Beyond Content Of Thought
Más allá del contenido del pensamiento.por Ram Dass
En lugar de esforzarse tanto para salirse de la sombra, de la oscuridad (actitud que creo que de verdad refuerza la sombra y su realidad), sólo ejercita tus prácticas. Mira, si alguien dice: "Estoy teniendo estos pensamientos terribles y no sé por qué, ¿me ayudarías a entender por qué?" Le diría a esta persona que preferiría sentarme con ella y ayudarle a seguir su respiración. La respiración no tiene contenido en absoluto. Es sólo respiración. Es mejor fortalecer como pueden centrarse, fortalecer la serenidad, la presencia, que seguir reforzando el problema, que se fortalece cuando trabajas en él directamente. Es una situación muy delicada. No quiero menospreciar las veces en las que de verdad es apropiado trabajar con los pensamientos como contenido, pero en su mayor parte, enfocarse en el contenido de los pensamientos es, desde mi punto de vista, la última estrategia.
Es una estrategia mucho mejor enfocarse en la mecánica del pensamiento, que en el contenido del pensamiento. ¿Puedes oir esa distinción?
Ahora, puedo ir con un terapeuta y me pueden decir: "Hablemos de tu infancia y de dónde vino todo..." Eso es tratar con el contenido de los pensamientos. O, en cambio, podría elegir verlos como pensamientos, no enfocarme tanto en el contenido o buscando respuestas. ¡Son solo pensamientos! Ponlos en la categoría de pensamientos, no de lo que tratan, son sólo pensamientos, esta es mi principal tarea en la meditación para liberar a la conciencia de la identificación o aferrarse con el pensamiento. Para poder hacer esto, empiezas tu práctica de meditación, que en algunos casos es observar un pensamiento, como lo es seguir la respiración.
Entonces lo que va surgir es: ¿pero qué voy a hacer con esta relación? El pensamiento aparece y escucho a la maestra decir: "Vuelve a tu respiración." Vuelve inhalar, exhalar, y entonces viene otro y dice: "¡Dios, mi vida es un desastre!" Ahora bien, en ese momento puedes irte, llamar a un terapeuta y decir: "Vamos a tratar de entender por qué mi vida es un desastre", o puedes decir: "Está bien, regresa a la respiración. Seguro tu vida es un desastre. Vuelve a la respiración."
Simplemente surge y desaparece, surge y desarece... y ahora, en otras palabras, puedes usar la práctica de meditación para liberarte de la identificación con los pensamientos, cualesquiera que estos sean, oscuros o no. Hay algunos pensamientos que no podrás deshacerte de ellos de esta manera, porque están enredados en una como especie de nido o tela de las cosas. Entonces, y sólo entoces, los analizarás en términos de contenido, pero mi estrategia es, en primer lugar, centrarse en la mecánica y luego, más adelante, centrarse en el contenido, cuando están de verdad maduros para cosecharlos.
Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con la distinción entre la mecánica y el contenido del pensamiento? ¿Puedes compartir una historia personal de alguna vez en la que enfocarse en la mecánica del pensamiento en lugar del contenido te ayudó a avanzar? ¿Cuál es una buena prueba para saber cuándo el contenido del pensamiento está maduro para la cosecha?
Excerpted from Exploring the Mechanics of Thought.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the distinction between mechanics and content of thought? Can you share a personal story of a time when focusing on the mechanics instead of content helped you make progress? What is a good test to know when the content is ripe for the picking?
Add Your Reflection
12 Past Reflections
On Jul 5, 2020 ALIA wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Sep 21, 2017 Bradley wrote :
I think that my thoughts often get in the way of my life, just as Thich Nhat Hanh said in Being Peace how, in Buddhism, knowledge is regarded as an obstacle to understanding. I can see in my own life how the content of my thoughts is an obstacle to just being.
Post Your Reply
On Sep 20, 2017 Joseph Kokomo wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Sep 19, 2017 Bansi Pandya wrote :
Structure of Thought: Thought has created the center as permanent entity and it attributes its origin and truth to itself. It also attributes perception as perceiver and feelings to it like me and mine executive hold everything together; if center falls apart then my world is also falls apart (my world is my experiences, knowledge). If there is total perception then thought has no place and perception is action in Now.
The self cannot act. So when I say “I sleep” or “I grow” or “I breathe” I need to be aware of the incoherence inherent in language which makes me believe that the self grows or sleeps or breathes.
Post Your Reply
On Sep 19, 2017 Shuka. D wrote :
Thoughts and thinking the same but different. A thought rises and gives
way to Choice . Do I choose to engage this thought or let it drift by.
Thinking is the content , dwelling on something which has the ability
to move one out of the presence of now and into the realms
of our conditioning behaviours is never very useful. Thus awareness is essential for choice.
Awarenece is cultivated through a regular practice of meditation.
Post Your Reply
On Sep 19, 2017 Maryanne wrote :
I believe the mechanics and content of thought have very different qualities. Is practice to discern these different qualities? Observing the quality of mechanics has an immediate release of pressure and attachment. This can become a joyful practice, this awareness, even filled with humor! . . (the cosmic laugh?) Challenge is to stay in faith and intention . . which requires constant, but not obsessive practice. As our generous wisdom teacher RD has said above, it is a delicate situation. But doesn't it build on itself with attention?
Post Your Reply
On Sep 18, 2017 Tan wrote :
The article is the reminder for being captured by thoughts. When I am captured by thought the authomatic reactions are arizing and overwhelming me... Dis-identification process is not easy.
Meditation is not always helping when the amigdala is in action... What does help me?
The Work of Byron Katie - see www.thework.com.
We created the board game - the W Game - and using it for the Awareness Group weekly. I can work in the Group on the suggested belief (doing preventive work) or the situation & thought which is bothering me... every time I play - using 4 simple questions and turn arounds - I am awakening = dis-identificating from the thought (every time it looks like a surprise!) Then during day-to-day life it becomes easy and easy to wake up to reality - dis-identificating.
1 reply: Rosemarie | Post Your Reply
On Sep 17, 2017 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Sep 17, 2017 david doane wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Sep 15, 2017 Rajesh wrote :
I find this passage very nuanced but very revealing at the same time. Ramdass seems to suggest that we need to study the both the content of thought and its mechanics, but we need to be skillful about which to do when. I am still wrestling with this in my own meditation practice and I do find that "extricating awareness from though", as Ramdass puts it, is key to understanding. For the most part, focusing on content keeps you in an endless web of thoughts, without resolution. For example, if one finds that a set of thoughts are creating fear response in oneself, it is because there is awareness that these thoughts are creating fear. For me, this is the mechanics of thought. If one goes about solving the "problem", that is focusing on the content.
It's also interesting that Ramdass suggests that focusing on the breath helps in extricating awareness from thought, but is still a thought.
Post Your Reply
On Sep 15, 2017 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
Realizing thoughts are just thoughts and they do not need to define me or even be "reality" is freeing. Thoughts change even within a day as our feelings change and evolve: whether those feelings are about ourselves or others. Reflecting on this for myself: I noticed today that my thoughts are jumbled and tangled today, partly due perhaps to a slight cold and feeling a little under the weather. I noticed that I was judging myself about things more harshly today. In recognizing these are just thoughts and not trying to "fix them" or deeply analyze, but knowing "this too shall pass" I am able to sit in breath and rather focus on that breath, in and out and relax. I've also been introduced recently to EFT, tapping and wow, it also helps with realizing thoughts are simply thoughts and they are not permanent. I hope these thoughts are clear ;) <3