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Thread: Thought watching

  1. #1
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    Thought watching

    Namaste,

    How do you watch your thoughts and ward-off negatives from it? I have been practicing it for sometime, while I am aware of and try to keep away negative emotions, still, sometimes the emotions are too powerful (as when someone disses you for no wrong on your part) that you are bound to react.

    What do you do when facing challenging emotions? Do you practice ahimsa at those times to try to elevate yourself spiritually?

    Thanks.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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    Re: Thought watching

    What do you do when facing challenging emotions? Do you practice ahimsa at those times to try to elevate yourself spiritually?
    I don't know the meaning of Ahimsa or my understanding of that word may not match your understanding. If you can explain, then I can answer in that regard. Also what do you mean by elevating spritually?

    In the case described by you the outcome could be a combination of negative emotions like anger, disappointment, guilt, flight, self pity, vengeance. Actually getting angry or disappointed etc etc is like an itch. The more you scratch, more you ll have the need to do it again and again.

    The solution to this is "Be conscious of everything you do". ie observe your actions continuously AND be the master of your action and not its slave.

    The moment you observe, your action as the result of the negativity you are experiencing, you will also realise that there could be better way to deal.

    At this point you are in total control of your emotions. Take actions that deemed fit. ie perform actions such that it will halt problem thats is troubling you.

    For eg : A little rudeness will make the nagging child to behave. Arjuna destroyed EVIL forces. Follow him. In my world, punishing Karna or Bheeshma is also an act if Ahimsa because the purpose is to destroy the EVIL.

    Now you may tend to ask how to differentiate good and bad. That comes by educating yourself with moral values.

    How can you be conscious of everything you Wise men will subscribe meditation and meditation will help one to be awake all the time.

    I am a commoner. I believe that it comes by doing one thing at a time. We have multiple sensory organs but one brain to process the inputs.

    Lets say you are brushing your teeth. Observe closely every moment of that action. Observe how the brush comes in contact with every teeth, gum, tongue etc. Slowly your time interval to do a defined unit of work will come down. It will look like as though you are multi tasking but in reality you ll be conscious of everything you are doing.

    I learnt the theory when I leant about UNIX operating system and its practiicability when I learnt this quote of Swami Chinmayananda.

    Alert and vigilant living
    itself is a ' Sadhana' in
    it's true sense.
    Anirudh...

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    Re: Thought watching

    Namaskar Viraja ji,

    Anirudh ji gives good advice, I wholeheartedly agree. Little by little, practice as often as you can remember to, one day and one thing at a time. At first you may not be able to do it often, but with time and practice you will become more present and be able to control more.

    For me, the negativity starts in my thoughts. Internal dialogues and monologues anticipating conflicts and critiquing others. This leads to anger and stress which piles up to lead to even more anger. It's a vicious circle.

    My practice starts when I notice my mind starting to have these internal arguments and diatribes. I check myself and I chant a mantra to focus my mind. When I am feeling a bit calmer I analyze what triggered my thoughts. In this way I can begin to become more aware of actions I do and action around me. So the next time, (or really more like after the triggering reason happens 10 or 20 more times), I recognize the triggering event and when I feel the negativity start I stop it and then thank Sri Bhagavan for coming to me in this way so as to help me learn self control and presence of mind. Eventually it stops causing the negativity.

    I practice this in my home relationship too. Rather than fight or argue about something, I bow to Sri Shiva in the form of my spouse and I find it calms me so that we can discuss instead. This doesn't always help if my other half is spoiling for a fight though, but that hasn't happened for some time (knock on wood).

    During commutes I often listen to Bhajans. At work I only listen to Bhajans, Chalisas and Stotrams now - in fact lately I find I don't concentrate on my job well when I am not listening to them. And Rudraksha beads have had a very soothing effect on me too, though they might not be for everyone.

    Finally, going to Temple always helps me to recharge and reading scripture and the writings of the wise help to give me direction.

    I hope some of this is a help.

    ~Pranam
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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    Re: Thought watching

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    Namaste,

    How do you watch your thoughts and ward-off negatives from it? I have been practicing it for sometime, while I am aware of and try to keep away negative emotions, still, sometimes the emotions are too powerful (as when someone disses you for no wrong on your part) that you are bound to react.

    What do you do when facing challenging emotions? Do you practice ahimsa at those times to try to elevate yourself spiritually?

    Thanks.
    Vannakkam: There are many inner psychological and spiritual strategies for dealing with this. It varies with the individual, as to what works. Of course we're going to have upsets, that's human. But the idea is to minimize their impact so they don't turn into fixations or grudges that are held.

    Move your awareness somewhere else would be an initial strategy. (also works for cheering up a loved one) Go for a walk, start a new topic, read a book, just anything different. Most people don't even realise they have the ability to be outside their own awareness and move it, as if driving a car. So I guess firstly, you'd have to be convinced of that.

    For deeper more permanent stuff, there are various tantras (methods) to use.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Thought watching

    Thank you, friends. I find each of your message having good value to me. I will re-read them all several times and come back if I have questions.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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    Re: Thought watching

    Any input from Yajvan ji, Devotee ji, Grames ji...?
    Last edited by Viraja; 16 October 2014 at 06:07 PM.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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    Re: Thought watching

    Namaste Viraja,

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    How do you watch your thoughts and ward-off negatives from it? I have been practicing it for sometime, while I am aware of and try to keep away negative emotions, still, sometimes the emotions are too powerful (as when someone disses you for no wrong on your part) that you are bound to react.

    What do you do when facing challenging emotions? Do you practice ahimsa at those times to try to elevate yourself spiritually?
    Keeping emotions in check is not easy as it is guided by our samskArs i.e. past impressions stored in our sub-consciousness. We don't know what is hidden in our sub-consciousness unless it strikes us abruptly when circumstances favour its manifestation. So, permanent solution is a long exercise and slowly it comes into control.

    How we react in a particular situation is dependent upon type of habit formed (if not in this birth then in previous birth) and that needs to be erased and over-written and that takes time. Please note that any habit is created by us and in the same way, any habit can be erased completely and changed by us with practice. In the mean time, we must be patient and forgiving to ourselves. Thought-watching is a great exercise to keep emotions in control.

    However, if you want immediate help then controlling breath is very handy. All our reactions are guided by our thoughts and if generation of thoughts is halted, the emotions can be controlled fast. Generation of thoughts and intensity of thoughts is directly linked with our breathing. If the breathing is slow, your thought-generation is slowed down and it is easier to calm down. If you stop the breath momentarily, no thoughts can be generated and if the breathing is made slower after stopping the breath, it helps in calming down faster.

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

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    Re: Thought watching

    Wow, that's a great post, very informative, Devotee ji.

    It is also soothing to know that we can afford to be patient and forgiving of ourselves . When I feel disrespected, my emotions start 'boiling' inside and I take to rage that I curse the other person mentally... then I feel very, very sorry for having done so, as I remember our saints who are said to withstand even things like being spit upon by mischief-mongers umpteen number of times, but keep their calm, and just bathe as many times as needed until the mischief-mongers themselves realize their mistake and apologize! What kind of bliss the saints must go through!

    You and EM ji have given some solid ways to workaround the getting over emotions factor - like tantras and breath control. As my age and sadhana progresses, if I do not see any improvement, I will look into those.

    I was curious to know how advanced sadhakas handle this problem, hence the question.

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Sincerely,

    Viraja
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

  9. #9

    Re: Thought watching

    Dear Viraja ji,
    This is such an important question ! Thank you for asking .

    There are two aspects to this:
    1. What should i do when i face a negative or overwhelming emotion .
    2. How should i prevent a negative or a overwhelming emotion.

    Managing mind is like driving a car. So there also there are two questions.
    1. What to do when i am in an accident like situation.
    2. What should i do to avoid accident like situation.

    (2) is far more important. For (1), mindful breathing, becoming very mindful etc can be great aids. This includes observing thoughts as well.

    but for (2) one needs to inquire into the reason for the negative emotion and root out the "Seed" of negative emotions. A negative emotion strives upon an "Empty Person" - the me. If you look deeply, there is a "Person" who feels empty... and the entire emotion is built around that person. This person, the hero of this whole scene ... who is he or she ? Lets inquire a little deeply.

    lets take a particular case. An event took place. To take a non-controversial example, lets say i failed in a job interview or an exam... and then ... lets make a few observation ... even as i make these observations, they should be at once clear to one and all. Thats the beauty of vedantic teaching, its a "darshana shastra" ... a scripture that conveys a vision... So Lets see ...

    Observation1: Even if the event took place, unless i am aware of it, i cannot suffer. Without corresponding thoughts, i cannot suffer. So suffering is in mind, not "out there", in the external situation.

    Observation2: The first thought corresponding to the event is just the information about the event. Its simple thought like "I failed in the test".

    Observation 3: what is the next thought ? "what next for me ?" , "what will i do now ", "I am ruined" !!

    The first thought is a mere information about the event... its called "idam vritti" , or "this thought". Pure perception.

    The next few thoughts have an "i" in them ... they are called "aham vrittis" or "I thoughts".

    So now ... lets ask a question: "is the "I" of the first aham vritti same as the "I" of the second aham vritti" ?

    Observation 4: The first thought arises, and dies and then there is the second thought. So the "I" of the first thought and the "I" of the second thought are discontinuous. They are like discontinuous dots...
    but there seems to be a continuous "I" thats hurt.
    Where is this "I" ?
    No thought can be "I" !!
    So where is the "I"!

    its like a series of static pictures , one after the other creating the illusion of a continuous entity. A series of "I" thoughts create an illusion of a continuous "I" who is hurt.

    in reality there is this body, which is mute to the events. There is the Awareness which is untouched too... and a few thoughts flow in between ... like disjoint dots ... if at all the dots are seen as connected ... like a rope or a snake ... its merely due to our attention...


    Please ponder and come up with questions so that we can take this further.

    Love!
    Silence
    Come up, O Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are a sheep

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    Re: Thought watching

    Dear Ji.,

    All of us are blessed with one great power but we don't recognize and utilize it and that is "Will power"

    When your mind, thoughts are engaged by means of Sadhana with positive things, there is no room or scope for negative thoughts. ( So why it is called Sadhana). If you read the book of Krshna daily 5 pages as a practice, initially the joy and pleasure will last for few seconds to minutes. This is due to the resistance of our mind that won't allow you to sustain the pleasure. Continue the Krshna katha reading and you will see the duration of joy extending beyond few min to even some hrs. If you get a company of another devotee, that's the ultimate price as the company doubles the joy.

    What i am trying to say is, "willingly" what you feed to your mind is what it is going to reflect. If you feed Prema, you are going to reflect only Prema. If you feed horror, negative and abusive thoughts as food to mind, it will also reflect the same. Mind also require a "Strict" and regulated diet - of thoughts!

    So make a choice!

    Hare Krshna!

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