Removing Negative Thoughts: Five Early Buddhist Techniques
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- We will discuss five techniques in early Buddhism for removing negative thoughts. Often it's said that we should simply observe thoughts arise and pass, not trying to influence them. This is a very good practice, but the Buddha suggested others that are more active. We will describe these five techniques and discuss why they should be considered more advanced practices, and why they may be problematic. Especially the last one!
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Some years ago during a bout of intense physical pain, due to a serious health condition, I found myself naturally gritting my teeth, and during this intense discomfort I remembered the Buddha's teaching on the impermanence of all phenomena. A thought arose, "Even this will pass ...even if it kills me!" ^^
Yes indeed. One way or another we will be through it, but we cling to life so have a strong preference! 😄
I really love your channel. It's helped me in so many ways as a practitioner and therapist.
I'm so glad to hear!
Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!
🙏🙏🙏
thank you, doug!
My pleasure!
Thank you!
🙏😊
something I'm personally struggling with. this was very helpful - thanks.
Very welcome Todd, thanks for the comment!
I love how direct, strong, shocking, (sometimes subtle), but always wise, the Buddha's similes are.
Yes they are incisive!
I love your videos Doug. Ty for everything
You're very welcome Victor!
Thank you so much for teachings! 🙏🏾
Any time Quincey! 🙏🙂
Thank you for your videos!!!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the comment. 🙏
I am reproducing what I read from a TNH book:
Even during the Buddha’s lifetime, there were people such as the monk Arittha, who misunderstood the Buddha’s teachings and conveyed them incorrectly.3 It is also apparent that some of the monks who memorized the sutras over the centuries did not understand their deepest meaning, or at the very least, they forgot or changed some words. As a result, some of the Buddha’s teachings were distorted even before they were written down. Before the Buddha attained full realization of the path, for example, he had tried various methods to suppress his mind, and they did not work. In one discourse, he recounted:
I thought, Why don’t I grit my teeth, press my tongue against my palate, and use my mind to repress my mind? Then, as a wrestler might take hold of the head or the shoulders of someone weaker than he, and, in order to restrain and coerce that person, he has to hold him down constantly without letting go for a moment, so I gritted my teeth, pressed my tongue against my palate, and used my mind to suppress my mind. As I did this, I was bathed in sweat. Although I was not lacking in strength, although I maintained mindfulness and did not fall from mindfulness, my body and my mind were not at peace, and I was exhausted by these efforts. This practice caused other feelings of pain to arise in me besides the pain associated with the austerities, and I was not able to tame my mind.
4 Obviously, the Buddha was telling us not to practice in this way. Yet this passage was later inserted into other discourses to convey exactly the opposite meaning:
Just as a wrestler takes hold of the head or the shoulders of someone weaker than himself, restrains and coerces that person, and holds him down constantly, not letting go for one moment, so a monk who meditates in order to stop all unwholesome thoughts of desire and aversion, when these thoughts continue to arise, should grit his teeth, press his tongue against his palate, and do his best to use his mind to beat down and defeat his mind.
5 Often, we need to study several discourses and compare them in order to understand which is the true teaching of the Buddha. It is like stringing precious jewels together to make a necklace. If we see each sutra in light of the overall body of teachings, we will not be attached to any one teaching. With comparative study and looking deeply into the meaning of the texts, we can surmise what is a solid teaching that will help our practice and what is probably an incorrect transmission.
Hanh, Thich Nhat. The Heart Of Buddha's Teaching (pp. 14-15). Ebury Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Thanks for that Ravi. While I think TNH's opinion is intriguing I don't see any reason to deny that this teaching goes back to the Buddha. It is possible that he was being ironic, but I expect that if he were being so he would have said. He is usually pretty clear about that sort of thing. My suspicion is that the Buddha included this as a stopgap measure that we were to use only in extreme circumstances for short periods of time. It certainly wasn't supposed to be a practice we used a lot.
A practical application of method no. 5 may be the repeated chanting of mantras like Buddho to focus the mind from distracting thoughts which is liken to using force to silence the mind
The hermeneutic circle.
Thank you, Doug. The combination of the written dharma and application of those words is valued.
You’re very welcome Mark, but thank you so much as well for watching, and for joining up to lend a hand on Patreon! 🙏
Congratulations on 10,000 subs!! I hope to one day get there, I’m almost halfway!
Hey that’s great Brady. Keep pushing that rock up the hill! 👍
I think that first, as the Thai Forest practitioners often do; one must build strong concentration and mindfulness, and only then we can apply them or try to come up with vipassana techniques.
Yes that's true. We can do vipassana techniques throughout, but they won't be as effective until we have good concentration. I can't say I'm there yet myself. 😄
Congrats on the 10k Subscribers! Your videos helped me so much in understanding Buddhism much more clearly. I still don't call myself a Buddhist, but thanks to you I meditate daily and read more material on Buddhism.
That’s great Psycho-Hagop, glad to hear you’re meditating regularly and learning about the dharma! I wouldn’t worry about titles and concepts like “being a Buddhist”. They don’t really matter in the long run. 🙂
I'm glad I found this channel. I've been diving into all the religions of the world for a while now and have just began my Buddhism journey. Very informative video! I'll take some time to watch your others. Keep up the great work. This is very easy to understand.
Glad you're finding it easy to understand, chaotictruth, and thanks for watching and commenting!
revisiting this one. By far this video is the piece of knowledge that helped me the most in my practice. I've been using the first two tool very successfully to remove undesired thoughts. I going to start using the fourth tool (analysing them) to engaje in boring activities , but in the oposite direction; how can I improve my performance (working, washing the dishes, studing), how this relates to other areas of my life? what processes can be improved?. I'll let you know the results.
That's great, let us know how it goes!
I forgot about this Sutta. Thank you Doug, you did a great job explaining it. Not for everyone but works well for me.
My pleasure, Alex. 🙏
samma voyama, the right effort is one of my favorite subjects within the darma, thanks again ;-)
Yes, right effort is key! 🙏
You are one of best teachers od Dhamma🙏
Thanks CA, that’s very kind of you to say.
Thank you for this.. ❤
You're most welcome! 🙏
Excellent discourse. The fourth one reminds of of the quote, not thinking about anything is Zen.
Thanks DJ, maybe so!
Very good. Thank you.
You're very welcome Mark!
Very nice video Doug!
Interesting that the "forgetting" method seems to be almost the opposite of the "stilling" method.
Yes Andrés they are sort of opposite. I think it's a matter of being skillful in your use of different techniques, finding which ones work in a given situation, and when they might be necessary.
One thing I've found that is helpful is to change what you take in. I've been meditating daily for alomst fourty days now, and I've found it both helpful and relatively easy to give up negative, violent, and provocative media. The harder part is dealing with those same tendencies within my own thoughts, though I suspect that'll lessen as time passes.
Yes, it's easier to look away from the thoughts of others than to train our own mind not to promote unhelpful thoughts. It does take practice but over months and years it does get a bit easier, and one just finds oneself less interested in such kinds of thinking. Keep at it! 🙂
Made me realize that suppressing unwholesome thoughts with mindfulness is not advisable in the long run
Yes, suppressing thoughts in general isn't a great long-term strategy. Though it can work in a pinch, it's better to face them and work skillfully with them so they don't return.
I struggle with doubt. I mostly doubt my approach and my understanding of meditation practices. I have been practicing for years so shouldn't still have this issue. Sometimes I stumble on reasons to doubt whilst practicing vipassana or when I'm just in a relaxed concentrative state. This usually pulls me out of my mind state abruptly in a kind of panic, and then I cannot recall my reason for doubting my approach. I then get stuck. This is obsessional thinking and it can be difficult to get past because it seems to logically follow that if I am unable to remember why I had doubt, then I am then unable to thoroughly check if my reason to doubt was correct. Therefore, I cannot bring myself to let go of the doubtful feeling. Not sure if this makes any sense to anyone else but me. This happens time and time again. This experience becomes particularly magnified whilst I'm practicing meditation.
Interesting! Maybe just try sitting with the doubt for awhile. In Zen Buddhism, doubt is even thought of as beneficial.
@@DougsDharma I'll look into the Zen approach and give it a go. Thanks
Thank you very much. I have been thinking all along that the 1st method and the 3rd method are very similar and how to distinguish between them. Here you give very good examples like to go for a walk and others for the 3rd method. Just forget but no need to make a wholesome thought. Another point about mindfulness technique of watching breath by bare attention, I think many people miss the actual method that the Buddha tried to teach because he said we shoud do it like a skilful turner that when he pulls long he knows, when he pull short he knows ( I use different words) , the actual words in Satipatthana Sutta are "Monks, it is like a clever turner or turner's apprentice who, making a long (turn), comprehends, ‘I am making a long (turn)’; or when making a short (turn) comprehends, ‘I am making a short (turn).’ Even so, monks, does a monk who is breathing in a long (breath) comprehend, ‘I am breathing in a long (breath)’; or when breathing out a long (breath) he comprehends, ‘I am breathing out a long (breath)’; or when breathing in a short (breath) he comprehends, ‘I am breathing in a short (breath)’; or when breathing out a short (breath) he comprehends, ‘I am breathing out a short (breath).’ So it means that we do not just watch it without doing anything (bare attention), but we deliberately make it long and short to help us focus more intensly. Then after that when we are used to it, we start to observe the effect that the breath do to the body, then after that we calm it down. Actually, it should be that way automatically because once the body and mind start to get relaxed (passatti), it enters this stage by itself. Also at the very beginning when we deliberately pull and push the breaths long, it helps relaxing the body just like in the preparation stage of hypnosis and the Buddha seems to know about this pheonomena so he tells us to do this first so the body and mind can calm down easily. Then later in history of mindfulness the people who took it misunderstand this part or did not pay attention to the skillful turner part. He doesn't let the thing just move by itself but he deliberately controls the movement attentively. Another point is that I think these five methods can be used at any stage especially at the very beginning because the beginner is not used to think calmly and these five methods help a lot. And to get the higher mind means any step can get the mind higher. Thank you.
You’re very welcome Anant! Yes, these breathing methods could involve deliberate decisions, but they also might not. I think the instructions are general enough to allow of either option.
@@DougsDharma I am not sure that it is general enough about the clever turner part. Otherwise it would not be mentioned there. However, what technique works for anybody, it is good enough.
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Congratulations on your 10k. Have you thought about monetizing your RUclips channel? I really would not mind watching ads at all if it helps you in any way. For YOU, I'd watch it religiously.
Thanks Dale that’s very kind of you. In general I’d prefer to find other ways to make the work feasible which is why I set up a Patreon page (link in the description in case you are interested! 😀) and started producing courses over at onlinedharma.org. But we’ll see how it goes! It may also be that RUclips eventually decides that monetization is in their interest as well and pushes towards that end. It’s all a work in progress.
Can you please make a video on kali ma in the Tibetan tantric tradition. Whats her importance in kalachakra. It really intrigued me but I don’t know where to find my answers
Thanks for the question Karma, that's a bit out of the purview of this channel which is directed mostly towards early Buddhism.
Okay . Thank you
Great video
Doug question
If some negative thoughts come from spiritual attacks does the Buddhist teach how to deal with demonic entities.
Thanks
Dave
I believe there are discussions in the early suttas of dealing with supernatural influences. Lovingkindness is one primary practice.
I struggle with OCD intrusive thoughts, very disturbing or scary thoughts and they tend to want to pop up mostly whenever I’m doing good or doing something helpful. Meditation consist of when they want to disturb me most , they worsen or go fully away from time to time.. I’ve been able to put off attachment, desire, etc throughout meditation so these are the only problems holding me back , I might have to try the last resort technique.. I’ve been meditated for a year now
Well to an extent we all have to deal with restless thoughts from time to time in meditation, or at least we have to until we are very, very accomplished. So it's nothing to get upset about, simply time for more practice. 🙂
@@DougsDharma Thanks for the motivation and encouragement. Blessings to you🤍🙏🏼
OK, I get it, although the language is very different from my understanding: unwanted "thoughts" in the Buddhist terminology is what I would call emotional colouring. In my own terminology this would be removing the emotional colouring, to think objectively. I will experiment by exploring another idea: pushing out the emotional colouring by labeling it, try to think about the problem objectively, then put back the emotional colouring and see what will happen. The Buddha didn't tell me this, ... I just conceived it by myself, since it appears like a good idea.
Yes, there are many possible practices, yours sounds like an interesting one to consider Rursus.
hello doug .u are explaining very difficult concepts of buddhism in a simpler manner .i request you to please make a video on Dr ambedkars interpretation of buddhism from the book "Buddha and his Dhamma .dr ambedkar has rejected the core principles in buddhism .ie the four noble truths .his opinion was that it has been inserted by some brahministic guru.also explain how buddha rejected soul and gave the conception of rebirth
Thanks Pratik. I discussed Dr. Ambedkar's version of Buddhism in an earlier video you can see here: ruclips.net/video/qlH_qieCgCA/видео.html
5 sounds like Steve Earle singing 'You gotta keep the devil down in the hole.' this might be a helpful last resort thought. sing along with Steve.
Is there an oposite direction Tool? Tô reinforce positive feelings/toughts? Thanks already :-)
I think it's called "practice", but that might be too broad a category! 😄
Forget about your thoughts, trying to force them away or suppress them seems against everything I thought buddism is, so I find it strange the Buddha advised people to try this.
For me its more about accepting the thoughts as they are, knowing nothing is permanent and allowing them to come and go.
Yes, for me as well Dan. There is some debate about what the Buddha meant by suggesting such strong effort. But I think most likely he meant us only to use it in very difficult circumstances where it could keep us from acting wrongly.
@@DougsDharma Very interesting video nonetheless im glad you share the same view as me. I haven't done as much research as yourself in the buddas teachings as yourself but is there any texts that say he preferred the mindfulness technique over these listed here?
@@fulldrawpainting Not to my knowledge.
@@DougsDharma then it confuses me as to why these techniques are largely not used and most buddist teachers I've seen use the more execpting approach of thoughts even though the buddah has recommended these 5 instead.
Then again answering my own question really. The buddha had "mindfulness" in the eight fold path. So I suppose he did prefer this method as its a fundamental part of his teachings 😄
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Are you refering to MN 20?
Yes, a link to it is included in the show notes.
The easier method to get full enlightenment is the method of Amitabha Buddha 🙏, the sutras about Amitabha are very good for everybody who want to improve from a slow level of understanding. Could you speak about Amitabha Buddha and his pure land or you don't know?. You should read the buddha speaks of Amitabha sutra. This sutra is very known in the Mahayana branch.
I may do a video on Pure Land Buddhism eventually, thanks!
@@DougsDharma yes but read the sutras of it hahaha then you could understand it better, and some commentaries like master hsuan hua, you can go to his website, there are commentaries and translated sutras from chinese. You will help plenty of people if you show and give the pure land methods. I have a small foundation, my friend is chinese but speak English so well, she make videos in english and I will do them in some months but in spanish i just need to study the sutras a bit more. Our very small foundation is Namo amitabha buddha. You can go and have a check on the videos, you can learn a lot from them too.
Hi Doug, I looked up "asati" and the only definition I can find is "unchaste woman or wife." Please clarify. Also, you use the word "simile" incorrectly. Similes use the words "like" or "as." Examples: He's drunk as a skunk. He swims like a fish. Thanks.
"Asati" is the opposite of "sati", so it means to be unmindful, or forgetful. ("Sati" literally means "memory"). And these are similes, they use the word "like". I believe I did as well in the video; if I didn't, it was a mistake!
Hmm, interesting. the desire,hatred, delusion are the three error roots. That mean, behind any kind of error or bad work, these roots are there. Also non desire, non hatred, non delusion are three merit roots. The desire & hatred are occuring due to delusion. Non desire, non hatred are occuring due to non delusion. Therefore if you are going to replace bad thoughts (hatred) from good thoughts(non hatred) , it is imposible to do it without replacing ignorance( the root). Especially these error & merit roots are working in combination. If you go to a shop to get a drees & it is not there, you will try anotherone. otherwise you will hate the shoper or abuse him. Because delusion & desire can temt to do bad things. But non delusion( non attachment) & non desire put you in another way. Therefore you cannot replce bad thoughts from good thoughts until the ignorance is there. It always impel somone to errors or attempt you from having skilful thoughts. The delusion can be replaced by non delusion.these techniques are realy for identifying the main roots. Becasue the ignorance is main sin root & finaly to minimise it. Someone couldnt have non hatred insted of hatred, non desire insted of desire because of ignorance. These information are there in wright viwe sutta. You can watch out if you interest. Also you will see its connection with eight hold path. Also the dharma buddha has said cannot be take under small topics simply without deep understanding of what buddha has said.
Thanks for your thoughts Darshana. The practice is partly one of replacement. It is however a long practice; it doesn't work quickly. This is the essence of Right Effort in the Eightfold Path, in particular the second and third aspects of Right Effort.
It is realy practical doug. as i said these three error & merit roots are working in combination in human mind & are always there. You may have seen somepeople are having good thoughts with their works with others. Some People are not going to replace thire bad thoughts from good thoughts. This is because non ignorance & ignorance. Same person can have non delusion at sometimes and delusion at anothertime. That is why we need to identyfy it. It is the right viwe. Also the right effort cannot be practiced without right viwe. Thats why it is the ferst thing to have remaining things. The right viwe sutta in my comment is a case of a person who asks the extent of right viwe. Because there are several sutta called right viwe.
Buddishm is awareness of the
(Ten factors ) The life state of the ten worlds from hell to buddhahood .🤣🇯🇵
The last method you described seemed a bit unorthodox or strange. It reminds of what people sometimes do instinctively when they get angry( pressing teeth etc.) Has it worked for anyone? It looks more like a method for dealing with anger or other bad emotions tbh. Is it a method for dealing with bad emotions as well?
Right it does seem strange!
These techniques are ridiculous and as you say spiritual bypassing, that is why in many ways I am not really a Buddhist as a religion which means that there is a lot of dogma.....
Well they can become spiritual bypassing if misused. They are relatively advanced techniques I think for the most part. Each of us has to find what works for us.
Thank you!
You're welcome!