwanted thoughts have their roots in energies associated to difficult or traumatic experiences...
...worry, fear, pain - and we don't enjoy when thoughts related to them surface in our minds.
When we are unaware of how thoughts are created, we inevitably really struggle to understand or manage them.
When we recognise that they are essentially just energy...
...we can use techniques to reduce the amount we feed the source of their energy - that they rely on for existence.
Non-connection with any unwanted thought-feeling, when we become aware of it, is the key.
By not connecting, the energy sources are not fed.
Then, as they weaken, they become less able to generate thoughts.
Little by little, 'bubble by bubble', you could say, the energy sources of unwanted thought-feelings become exhausted.
Non-connection may sound contrary to many beliefs about how to manage unwanted thoughts.
In fact, most therapeutic methods prescribe allowing thoughts to be expressed...
...or trying to understand them, change them or uncover their source.
But these approaches treat unwanted thoughts as important, bringing attention to them, rather than starving them of it.
Once the true nature of thoughts is understood and their energy is experienced,
it is obvious that giving attention to them, simply perpetuates the energy sources out of which they are born.
Non-connection is the most direct and permanent way to deplete the energies that continue to cause unwanted thoughts.
The non-connection method is simple and instant...
...but it will take practice to become easy and automatic.
And we must create a habit of it.
Immediately we noticed an unwanted thought-feeling we bring our attention away - into an alternative thought-feeling of relaxation.
From there, we move attention into the empty space that lies in the background to all thought.
The idea of there being an empty space behind thought may sound strange initially,
but when we really observe our thinking, we can easily discover this empty space.
Let's do it now...
Look at your thinking right now.
Can you watch your thoughts?
Just notice what you're thinking.
Stop thinking for a moment...what's going to be your next thought?
Watch...
While you watched for a thought to come, did you notice a moment of empty space?
Try it again - allow the stream of thinking and then stop.
Look...
Is there a short temporary gap before the next thought?
That's it.
That's the empty space - empty of thought.
That's what's in the background - and it's always there - we're just not aware of it until we look.
When you can sink into that empty space - and you will be able to with practise - you will discover that it has a quality of serenity, peace and freedom.
Stay in it for just a few moments, and the mind relaxes its grip on all thoughts.
This non-connection method is not a long meditation involving several steps.
And the earlier we recognise the unwanted thought-feeling the better and the easier it is.
Preferably, we notice, even before attention has been drawn into it.
The most powerful, habitual, unwanted thoughts will be difficult to move away from, or will remain hovering on the edge of awareness.
So, we have to go deliberately, deeper into the emptiness, letting everything of the senses and the mind evaporate...
...and then staying there, remaining relaxed, continuing the cycle of dropping away from all thoughts.
As with anything worthwhile and beneficial, the non-connection method does take discipline and persistence to begin with.
But with time and repetition, non-connection will exhaust even the most powerful and deeply rooted energy sources.
The memory of the past experience may remain, but all its power to create unwanted thoughts and feelings will be gone - forever.
If you found this interesting, you might like to ask some questions.
I'll answer any that you'd like to put to me.
And if you enjoyed this, of course, feel free to share it.
John