Beyond The Mind: You Are Not Your Thoughts
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In the search for self it’s easy to come to the conclusion that you are the mind, or active consciousness. While we are all expressions of consciousness, we in fact are not the mind; we are something even greater.
You are not your thoughts and you need not identify with everything that passes through your awakened mind.
When you think about your hand, your heart, and so forth do you ever ask: Who is this me in “my”, the being to whom this body belongs?
It’s not the mind, for you also say “my mind”.
The body and mind are experiences. You have the experience of mind but you are not the mind.
Thoughts flow constantly through your mind, like the waters of a stream. Some of these thoughts you intentionally generate but many simply arise.
It’s important to understand that your mind may simply be the device with which you recognize the flow of consciousness. There is no need to identify with every thought you have.
Once you understand this simple fact your entire life will begin to change.
People suffer tremendously because of the thoughts that flow through their mind. They feel guilt, anger, or worry because of free flowing thoughts that seem to emerge from nowhere.
This is unnecessary. Many of your thoughts may be memories or the reflection of things you’ve seen or heard, and you may not even be aware of the recollection generating the thought.
Everything your mind tells you is not the truth. You decide which thoughts have meaning and value, and you are absolutely free to reject any thoughts you don’t want.
Your thoughts only matter if you choose to accept them and empower them. This may be the single most important thing to understand on the journey of self-awareness.
When you have a negative thought, one that does not serve you, simply let it go and watch it drift away. When you have a positive thought, one that further evolves you, embrace it and charge it with your intent.
Practice stepping back from the mind and just allowing your thoughts to flow as they will without intervention from you. Don’t become attached to the images that pass through your mind, and don’t assume your thinking is a reflection of who you are because this is not always the case.
Meditation is a great way to develop this ability. You can get your FREE guide to basic meditation by filling out the short form to the right of this article.
Also the daily practice of mindfulness will help you learn to watch your thoughts without attachment. After a short time of doing this you’ll find a peace that surpasses description, and you’ll enjoy an unshakable confidence.
Self awareness is one of the core purposes of any life journey, I believe. And a starting point is understanding that you need not be a prisoner of your thinking; allow your mind to flow freely and choose to believe and empower only those thoughts that serve your ideals.
This article is not about denial of truth. Some painful thoughts are necessary, and you know intuitively when this is the case.
But there is no need to suffer over random negative thoughts or thought patterns that do not correspond with your preferred mindset.
Tags: consciousness, higher consciousness, inner self, inspiration, meditation, Spiritual Enlightenment, Spirituality, stepping back from your thoughts, watching your thoughts
Esdee Says:
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:02 am
Excellent article! I love your writing style and the subject matter. ..And I feel a little better about myself..ha
Beautiful site. Thank you.
awadallah Says:
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:55 am
This is a difficult subject. The idea of making thoughts (you did not ask me to stop thinking), or allowing them to freely pass into our concious, and then screen them for acceptance or rejection, though the plain fact, is hard to grasp and assimilate. Wouldn’t it be better to guard thoughts before they arrive to the mind?
Sandra Says:
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:05 am
Thank you so much for this article. It came at a perfect time for me, when I realized I was identifying with my thoughts. It helps to be re-minded sometimes that I am not my thoughts.
Namaste!
ken Says:
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
this ” i is a dream and that brings to us the knowledge to discover ourselves . developed countries, had at its root people got this idea of self discovery, this led many to believe in God, because what has not been deposited cannot be discovered.
Rachel Says:
June 22nd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
What a timely article. Thanks for the reminder and the boost.
Peace & Love,
Rae
Aaron Says:
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Awadallah I understand the concept can be difficult. All of these things that I write about are very experiential, and may or may not resonate with each reader.
You raise a good point about guarding against certain thoughts. I believe this is tension and worry if we try before we are ready.
My article is mainly about an early part of the journey; a way to cope with all these thoughts from an unconditioned mind. As you practice allowing and choosing your thoughts you will indeed develop your thought patters so that undesirable thoughts are less likely to emerge.
So in a sense, that’s like guarding against negativity. It’s a matter of time and deliberate training for most of us.
Having said that, I urge you to take from my content what works for you and reject anything that does not feel right. Thanks for reading.
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