Grasping The Illusory Nature Of Thought

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

“What is a thought?” is one of the most important questions you can do. You are using thoughts everyday but you don’t know what they actually are.

The nature of thought is illusory. The difference between knowing and not knowing what a thought is is the difference between living in a self-constructed mental prison in which you suffer all your negative emotions and living in a free and self-actualized life.

You need a direct awareness of what a thought is, not just explanations. You cannot escape this problem by thinking.

Thoughts are illusory but they are real, they are as real as your body. The problem with them is that they are chameleons; you attribute a certain importance and depth that is not real at all.

Images are sneaky; even though they represent reality, you think that they are reality itself, mistaking the map with the territory. You are not aware of what thoughts and images really are.

The photograph is not the thing depicted. The food photograph analogy.

In books, you create the story with your mind from black and white symbols.

Language is arbitrary sounds and you create meaning from that sounds. Language is made of symbols and what symbols are are representations of something, but not the thing itself. SYMBOLS ARE NOT REALITY ITSELF AND THEY ARE TOTALLY ARBITRARY; This makes you unconscious since thoughts are arbitrary symbols that acquire meaning over time. And what the human brain does is creating weird and crafty representations of reality that you start to believe are true when in fact are just thoughts. You can get depressed, happy or angry depending on the meaning you attribute to certain situations.

Thoughts are arbitrary, thus meaning is an illusion (everything included). Recognize that breaking free from your mind requires that you become aware of what meaning is and its illusory nature. YOU NEED TO GAIN MINDFULNESS OVER YOUR THOUGHTS. If you can master this, you will be less reactive and less stressed by them. There cannot be any suffering without meaning; almost all of your suffering is caused by meaning, and meaning is illusory. A problem is a meaning!

Flattening the Illusion: You need to make the distinction between what reality is and your interpretation of it (separate the map from the territory). The trick is to flatten the illusion with your thoughts. You need to develop enough mindfulness in order to not react to your thoughts. The key question is “What is this, literally?”.

A thought is real as a sensation in your mind, not as the actual thing. If you don’t apply mindfulness you will be living in a reality constructed by thoughts and not reality as it really is.

How to practice this? Commit to flatten 50 illusions in the next week and write it down. Describe the content and then what it really is.

[Ray]

Thanks man, I appreciate all your synthesis  

 

[charlie2dogs]

4 hours ago, jcgiusto said:

“What is a thought?” is one of the most important questions you can do. You are using thoughts everyday but you don’t know what they actually are.

The nature of thought is illusory. The difference between knowing and not knowing what a thought is is the difference between living in a self-constructed mental prison in which you suffer all your negative emotions and living in a free and self-actualized life.

You need a direct awareness of what a thought is, not just explanations. You cannot escape this problem by thinking.

Thoughts are illusory but they are real, they are as real as your body. The problem with them is that they are chameleons; you attribute a certain importance and depth that is not real at all.

Images are sneaky; even though they represent reality, you think that they are reality itself, mistaking the map with the territory. You are not aware of what thoughts and images really are.

The photograph is not the thing depicted. The food photograph analogy.

In books, you create the story with your mind from black and white symbols.

Language is arbitrary sounds and you create meaning from that sounds. Language is made of symbols and what symbols are are representations of something, but not the thing itself. SYMBOLS ARE NOT REALITY ITSELF AND THEY ARE TOTALLY ARBITRARY; This makes you unconscious since thoughts are arbitrary symbols that acquire meaning over time. And what the human brain does is creating weird and crafty representations of reality that you start to believe are true when in fact are just thoughts. You can get depressed, happy or angry depending on the meaning you attribute to certain situations.

Thoughts are arbitrary, thus meaning is an illusion (everything included). Recognize that breaking free from your mind requires that you become aware of what meaning is and its illusory nature. YOU NEED TO GAIN MINDFULNESS OVER YOUR THOUGHTS. If you can master this, you will be less reactive and less stressed by them. There cannot be any suffering without meaning; almost all of your suffering is caused by meaning, and meaning is illusory. A problem is a meaning!

Flattening the Illusion: You need to make the distinction between what reality is and your interpretation of it (separate the map from the territory). The trick is to flatten the illusion with your thoughts. You need to develop enough mindfulness in order to not react to your thoughts. The key question is “What is this, literally?”.

A thought is real as a sensation in your mind, not as the actual thing. If you don’t apply mindfulness you will be living in a reality constructed by thoughts and not reality as it really is.

How to practice this? Commit to flatten 50 illusions in the next week and write it down. Describe the content and then what it really is.

thoughts are the result of programing, false belief, and the warped perception that both have created as what you see and feel.  The solution isn't in fighting to overcome the illusions, but to experience your core being more.  Once the core being is functioning rather than the identity, the illusions, problems, pain, misery, will begin to dissolve and flow away from you.  The identity cannot solve these problems.

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

@charlie2dogs I agree, realizing the true nature of a thought is also realizing your true being, but it takes time

[Jastilus]

Print out photos the size of postcards and frame them behing glass. Learn to lick the glass with no emotional or thoughtful response to the photo behind it. Take a blank white sheet as reference how you feel when you know there is nothing but paper behind the glass.

Useful photos could be:
- The picture of a smiling face of a woman / man you find attractive.
- The picture of an aroused sexual organ of your own gender / opposite gender.
- The picture of an animal you find repulsive in great detail.
- The picture of a humilated human body.
- etc.

I find it very hard to do, but just testet it once after watching the video with the picture of a disgusting spider.

[Huz]

stare at these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scary+animals&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1392&bih=1238&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF2PDZmc_MAhVLDcAKHeI-AoAQ_AUIBigB#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=trypophobia

Good test for detachment

[abrakamowse]

Interesting stuff that trypophobia thing.

[Huz]

did you guys get pins and needles like feeling all over your body?

[abrakamowse]

@Huz88  I felt like I had holes all over my body

[Huz]

its quite enjoyable if you apply mindfulness to the sensations.

Haha i have to be careful, would be a peculiar thing to become addicted too

[arletbode]

On 5/10/2016 at 5:34 AM, Huz88 said:

stare at these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scary+animals&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1392&bih=1238&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF2PDZmc_MAhVLDcAKHeI-AoAQ_AUIBigB#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=trypophobia

Good test for detachment

Thank you for the nightmares

[Natasha]

On 5/10/2016 at 5:34 AM, Huz88 said:

stare at these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scary+animals&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1392&bih=1238&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF2PDZmc_MAhVLDcAKHeI-AoAQ_AUIBigB#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=trypophobia

Good test for detachment

Most of those images are computer generated fake stuff, something you'd see at a special effects movie set 

[Huz]

2 hours ago, Natasha said:

Most of those images are computer generated fake stuff, something you'd see at a special effects movie set 

But the phobia is deep within a lot of our minds

[Natasha]

16 hours ago, Huz88 said:

But the phobia is deep within a lot of our minds

I actually looked at those images using Leo's 'thought flattening technique' and didn't experienced any phobia/ disgust. Nice skill to have    

[Huz]

13 hours ago, Natasha said:

I actually looked at those images using Leo's 'thought flattening technique' and didn't experienced any phobia/ disgust. Nice skill to have    

Yeah same. I remember a couple of years ago I used to hate the photos. Would literally make me sick to the bone. When Leo realised his thought video I went back to it, and it worked. I can look at them for what they are

[LadyfaceLou]

This kinda makes sense to me;  but Im still struggling with flattening techniques.... could someone give me some examples?

[Heart of Space]

On 5/10/2016 at 4:34 AM, Huz88 said:

stare at these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scary+animals&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1392&bih=1238&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF2PDZmc_MAhVLDcAKHeI-AoAQ_AUIBigB#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=trypophobia

Good test for detachment

Oh fuck me.

[Katiee]

@Natasha where can I find the thought flattening technique? Which video?

[Leo Gura]

@Katiee The title of this thread is the title of the video with the technique.

[Natasha]

@Katiee