3.6 How do you learn not to be distracted by your own thoughts?

The previous exercise taught you that thoughts arise spontaneously and flow in an apparently endless stream. Know that thoughts arise as a consequence of the stimuli your mind is constantly receiving through your body’s five senses. As you have discovered from the previous exercise, the thought process can be stopped by an act of disciplined effort, but always the flow of thoughts begins again.

The previous exercise taught you that the flow of thoughts can only be temporarily stopped. This exercise begins the process of learning detachment from, and indifference to, the flow of your own thoughts. As your skill and experience becomes fully developed, through sustained and committed practice of these advanced Implicate Technology meditative practices, you will experience mind in its natural state: transcending all limitations of space, time and karma, you will witness, accept and understand all that unfolds, without attachment.

Second exercise

Begin your meditation practice: you are seated comfortably, alone and seeking to focus your awareness on your chosen stimulus. Your meditative task is to avoid interfering with any train of thought. Let the thoughts flow as they will, without shaping or directing them in any way, and at the same time try to be aware of your chosen stimulus.

Learn to be indifferent to the progress of your thoughts. Let your thoughts flow in their own pattern, without any interference from you. Learn not to react to your own thoughts, and learn not to influence or impede them in any way.

This exercise is the opposite of the previous practice. In the first, you exercised with great strain to stop a thought in the moment of its birth. In this exercise, you maintain a relaxed, uninvolved alertness.

Through this practice of not reacting to thoughts, and simultaneously concentrating your awareness on the chosen stimulus, you are learning the rudiments of the art of witnessing this. As your skill with this technique develops, you will learn to extend the duration of the state of witnessing reality. You should expect to spend a minimum of 2-4 weeks at this exercise, remembering also to extend the lessons you learn to your everyday activities.

While inhibiting thoughts during the first exercise in this chapter, the mind when tensed became active and restless. During this second exercise, while you simply observe the flow of thoughts, the mind, being relaxed, assumes its natural shape of witnessing this. Your mind is a stubborn thing: it resists attempts to control it and works best when allowed to function in its natural way.

Mind in its natural state is an experience of undisturbed tranquillity. Thoughts are like waves rippling across a pond – purely surface activity. Like a deep pond, mind in its natural state is still, quiescent and at peace, presenting no barrier to the fish or the waves.

The purpose of this meditative exercise is to introduce you to the experience of mind in its natural state. Once you have experienced, even briefly, your mind’s spontaneous and inherent stillness, you are ready to move on to the next exercise. Now, you will learn to extend the experience of inner stillness.