Matthew, thank you for taking all the time you did to respond in detail. I hate to "look a gift horse in the mouth," but could I ask you to clarify a few things for me? You wrote: "Where does it arise from? Where does it dissipate to if you no longer indulge habituated patterns of thought?"
I am not sure I follow. I am not sure how to answer where the image or thought arises from or dissipates, but from and to my subconscious.
So look there ... you are penetrating layers of mind with the fruit of "in-sight" developed through practice. the subconscious is only those parts of mind you are not yet conscious of ...
Great advice for metta-meditation. I tend to bottle things up and be resentful, so your suggestion will help a lot.
It's a useful practice. It can help you cut through the clutter and see your conditioned responses, as you will feel "pushback" when trying to generate kindness and acceptance towards some people and situations. These are great learning opportunities.
As far as my original question goes, I have been having a difficult time articulating it. There are short periods in which I am just observing my breathing or feeling the pressure of my butt in the chair, during which I am pretty sure I am not thinking or having the thought that I am not thinking.
Is there not even the thought "I am breathing"? or "my butt is on the chair"?
More broadly, how do you practice? What form does your practice take? Where did you learn it? Where is your focus when you are breathing?
It seems you might have been saying that this is not possible, that there is always discursive thoughts running through our heads.
If you can count to ten breaths without having a single intrusive thought you have made great strides in developing calm and concentration, or ... you have made a very common mistake on the path. Not all thought is discursive, some are simply noting things as mentioned above. I can't really say more without answers to the questions above however.
Let's say that I am an anomaly and am one of the few who experiences short periods of not thinking.
Anyone can achieve this - it's a question of how. There is a qualitative reason not to get to such a point other than with right effort, mindfulness, and concentration. Again, I can't say more without answers to the above questions ..
When these moments of no-thought happen, should I start initiating thoughts so I have the opportunity to observe them and let them go? Sort of like I mentioned earlier, if you are at the gym not lifting weights, there is no point of being there. Or should I be happy that over time, my mind is becoming more and more quiet? It is during these periods in which I feel a deep, unexplainable, enjoyable peace, so intuitively, it seems like this should be the goal. Of course, I don't try to cling to these moments and am not terribly disappointed when they go away.
Fabricate nothing. See what is, explore what is. If you are truly arriving at a point of no thought, and through right meditation, then no thought and the bliss "not borne from the body" becomes the object of meditation.
By the way, not sure if you do this sort of thing, but if you provide meditation coaching, I would be interested in talking. Thanks again for your time.
What do you think I am doing, answering your questions? I offer you reflections from my experience on the path - as are the other members, who are giving of their time and energy. I am not enlightened: I am a fellow traveller on the path. I may have a correct understanding, I may have a mistaken understanding (at different times I am sure both statements are true). You need to discern for yourself what and who to have some confidence in, and then confirm for yourself the truth (or falsity) of their words, through practice.
Whatever you do, please do not put me on a pedestal: it will only lead to disappointment and disharmony. I am human, I am flawed.
The forum motto: "nobody is the teacher and we are all the teacher" - we walk our own paths; many of the landscapes, scenery, and the features we encounter are common, yet each person must walk the path themselves. We try our best to help each other, communicating with a common language: yet even this is tricky, as different people ascribe differing meanings to words, sometimes grossly differing, sometimes subtly so.
"You can change yourself" - the
most important teaching of the Buddha, according to Tulku Ringu Rinpoche.
I am considering doing some more joint meditation sessions online, but have some physical health problems that mean this will not be immediately. If it happens, you'll know. These used to take the form of meditating together for a fixed period of time, and then having a discussion. Any members who want to meditate together can make this happen.
We have a very clunky video chat room embedded on one of the boards. Zoom would probably be a better bet. You would be surprised how beneficial meditating with others can be - and though it may sound very strange to have a silent meditation via video chat, when we did it in the past it was quite beneficial, not so different to sitting in a shrine room with a big shiny Buddha: it is what you make it.
Best, in the Dhamma,
Matthew