We all have thoughts. Some pleasant, spiritual, idealistic – yet some disturbing, conniving and stressful. This is the natural process of the human mind. Good thoughts will inevitably give rise to bad thoughts and vice versa. Think of it as the Ying/Yang; a balance of good and evil so to speak.
Thoughts arise and subside. They are like waves just flowing to the tune of the universe. Emotions on the other hand are like Tsunami’s. They leave a path of destruction both physically and mentally, either to you or your loved ones. An emotion is merely and amplified thought. One that has not been allowed to subside.
“Don’t dwell on your thoughts” is a well know Buddhist mantra. It sounds simple enough but can have catastrophic consequences to your meditation practice and daily life. We all like to indulge in our thoughts. It’s a source of pleasure for us. We meander through thoughts of love, happiness and joy. Ironically the flip side always comes into play (remember the Ying/Yang simile).
If we entertain thoughts, good or bad, we amplify them and become emotionally charged. The good becomes the bad and eventually the ugly; even appalling at times. Thoughts of love will turn to thoughts of lust. In turn they will manifest into thoughts of obsession and control. It will be akin to a raging fire which cannot be extinguished. Thoughts of happiness leads to thoughts of greed and envy. You will find yourself mentally spewing hateful slurs thus appearing ugly and gross to the outside world. This cycle builds and builds, until you become an emotional wreck, irritable to the slightest squeak and completely destructive in your wake.
It happens because we try to quell our thoughts. If a bad thought arises we immediately try to replace it with good thoughts. “I should not think like that,” I was raised a good person, this isn’t me!” We all inherently believe we are good. Trying to cancel out a bad thought with a good thought will only amplify and charge your negativity, making you that much more frustrated.
Being human, we are neither good or bad. We are balanced. Spirituality/religion allows us to make the ethical and right decisions in life. However, since we are balanced, we also have to deal with the negativity as it arises. Thoughts are always in flux. If we emotionally entertain a good thought it will naturally charge your bad thoughts.
Those deep vulgar emotions of hate, anger and jealousy will creep up and manifest. This is why meditation is incredibly important. It helps us not just bury our dark thoughts, but face them for what they are. Just thoughts. We have labeled them good or bad, but they are just thoughts. If we just let them be, come and go as they please and don’t indulge we are sure to live a much more stress-free and happier life.
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