On Being Thoughtless
Thoughtful people are often appreciated for their kindness, consideration, and patience. We feel warm and welcome in their presence. They tend to be reliable and are not typically prone to impulsiveness. We generally respect and admire those who are thoughtful, speaking highly of them to others.
But I’d like to make a case for being thoughtless.
However, not in an uncaring, uncharitable sort of way. Rather, a literal construal of the word.
Each and every one of our problems stems from being too full of thought. Excessively thought-full.
When we choose the ego mind we are filled with thoughts of me. How can I get MY needs met.? What’s best for MY family and MY close friends? How can I increase MY bank account, improve MY health, enhance MY relationships, elevate MY standing in the world?
When dealing with any situation, our initial subconscious consideration is always this: What’s in it for ME? Even when we sleep at night, who is the central character in every dream? ME!
Being full of “me” thoughts ensures a continued focus on a sense of self, an identity. But it also ensures we are thick with pain.
We may believe the world, other people, and our body are the source of distress. But we are wrong. As we learn in A Course in Miracles:
It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. (W-pI.190.5)
Thus the case for being less full of thought, or thought-less.
But it’s not a matter of squelching or repressing thought. Rather, there’s a far more effective and peace-inducing method. And that is by looking with gentleness on all our “me” thoughts.
When we return awareness to the mind and look kindly on all our self-serving, manipulative ego thoughts of ME, a wonderfully curious thing happens. Thoughts of ME subside and are replaced with just one thought: love.
A love that flows through us without any sort of attachment or conditionality, enveloping and embracing everyone and everything. It’s the most thoughtful sort of thoughtlessness imaginable - leading to a blissful sense of oneness.
Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore the benefits of becoming more thought-less, and techniques for achieving such a beautiful state of mind. I look forward to seeing you then.