Thought Generation
Thought generation occurs in the mind. It is twofold in origin.
- Either it is generated in the psyche where it is illustrated.
- Or it is generated in another psyche and then transmitted into the psyche of the viewer.
Psyche generated thoughts are of two kinds.
- deliberate
- indeliberate
Those thoughts which were generated in another psyche and which were transmitted into the psyche of someone else may be voluntarily or involuntarily transmitted into the mind of the receiver.
The sender may be self-compelled to transmit the thoughts. Or he/she may deliberately transmit the ideas.
When a thought is generated in the psyche, it may or may not be fully observed by the person, such that this person may not be aware of the thought but may have some subliminal idea of it. Regardless, the person would be affected by it. As to what agency in the psyche is involved in the manufacture of a thought, there is the following creative agencies.
- illustrative intellect
- architectural intellect
- lifeForce creative energy
- coreSelf deliberate construction using intellect as a scribe tool
- memory suggestive power dominating the intellect
The intellect has two functioning abilities. These are.
- illustration of ideas presented to it by the lifeForce, memory or coreSelf
- illustration of ideas which it creates by itself. It does this as an architect would design and construct buildings
If the intellect fails to illustrate, no thoughts appear in the mindscape. Instead, there will be a blank mind which is void of ideas. Even though thoughts may be created by some other adjunct or upon command/need of the coreSelf, still if the intellect fails to initiate construction of the seed-ideas, there will be no illustration of the idea in the mind. The intellect is the essential instrument (adjunct) involved in thought production.
During meditation, thought generation is a major unwanted feature of the mind. The cessation of thoughts is an absolute must for deep meditative states. Since however there is more than one cause for thought generation, the solution for cessation of thoughts vary according to how and by which adjunct the thought was generated. That is the scientific way to view the issue. However, many meditation systems by many successful and unsuccessful teachers advocate that it does not matter how a thought was produced. They claim that all that matters is to remove interest in the thought if it arises during meditation.
This however shows that the self is not likely to terminate a thought because it does not have the power to totally squelch an idea. If the solution to the issue of unwanted thought production, is that the self should simply observe or ignore the thoughts, that indicates that the self does not have the power to give a command which will eliminate the thought. Is this the situation?
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Are you saying that if a meditator can scientifically sort out the specific origin of any particular thought that it will be easier to eliminate? I’m not convinced of that.
Way back in June of 2010 I did my first Buddhist meditation retreat. Near the end of 8 days of intensive practice, I entered a mind state where there was no thinking. Upon noticing that, I tried to produce a thought but could not. As I continued to observe the in and out breath, there was an inner vision. I could sense when a thought was about to emerge. I saw a bubble rising up in the heart/chest region. By applying a suppressive force, I could keep the thought bubble from bursting and becoming a conceptual thought. I feel that the normal thinking which obstructs the meditative aim of stillness of mind, is already materialized and claimed as an object. Of course this is a big problem and one must see or sense thought formation before it has matured and been claimed.
Personally, I am of the view that it doesn’t matter what the source/origin of thoughts is. That issue can be investigated after one starves any/all thoughts of attention. When starvation is applied persistently and with a degree of continuity, thought generation automatically thins. When there is thinning and significant reduction of mental formations then one could investigate the origin of thoughts if one feels that to be necessary.
In Theravada Buddhism, one is told that thought generation is uncontrollable. The formations arise according to cause and conditions. One can train the mind but one cannot control what arises. Whatever comes up and from wherever, one is not to judge or be enamored of it. One is to cut it off and patiently, gently revert to the training method.
Whether or not one progresses quickly is determined by past actions (karma), past thinking, past speech and of course, intention.
Thinking is one problem of many.
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Are you saying that if a meditator can scientifically sort out the specific origin of any particular thought that it will be easier to eliminate? I’m not convinced of that.
MiBeloved Reply:
A person may find it easier to eliminate an unwanted thought, if he/she could scientifically sort it. If however that was not the intention of the person, then it is a moot point.
However, in cases where someone does scientifically trace the origin of a thought, and then finds that he/she cannot eliminate the thought anyway, even then the realization of the helplessness may cause that person to develop resistance so that if it reoccurs in the mind when it is not wanted or when it dictates itself forcibly, the person can diminish it so that it quickly fizzes out.
Understanding what one did to contribute to an unwanted thought, is a power in itself, because that could lead to future care in not contributing to the formation, so that the thought or similar mental patterns became squelched early on in their formation.
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