Thought is not bad

There is the mind, and the mind has the ability to think. The question is not whether you are thinking or not. The question is, who is the thinker? If the thinker is devoted to the Truth, then thoughts are just like the dance of Shiva.

Is the river of your thoughts pure enough to allure Shiva to dance in it? And Shiva will not dance in a stream impure.

There is understanding without thought and there is understanding with thought as well. Just as there is Truth, formlessly, there is Truth, formed as well.

There will be occasions when the Truth will strike you like a thunderbolt, like a flash of lightning. And understanding will be complete in a split second. And there will be occasions when you will be required to think.

But I understand your predicament. A lot of spiritual masters are treating thought as the worst offender. As if thought has brought in sickness and disease to your life. Not really.

Thought is your expression, just as action is your expression. As you are, so your thought is. In fact, thought is very helpful. You cannot look at your tendencies, your vrittis, directly. But thought is gross, palpable, definite, it can be watched.

When you think, you come to know of yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have known. The thought of jealousy or the thought of fear arises, it helps you know that deep within somewhere, you are afraid.

Thought is not bad. ‘Useful’ or ‘Useless’ is the place thought is coming from, not the thought itself.

Watch the full video here.

You are welcome to know more about Acharya Prashant and the work of the Foundation. You can also contact the Foundation directly.