Why is it impossible to stop your inner thoughts?

Question

How come it's imposible to stop thinking? And i don't want to hear that monks can quiet their thoughts because their aint no proof that they can and most of us can't. What purpose does continous thoughts serve?

A little peace of mind would be nice...

Answer 1

"Cogito, ergo sum" (Latin: "I think, therefore I am")

Answer 2

I think therefore I am = Western
I think but I am not my thoughts = Eastern
(A summary thanks to Ram Dass) Both are true.

For 20 to 25 years I have been in moderate control of random thought process. Here are two sure fire ways.

Use this six step program. Don't expect a feeling, there is none. Be seated with your back against a couch and put a watch on the floor in front of you. I close my eyes and do the six steps. Once you do this a few times you will get a sense of how to get into it and when to come out. It puts you in Alpha state; which is that phase we go through just before going to sleep. This method just prolongs that state and will reduce your blood pressure as well as calm down random or stray thoughts.

http://www.ucop.edu/humres/eap/relaxationrespone.html

A sure fire way to gain Alpha state is with almost any music CD produced by Steven Halpern. Go to most any major music store and have a listen. If you are put off a little by this music, feel a little edgy or uncomfortable with it -- well it is probably just what you need. Just Yahoo his name. You can sit up and go into Alpha with it; go right to sleep with it, if you want to call it a night; or use it as background under stress.

Ever see people with a nervous habit like nail biting, thumb sucking, knuckle popping, foot tapping, or people who talk constantly and can't shut up? Well thinking can become a nervous habit too.

We have people whose random imaginations are shooting up schools and killing people. My opinion is that continual random thought serves no purpose; unless it burns extra calories. Uncontrolled random thinking is like having a computer which continually downloads updates that were received the previous day.

Random thought may be cluttering up your sleep, or the result of your not getting into a deep sleep, and working out some emotional problems. Not spam here, but a Halpern CD might be one of the best buys you ever made.

Answer 3

It is possible to stop thinking.
What happens when you are in deep sleep?
When you are doing something say you are walking, is it necessary to think? You have ordered your legs to move and it is moving
in this gap what is the necessity to think?
When you are on action you dont need to think.
Try this.
Take a small walk. Just watch your legs moving forward. Dont say anything.
You will find the streams of thought stops a while.
Remember watching is a not thought. it is action.
No mind means doing anything without secondary thoughts.

Answer 4

You can stop listening to them, but the subconscious keeps on comaring picture for accuracy and comes up with reports that you can shut off. How would you like to see pictures all the time? That would be worse. I tried not to think and all these questions came up and I started answering all these questions that I had for a long time really quickly to get rid of them and solved/learned a lot. Sometimes one thought or song will keep circulating and you get in a rut. Many people, maybe even most are in a deep rut with just about the same thinking, over and over with only variations on a theme. I suppose it could be an unresolved/solved problem too. Study gets you new information and resolves questions too. You replace one though with another an grow. New ideas reprogram the brains neurons connections and changes the programming. Most people don't know the latest on the mind and don't know how to use it yet and so much if fueled by emotions, emotional intelligence sites on the web handles that. We've developed the mind and still many of us don't understand the emotions let alone control them. Emotions boggle thinking. Getting a handle on ou emotional world free us to break out of a cycle and the brain thives on new information so iseas can become your first love. Glory to glory. You have to feed a hungry brain. Ideas are like food for the brain. If you keep one too long it goes bad and rots in your mind.

Answer 5

Actually, it's well researched that it is possible to quiet the inner dialog through meditation. Doesn't even take being a monk. Any sufficient trance state will do.

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One you might try -- Sit down at a computer, close down everything but a text editor.

Every single word that enters your mind, type it, even if you have a thought about what you're typing, type that too. Strive to put every single word you think onto the screen.

WIthin ten minutes, my mind goes absolutely silent. If I let myself gain awareness of the silence, I lose the moment, so there's a need to be aware and not aware. It takes a little practice, but it's totally doable.

Answer 6

It isn't impossible, I do it myself when I meditate.

When most people meditate they use "objective meditation" which focuses on a point, a thought or a sound (such as a mantra.) This requires thought in order to focus.

I practice "subjective meditation" which just goes deep within yourself to the exclusion of external distractions and the thought process. I call my means of getting there: "the mantra of silence."

It takes mental discipline, patience, practice and a lot of time. It is also necessary to realize that "the Self" is not the mind. "The Self" is a silent observer that doesn't think, it just takes everything in. This Self is also known as "the silent witness" and "Atman."

Just because one person can't do it does not mean that it can not be done... The first thing that you need to do is to find Atman within yourself!
.

Answer 7

It's NOT impossible! We are actually responsible for our thoughts as to what we ponder or dwell on. We are not responsible for a thought drifting into our head, but if it doesn't serve us well or please God, we CAN reject it and change it.
When we open our mouth and speak, our mind has to stop and listen to what we are saying. Then it can and will return to ponder "bad" thoughts if you don't take charge of it. Our mind is like a spoiled child that needs some rules, boundaries and guidance.
I sometimes repeat my favorite verses from the Bible and say aloud, "devil, these are NOT my thoughts and I command you to take them and go, or go and answer to Jesus. I reject them and refuse to allow this inside my mind". The Bible says if we resist the devil, he will flee. It take persistence and determination, but it is certainly worth the training of our mind so we have peace. God tells us to think on the things that bring peace; things lovely, true, good, and honest.
Sing a lovely song with sweet words or speak inspirational words or scripture. Block the negative with the positive. A "blank" mind is NOT your goal. Your mind is continuous due to it's nature. You can talk to God and then listen to Him. Picture Him in a pleasant way and believe His love for you. Much of our thoughts are just information of what is entering our eye-gates and ear-gates and our physical surroundings and feelings at any given moment. It's a g-o-o-d thing!

Answer 8

I get tired of it too, sometimes.
Especially when I get to worrying about stupid stuff, like conversations I've had & what do they think of me.

Doing an activity that requires concentration might help.
Sports, video game, TV, or watching a cat playing when it's high on catnip.

Answer 9

I have a hard time doing it, but I can at the very least quiet my thoughts to thinking of a single thing--the in and out rhythm of my breath.

Answer 10

It's not impossible, but it does take practice.This is the aim of meditation, to quiet the mind so your consciousness can be heard. It may take several real tries, but you can do it. We've let our minds/computers run things for so long we have forgotten where the off switch is. Keep trying . You will succeed. BTW Great question.

Answer 11

Meditation is a great way of relaxing. It takes practice to become good at it and reap the full benefit of it which really can help you to acquire peace of mind.