Turns out there is a whole lot more to thinking than just letting our minds throw up thoughts to us in a scattered manner that can beset us without rhyme or reason. Prof. Mark Muesse, teacher of Religious and Asian Studies at Rhodes College, during a course on meditation, made a distinction between what he called “skilled and unskilled” thinking. He suggested we have something to say about the kinds of thoughts we will work with. During the course of our lives, we have the ability to determine the ways in which we shall think about ourselves, others and the events of our lives. There are many questions we should ask in these regards: How shall I think about what is before me? Shall I get all upset and jump right into the confusion? Shall I resist? Shall I get angry? Shall I hold still a moment and observe rather than mindlessly act?
I can't help how I feel...
Some will say…I can’t help how I feel. Well, yes and no. We may have an immediate feeling that comes into the mind, but we do not have to continue with that feeling unless we allow ourselves to get lost in its sway. People who engage in mental/spiritual practices learn quickly that they can take charge of their thinking. They do not have to be torn to pieces by thoughts and feelings that just “run on.” They can slow down a train of thought; they can bring focus to areas of interest, and they can make a place for times of quiet, restful considerations…ideas that aren’t consumed with getting but simply being.
We do not need to leap...
There is a pragmatic flow to Buddhist thought that knows we are to be active in this world, and there is also the flow that allows for quiet acceptances and observation of the passing stream. Things come to pass, they might say, and we do not need to leap into everything before us all the time.
Clear thinking…focused, heightened, guided...lets us know when to leap and when to take a pass.
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Essays About Everything is now available on Amazon
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