THOUGHTS

It is said by modern scientists/researchers and thinkers that a normal waking person (Human Beings) thinks or gets nearly or approx. 22k – 50/60/70k thoughts per day

‘A person is as good as good as his/her thoughts …’

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For many years, topic related to ‘Thoughts …’ and thinking has attracted my attention and research study and reflection has been done or made

Thoughts are something, which is part of living or life-force; whoever has life or is living means having consciousness is bound to have ‘thoughts’ of this or that kind/nature/quality-‘Guna’ …

Thoughts virtually run and direct our life to its destination or destiny. All animate created things have thoughts; that means except mineral kingdom and plant-vegetable kingdom, in the rest i.e., animal and human beings ‘thoughts and thinking’ is common phenomena …but we, human beings have more freewill to manage thoughts … So thoughts or thinking is vital and important for all living beings!

Q? (To the audience) … If it is so important, why it is not taught in our school / colleges / Universities … How to think rightly or properly (correctly/accurately) …?  [May be it was thought that thinking is automatic and part of living process and nothing can be done about it or change it!]

Q? (To the audience) … Which part of the body is responsible for thinking thoughts …? Scientists / researchers will tell you/us …= :> BRAIN (as hardware)

Essentially, THOUGHT or thinking is basic function of MIND (Chitta) … In fact, sometimes it is synonymous with Thinking; So, Q? Does the mind only reside in the brain? (Earlier scientists may say so …); However, we know that it is not so and that mind occupies all or complete space as that of body; in fact, mind and body moves together …

There is a concept of panca-kosa (panch-kosha) in Vedic literature about a human being, which is that body/mind as a mano-sariryantra or mind-body instrument has five (5) sheaths or coverings or shells one around/over one another just as on an egg …

1. Annamaya kosha (bare-food body sheath)
2. Pranamaya kosha (vital breath sheath)
3. Manomaya kosha (mental sheath-body)
4. Vigyanmaya or Gyanamaya kosha (knowledge/wisdom sheath)
5. Anandamaya kosha (happiness-bliss sheath)

Now, as per this concept material or physical body or matter and vital-breath sheath/layer/body along-with mind (manomaya kosha) or consciousness are almost together at all times, inseparable and they constitute the continuum of life … Then, where the rest of thetwo koshas reside? It is said as per another concept that they are part of mind or consciousness (Chitta).

Mind (Manomaya kosha) is supposed to be constituted or ingredient of Sanskars, memory, thoughts and intelligence … Therefore the functions of the mind are:

1. To store information in terms of audio-visual and data information as part of consciousness (memory of experiences)
2. To think i.e., faculty of thinking … (or )
3. Faculty of discrimination i.e., discriminating intellect or intelligence, which is part of Gyanmaya/Vigyanmaya kosha
4. Knowledge and wisdom :::) it knows (as cognitive knowing) , which is also part of Gyanmaya/Vigyanmaya kosha … the knowledge is stored in memory, which is part of manomaya kosha and this knowledge in the mind-memory is used by the intellect, which is part of Gyan-Vigyanmaya kosha for life functioning , maintenance/management and also development by use of wisdom
5. Faculty of experiencing as feeling (life experiences) as it unfolds within the mind-consciousness through interaction with outside world by use of six senses which is part of manomaya kosha and Gyanmaya/Vigyanmaya kosha …

This experiential faculty or mind-space within the mind-consciousness is called vinnana/nana (Gyan) in Pali text i.e., experiencing by knowing or cognizing (faculty of cognition) along with perception (interpretation), feeling or vedana and resultant mental formations …

Therefore as per pancha kosha theory or concept, the last three i.e., manomaya kosha, Gyan-Vigyanmaya kosha and Anandamaya kosha are part of mind or mental activities or functions or experiences; the last Anandamaya kosha is mental conscious experience in the form of bliss/happiness (Ananda) and is a particular nature of experience, which mind-consciousness only experiences at a certain state …

Purpose of discussing about thoughts and thinking is whether we can improve (better), develop (refine or purify) and manage the mind more rightly, appropriately and properly/correctly i.e., management of thoughts and/or mind and subsequently of life quality and if so how?

As per the modern day researchers/expert scientistsa  normal waking person thinks or gets approx. 22k – 50/60/70k thoughts per day (from person to person and depending upon quality or state of one’s mind at different times as per his pursuing meditation/other practices for calming the mind)

As per experts …

This is still an open question (how many thoughts do the average human brain processes in 1 day). LONI faculty have done some very preliminary studies using undergraduate student volunteers and have estimated that one may expect around 60-70K thoughts per day. These results are not peer-reviewed/published.”

And 80 to 90% of these thoughts by nature are negative (or wrong) i.e., useless or waste thoughts … therefore to improve or better the type (kind) of thoughts one thinks, the quantum of these negative or wrong thoughts need to be reduced …

Now thoughts can be broadly classified as:

THOUGHT(S) :::>

1. Positive(or Right, that which uplifts self, brings balance/harmony within oneself and without and well-being, happiness-peace good for oneself and others)
2. Negative (or wrong, that which lowers oneself away from balance/harmony within oneself and without and well-being, happiness-peace good for oneself and others )

We know from our experience how different thoughts affect us …

In terms of Tipitika, we can say as:

Again, positive or right thoughts can be further divided into :::)

• Thoughts of good nature (of helping others, society, nature, creation etc. selflessly) bringing good feeling of happiness, peace etc. from past or in present
• Thoughts (ideas) related to problem-solving, which provide solutions (answers)
• Thoughts of relational nature for harmony in personal relations, understanding and interactions with outside world through six senses
• Thoughts concerning one’s own self development and growth
• Thoughts concerning others and all encompassing, universal or holistic good
• Thoughts, which comes as an intuition or intuitive knowing or knowledge as subjective experience (sometimes just dropping in the present moment consciousness) as part of solution to a problem or as part of mind reading or as part of knowledge of the past or future or as part of knowledge of distant happenings/events or discovery of new places, things (objects) or phenomenon (like law of gravitation etc.) etc.
• Thoughts related to creative (ideas) thinking process as a creative idea or thought or innovative thought/idea, which leads to new creation of innovative products and facilities etc.
• Then, there are more thoughts category related to creative thinking process such as Lateral and out of box thinking, congruent and divergent thinking etc.

There may be others unknown to me …

Similarly, negative (or wrong) thoughts can be further divided into :::)

• Repetitive thoughts
• Thoughts related to past (or future) events-experiences of negative kind
• Waste or useless thoughts
• Evil thoughts related to harm, hurt, destructive nature for others and self, and nature and society
• Thoughts related to negative emotions and feelings (which are very prominent such as anger, fear etc.)

Thoughts can also be categorized into :::)

• Useful
• Non useful
• Discursive thought or thinking purposely or effortfully viz., vichara

Now in pali-tipitika literature, the term ‘vitakka’ is mentioned for ‘thought’ and it is one of the fifty-two ‘cetasika’ … therefore according to my understanding, all ‘cetasikas’ cannot be called thoughts (this is subject to being proved otherwise or corrected, if explained accordingly); However, ‘vitakka’ related to other ‘cetasikas’ may be there …

Again, in the portion with the elimination or wrong and unwholesome thoughts, the ‘SabbasavaSutta’ mentions three specific ‘wrong’ or negative thoughts thus:

1. Thoughts of sensual pleasure
2. Thoughts of ill-will
3. Thoughts of cruelty

These a seeker has to get rid of and eliminated (or made an end of and liquidated) … [Q? Is it easy to eliminate wrong thought?]

The ‘sutta’ also mentions the following six wrong/unwholesome thoughts namely …

1. Nati-Vitakka, a thought concerning one’s relatives and dear ones i.e., a thought rooted in attachment, possessiveness, infatuation, fear, worry, resentment etc.
2. Janapada-Vitakka, a thought concerning one’s native land, that is a thought rooted in pride, false views, attachment, sentimentalism etc.
3. Amara-Vitakka, a thought or speculation concerning the deathless that is a thought rooted in ideological perversity, bigotry, intolerance etc.
4. Paranudayata-patisamyutta-Vitakka, a thought concerning others kindness etc., that is a thought rooted in sentimental and sensual attachment, worldly affection etc.
5. Labha-sakkaara-siloka-patisamyutta-Vitakka, a thought concerning gain, honour and reputation; that is a thought rooted in acquisitiveness, greed, arrogance, pride etc.
6. Anavannaatti-patisamyutta-Vitakka, a thought of not being despised or surpassed; that is a thought rooted in inferiority complex or conceit, arrogance, egotism etc.

The commentary in the book MIND, overcoming its cankers (Chapter 3) says, a careful analysis of these above six types of thoughts (from 4-9) will throw insightful light on the working of the human mind. In fact, these are the thoughts which, when allowed a free rein, grow into blind prepossessions and obsessions that invariably lead to various mental ailments. The causes for schizophrenia and paranoia are to be found in these ‘wrong’ thoughts and mental conditionings …

The seeker or a person aspiring to cultivate the mind needs not to allow such ‘wrong’ thoughts. These thoughts lead sequentially to sickness/debilitation unless one applies consciously to ignore/eliminate and uproot them with unrelenting application …

Right thought makes one right minded, which leads to right aspiration and these states reinforce right understanding; and what are ‘right’ thoughts or kusala Vitakka …

Right thought can be taken as absence of all the above nine type of thoughts, moreover opposite to that of the above nine type of thoughts, that is non-attachment to sensual pleasure, non-cruelty, non-ill will or love, compassion, metta and goodwill while seeking and aspiring for higher spiritual bliss/happiness, contentment etc.

As per the experience of many although sometimes it may be difficult to eliminate ‘wrong’ thought and cultivate the mind, it is always possible with unrelenting application because although it is said that an individual thinks one’s own thoughts, sometimes ‘thoughts’ think an individual … ??? [May be because one may have created a habit pattern or conditioning from which, at times, it is difficult to come out; however, with perseverance, ardent application of one’s own wisdom and surrender to dhamma, it becomes easy …

We live in mutually interdependent and coexisting social order, where one’s own ‘thought-field’ affect one another; Q? Therefore, is it possible that one’s thoughts are affected by others or environment  / surrounding … as per experience of many, it might be possible under certain conditions … however, experts say that ‘thoughts’ come only from one’s own mind; if we assume thus, then suppose, hypothetically, if all thoughts are eliminated or removed from entire mind-space to the total depth of mind, then in that case from where ‘first thought’ appear or originate, that is in a clean-clear and ultra-pure mind, like that of still waters of a lake or pond, from where and how first thought appear or is born or arise or originate; this Q …has occupied my mind for quite some time?

Also, what is a thought in itself (by itself)? By experience, it seems to be a wave or wavelet (just as sinewave etc.) occurring on the mind-consciousness; as per abhidhamma in ‘tipitika’ (pariyatti), it is one of the dhamma, that is, which the citta-dhara or mind-conscious stream holds or carries upon itself (0n Vihanga consciousness); According to some experts interacted with, it is a spiritual entity

Modern day researchers and scientists/experts are not very clear as regards its make up or build up or creation and as per them …

“There is no generally accepted definition of what "thought" is or how it is created. In our study, we had assumed that a "thought" is a sporadic single-idea cognitive concept resulting from the act of thinking, or produced by spontaneous systems-level cognitive brain activations.”

Nevertheless, it is something quite interesting and engrossing with regard to researching … However Tipitika (Abhidhamma) and Buddha’s teachings can provide many answers …

As mentioned earlier, the purpose of this study paper is to explore whether we can improve (better), develop (refine or purify) and manage the mind more rightly, appropriately and properly/correctly i.e., management of thoughts and/or mind and subsequently of life quality and if so how? Also, it is being explored how we can evolve or accelerate brain evolution for improved capacity/capability in functional   / working aspect, especially in terms of creativity index, that is creative and other mental faculties or brain capacity in terms of memory, problem solving etc. It is believed that higher brain capacity like that of great geniuses is evolved or attained when the spirit goes into the brain … (this may be a debatable / disputable  statement, but anyhow it is left to the audience with an open mind for further discussion or debate by the author ?)

Therefore, further exploration and research studies will be made to explore whether a systematic and scientifically directed/processed and measurable design methodology can be developed to accelerate the evolution of brain capacity using meditation tools like Vipassana (Ana-pana Samadhi) etc. as it is already being practiced  …

Acknowledgements and references:

1. Loni; (education: brain Trivia)
2. Mind, overcoming its chankers on ‘SabbasavaSutta’ by Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita and other related texts

Further associated/related readings:

1. ChittaVagga, Dhammapada
2. Mahavagga, Digha Nikaya