Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Thought and Thinking



One aspirant once discussed with me about his problem.


He was working as a clerical staff, in a Government office. His superior officer, once conducted a special meeting. While the meeting was in progress, his cell phone began to ring unfortunately. He at once  disconnected the call and afterwards switched off the phone itself. Anyhow the officer was very much angry upon him. How could he attend the meeting without putting the cell phone in the silent mode? The officer accused him and transferred him to a far away place, as punishment. He got great mental agony. He felt that the mistake, he committed was very little but the punishment, he was awarded, was heavy. He struggled within himself thinking, how could the officer give him such punishment, as if he had committed a serious offence. Since his agony persisted, he asked me whether there was any relief . We discussed.


The event which is giving agony, is already over. What we really has, is only the painful memory of  the event. We do not like the event. Since the event has given us a shock, it also causes repeated thought about it. We have the thoughts about it unconsciously. We do not think about it consciously. We do not think about it willfully. The thoughts occur on its own. The thoughts renew our pain. The thoughts are real. The renewal pain is also real. But we are not bringing the thoughts. The happening of thoughts is not  willful. It is natural. This is THOUGHT. It happens on its own. We are not responsible for it. There is no willful participation for ourselves.


After the happening of Thought, we begin to take part in our thought. We consciously evaluate the action, taken by the officer. We think that the officer is not correct. “We should not leave him. We must teach him a lesson.” – we consciously think like that. This is not Thought. This is THINKING.


If we think consciously, we develop a war within ourselves. Our thinking creates blood pressure. It disturbs our sleep. Then we also feel that our sleep itself is disturbed. It again complicates our thinking.


We do not consciously contribute anything to our Thought. But at the same 
time, we consciously contribute something to our Thinking. All thoughts happen on its own. The Thoughts happened on their own and the feelings or consciousness happened thereby, exist only for a fraction of second. As they appear on its own, they also disappear on its own.


But the case of Thinking is different. We create Thinking for ourselves. By our Thinking, we ourselves renew the Thought. We ourselves give life to the Thoughts before its disappearance.


The punishment, given to the aspirant, may be unreasonable. We may face it legally. We may prefer appeal over the order of transfer. They are external actions. We must do all the necessary  things externally. We have to think what we have to do externally. Otherwise we can not do anything externally.


 There is no wrong if our thinking is related to our external action. But it is wrong if it is related to the events which is already over and if we think that the event should not be happened like this. If we think like that, it is the basic reason for all psychological problems. The thought about the event is natural. There is no wrong about it. They happen on their own. They happen unconsciously. What ever happens on its own that will also disappear on its own. As the event is a kind of problem, it is natural for us to have repeated thoughts about it.


In the beginning we may have the thought for every five minutes. If we do not convert the thought into Thinking, the force and the reoccurrence of thought will go down slowly. Then the thought may occur for every ten minutes. And afterwards the thought may happen for  every thirty minutes. Then the thought about the event may happen or may not happen repeatedly. In the course of time , we may even forget the event itself. On the other hand, if we convert the thought into thinking, it will not disappear by itself. It may express itself as anger or it may settle with us as feud or vengeance. If it were the thought alone, it will never become vengeance. Vengeance is more dangerous than feelings. Feelings express itself and disappear. But the vengeance will not disappear so easily. It will wait for the time to take revenge.


If we think, ‘I will not leave him’, repeatedly, it is recorded and settled within ourselves as vengeance. The person who misbehaved, may be a great one, commanding a high status. Then it is impossible for us to take revenge upon him. This impossibility creates distrust, impotence and the attitude of failure within ourselves. The person who feels his impotence repeatedly, will become a psycho patient. In the same way, there may be the chance for him to become a controversial person or even a terrorist. All these happen only because of our Thinking.


We have to think for our external activities. Thinking  can be within our control. It must be used it for our external actions. We have to use our thinking properly and legitimately. We should not do anything hastily, without proper thinking. Concerning with the external activities, there is good  and bad. There is higher and lower. There is usefulness and uselessness. We have to think correctly. It is our duty. Then only our actions will be successful. Then only our life will be successful. We have to take the utmost care in our thinking.


But the case THOUGHT is quite different. There is no good and bad. There is no good thought and there is no bad thought. Thought is thought. There is no classification as good and bad.


Once a physician came with his wife for their problem. The cause for their sorrow is really a pitiable one. They lost their only son, few months ago. The physician said, “It is the greatest sorrow in our life that we lost our only child. Somehow or other I have compromised myself. But my wife can not get back from her sorrow. Her sorrow begins to affect her physically and psychologically. We consulted even psychiatrist, but it did not help her. How shall we have to approach our problem?”


The problem really is not the death of their child. Externally it is so. But the problem really is THOUGHT and THINKING. We have discussed with them about their problem.


“The loss of your child is really a great sorrow in your life. So it is inevitable for us to have repeated thoughts about it and to have a deep agony thereby. There is no problem, if it is mere thought and the feeling caused thereby. We will have the real problem when we convert the thought into Thinking….


“The sorrowful thoughts happen naturally and unconsciously. We at once begin to justify our thoughts and sorrow. ‘The loss of child is the greatest loss. As a parent it is our duty to have sorrow. It is our expression of homage to the disappeared child. It is unjust if we do not express sorrow.’ – We justify our  thought and sorrow. Thereby we convert the thought into thinking…


“Thereby we do consciously participate in our unconscious thoughts. We ourselves accept our sorrow. Anyhow the sorrow is painful. We also feel that the pain of sorrow is also unbearable. The blood pressure raises to a greater extent. We think that our body or mind may collapse at any time. Here also we allow the thought to take the roll of thinking. Thereby we do consciously give life to our unconscious thought and feeling….


       “Thoughts happen on its own. What ever happens on its own that will disappear on its own. Thoughts and the feelings happened thereby will also disappear on its own. We need not do anything to set them right. They become powerful, when we convert them into thinking. When we struggle with our thoughts and emotions, we give life and strength to our problems, instead of conquering it. The repeated failure to control our problem, give us psychological depression. In its turn it creates various psychological diseases. If we understand what thought is and what thinking is and if we do not interfere with the fee movement of  thoughts and emotions all our problems will be powerless.”


                …. Thus we have discussed the problem of thought and thinking with the physician and his wife.


In the mater of physician, the    problem   is purely psychological. They have nothing to do    with  the disappearance of   their child. They have no external duty.  But  in  the case of   the Government staff, he has to do something externally to cancel his transfer order. There is some duty for him to think and so he has to think.


But we are not sure that we can control all our external problems. Yet we have to do the necessary and possible things to solve the external problems. To that extent, we  have  to   use our thinking. Afterwards we should not indulge ourselves in thinking  to solve the external problem. If we indulge in thinking to solve anything which nobody can solve, it is again a psychological problem. All our  psychological   problems   are   solved   when we leave them unattended.