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Am I responsible for the content of my mind?


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I am not responsible for the content of my mind.

His analogy of unpleasant thoughts to a household garbage can really resonated w me. You have a garbage can but don't live in the garbage can. It has it's place and it's function.

Thoughts occur in the mind based on what is going on around you and you can control that. The old "don't think of a pink elephant" thing or say you see something really amazing or really awful your mind will respond to that but you are more than that.

Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev's explanation gave me a way to see past negative thoughts and not be snared by them; not having to fight or dodge them knowing that my mind is more than that. Much more.

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Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev's explanation gave me a way to see past negative thoughts and not be snared by them; not having to fight or dodge them knowing that my mind is more than that. Much more.

how long did it take you to reach this level? and, how much work, time, energy, effort, etc., was involved?

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Oh jeez I have not reached any level, just a mini-breakthrough from a good insight. I was always wrestling w myself over my negative thoughts and this helped me to get a better view, a better understanding that these shitty thoughts are not my fault and do not own or define me.

A mirror reflects what goes in front of it so a mind is going to reflect crappy circumstances but that doesn't mean that is all it is or it's true nature.

I know what I mean but I suck at explaining this stuff. I encourage people to listen to the you tube and not me lol

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I know what I mean but I suck at explaining this stuff. I encourage people to listen to the you tube and not me lol

kinda like easier done than said lol.

the video actually mentioned their website ishafoundation.org ( https://www.ishafoundation.org/us/ ). i thought you had taken some of their online courses or something.

if someone does participate in any of their courses or practices some of what they teach, i wouldn't mind reading about their progress/success.

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No I did not take any on line course. If I were to take an on line course it would be something that helps my employability and earnings. Medicare/medical billing that's the shit I do thanks to having devoted my college years to pot and booze. I could have been a contender!

Back to the video, I think what he is saying is that our thoughts occur independent of our volition. There is this myth of the "rational decision maker" manning the helm of our minds when in reality thoughts happen on their own like breaths and heart beats and all manner of biological functions. Now certainly we have the choice of directing conscious attention at a subject to certain extent and for a certain amount of time but that is in no way in conflict w what has been proposed here.

The bottom line is I still have these negative, awful thoughts but I feel less bad about them because they are not under my control. Indeed they lie outside of my self governance like a lunatic screaming at midnight. They are a legacy of the horror that is my life: the failure, the despair, the inadequacy, the self loathing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For me negative thoughts cannot be ignored because they just get worse if I can't change the causes. I'll probably meditate soon again because it's the only thing that calms things down.

For what it's worth I appreciate your posts Victim, and I like spirituality, positive thinking etc. For me it's quite hard to get points of view across effectively when it comes to these matters and that's why I don't always post.

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