Has anyone actually managed to silence their thoughts ??Either within their religion or on their own? And why?

Question

most religions do actually try and teach this but i am yet to find someone who has accomplished it

Answer 1

I must assume you are speaking of the continuous brain activity that plays in our heads. Yes you can and yes I have. Achieving silence is a process reached by first observing your thoughts. By observing, one may be able to sort the activity as independent of the "thoughts", thereby reducing and eventually eliminating the baggage and allowing clarity of sight and cleanliness of mind.
We are all influenced by the "thoughts" that play in our heads. By separating ourselves from these replays we may eliminate predisposition, discrimination, anger, etc. from our lives.
Yep. It is work.

Answer 2

First of all thought can not be silenced. When you sleep the thinking carries on. Subtle body carries the soul to the next body after death depending on what he was thinking at the time of death. Subtle body is made up of mind intellingence and ego. Ref Bhagavad Gita as it is Author: A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
731217mw.la Conversations
Prajapati: Srila Prabhupada, are thoughts made of matter or spirit?
Prabhupada: Yes. Thoughts actually made by spirit, but it is covered by matter. Therefore in the material condition you can think only of matter. Just like this body is covered by so many material things, but actually, the spirit is covered. So the soul being spirit, so long it is covered by matter, it cannot act spiritually. It is obstructed. Not obstructed. Covered. It cannot be obstructed. If you like, you can get out of the covering of the matter. So matter cannot obstruct. But it is the will of the soul. Therefore it is called tatastha, marginal.
Prajapati: When we feel pain or discomfort, that is covering also?
Prabhupada: That is to the material. Soul has no pain. It is the material covering. Just like this chilliness. We are affected by the body, material body, not the soul. Matra-sparsas tu kaunteya sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. This pleasure and pain is due to the material covering. Otherwise soul is unaffected. Asango 'yam purusah: "This purusa, the soul, is unaffected by any material condition." The same example as I give, that you have a good car. You are identifying yourself. But you are not the car. You are affected if the car is smashed, because you have got absorption in the car that "This is my car." The other man is not affected. Similarly, due to our absorption, aham mameti, "It is my, it is mine," we are suffering.
Rupanuga: The False ego.
Prabhupada: False ego.
Rupanuga: Very subtle.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Rupanuga: This process of identification with the body. So we identify with the body...
Prabhupada: Aham mameti janasya moho 'yam. This is illusion. He is not that, but he is thinking, "I am this." That is animalism. The animal is always thinking that "I am this body."
Giriraja: So if somebody no longer identifies with the body, what is his perception of a painful condition?
Prabhupada: He tolerates. He knows. Just like the same example. You are not the car . If your car is smashed, although you feel sorry, but you know that "I am not a car." That is the position.
Rupanuga: So the pain is experienced by the consciousness that is spread all over the body?
Prabhupada: That is false. That is called illusion. You are not painful, but you are thinking that "I am painful." But that is illusion.
Svarupa Damodara: But we are conditioned.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Svarupa Damodara: That is why we experience from very, our childhood that I feel pain when somebody hits me.
Prabhupada: No. Just like we all know that "I am not this body." But why you are covering the body? So long you are in material condition, you have to do that. The same example. Although you are not the motorcar, but if there is some accident, you have to take care of it, because you have to work on it. Therefore this body, although I am not this body, I have to work in this material world with this body. That is the vehicle. You cannot neglect it, neither you become identified. This is knowledge. Yuktahara-viharas ca. That is recommended, yuktahara, "as much as necessity." But these people, they are taking the body as everything. They have no information of the soul.
Rupanuga: They cannot tolerate it. Like the prisoner cannot tolerate being in the prison house without knowledge. They cannot get along.
Svarupa Damodara: So our consciousness is affected by our conditioning.
Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore Krsna consciousness is the perfect consciousness.
Svarupa Damodara: Just like the yogis. They live in the Himalayas without any cloth. They take bath in ice water. They don't feel anything.
Prabhupada: No.

Answer 3

Only for a minute or so at a time.

It is a very hard thing to do because of most of our lifestyles - we rely on the tele, music etc and when we have nothing thoughts crowd in and its extremely difficult to silence them.

It takes a hell of a lot of practise to do for any length of time.

Buddhists meditate and their target is to reach enlightenment/nirvana.

Answer 4

The book "Finding Sanctuary" by Abbot Christopher Jamison (from the UK TV series 'The Monastery') has some really good and practical stuff about silence in it, both how to work towards it and what its benefits are.

Answer 5

Sort of.
I have Attention deficit disorder so usually I never stop thinking.
But one time I got stoned and my sister in law was yacking about another boyfriend or something. I was able to actually respond to her yacking yet I had no idea what she was yacking about. I was just staring at a lampshade thinking about absolutely nothing. As someone with ADD I have to say it was one of the most lovely moments of my life.

Answer 6

accomplish this and You can manage Your thoughts:



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Love and Believe in Our Creator;
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Answer 7

What do you mean by silencing thoughts? Do you want to discipline your thoughts? If so, singing a song in your head or replacing the thoughts with new thoughts is probably the only way.

If your thoughts are really bad, you might want to consider therapy.

Answer 8

I have never managed to do it but I know a lot of people who claim they can. I'd like to be able to do it just to see what it feels like to have a completely empty head but I think it's natural to be afraid of that too, which is probably why I always fail. Good luck in your quest.:)

Answer 9

Sounds like you are trying to attain one of the same goals as Zen Buddhism. You should be able to find information about their meditative practices online or in a sufficiently well-stocked bookstore.

Answer 10

i actually get this after I have had a long prayer session. for me it indicates presence of the holy spirit and is completely peaceful in my mind and body. it's the only time I ever, ever experience this as by nature i have a racing mind and a lot of mental traffic. its' not something i've learnt, i tried meditation for ten years and it didnt work, but this experience happens naturally. kind of like a blanket coming down but in a nice way. the only clear and peaceful time of my day! kind of like a person who can't see properly putting on their glasses and everything is crystal clear, only it's mental and spiritual.