How to Free Yourself from Unwise Thoughts

To progress spiritually, we do need to learn how to stop behaving unwisely. However, that is not enough—we also need to learn how to stop thinking unwisely.

While unwise physical and verbal conduct can be stopped directly, the same is not true for unwise mental action. Why? Because trying to stop a mental action directly is itself another unwise mental action.

Let’s take thoughts of self-criticism as an example. If you try to stop them, that’s another unwise mental action. Doing this is not only unlikely to work, it also causes you to suffer even more. Not clever, is it?

So, instead of trying to stop such thoughts, try this:

  1. Accept the fact that these thoughts are happening.

  2. Regard them as “just thoughts”.

  3. Don’t resist them—or at least notice the resisting.

  4. When you’re no longer resisting, notice how having those thoughts feels: Are they peaceful or stressful?

  5. Imagine: how you would be without these thoughts?

Do this every time such thoughts come up, and their strength will gradually diminish. Over time, you'll notice that even if they come up, they no longer carry the same charge.

Eventually, something deeper begins to shift. You will realise that the real issue isn’t the thoughts themselves. Thoughts are just thoughts. However, when you relate to them in the wrong way—by identifying with them, indulging in them, or resisting them—you fuel them. When you stop fuelling them, they naturally lose their power.

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