This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video Guided Meditation: Non-Clinging Thinking; Intro to Mindfulness Pt 2 (20) Thinking rom Non-Clinging. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.
Guided Meditation: Non-Clinging Thinking; Dharmette: Intro to Mindfulness Pt 2 (20) Thinking from Non-Clinging - Gil Fronsdal
The following talk was given by Gil Fronsdal at Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA on March 29, 2024. Please visit the website www.audiodharma.org for more information.
Guided Meditation: Non-Clinging Thinking
Hello everyone. For this final meditation on the topic of the week—the symptoms or the consequences of letting go, or the consequences of non-clinging. When we are able to let go of clinging to something, take the time to appreciate the after-effects, the results of that.
One of the consequences is that we are able to think better. When there is a lot of clinging, a lot of attachments, it isn't just that we are attached to one thing; we are being propelled by the momentum of wanting, not wanting, grasping, resisting. It is an accumulation. It is a gathering together. It becomes almost a way by which we are thinking. We are thinking motivated or driven by the very force of attachment, force of clinging, force of preoccupation, force of worry that we have.
Thinking that comes from that kind of pressure is not usually the best kind of thinking we can have. It limits the fullness or the deep capacity we have to think, to reflect. We think much better, wiser, kinder, more loving—wiser is probably the word I like to use the most—when we have let go. When our thinking is not being driven by clinging.
So, one of the symptoms of non-clinging is feeling, sensing, and experiencing a wiser, more useful, more connected way of thinking. In meditation that plays out in that we are not so preoccupied. We are not preoccupied at all to think about things that have nothing to do with meditation, or to say it more precisely, that have nothing to do with connecting to what is happening as present-moment experience. The mind might be thinking about the future, planning, or worrying, but the deep thinking is thinking that helps us to have an overview of what is going on. For us to see clearly, "Oh, this is thinking about the future." There is a deeper place from which we observe, we reflect, we consider what is happening, including considering the surface thinking we have—that is the thinking that comes from when there is still some of this momentum of grasping that might be operating.
So it is not a matter of in meditation thinking or not thinking; it is a matter of thinking superficially, or with blinders on, or thinking with agendas, versus thinking in a deeper, holistic way. A way that feels the thinking connects us to the present moment as opposed to thinking that takes us away from it. That thinking tends to be quieter, slower, more peaceful. It is a thinking that doesn't need to think. It is a thinking that points almost to that which is beyond thinking. It is almost as if you can sense in that deep thinking the quiet, or the peace, or the stillness, or the well-being, the expansiveness within which this deep thinking is occurring.
And so as we let go in this meditation, you might want to see if that gives you an opportunity to have this deep form of thinking. This more holistic, quieter, peaceful thinking that points you or keeps you in this very rich and valuable connection to yourself, to reality, that is all about what is happening here and now. And as I said, your surface mind might still be thinking about other things, but the deep mind sees it all clearly and is not tricked to be pulled away from here.
So, assuming a meditation posture, and thinking of the posture a little bit like a temple, or a sacred grove, or a peaceful spot that you have known in nature or at home. Let the posture you take be somewhat intentional so it can house a deeper connection, a deeper source for thinking.
Gently close your eyes. Gently, intentionally, in a slow way, take a few long, slow, deep breaths. Relaxing as you exhale. And then letting your breathing return to normal.
As you exhale, relax the muscles of your face. The tensions we carry in our body are part of this accumulated tension that perpetuates the shallow thinking, the surface thinking, the thinking which has a compulsion behind it. Relaxing the body is a beginning of softening that compulsive thinking.
As you exhale, relaxing the shoulders. Softening. Softening the belly. And then taking some time to feel and sense the momentum, or energy, or pressure in the thinking mind. And as you exhale, soften, relax, quiet the thinking mind.
And then settling into your breathing. And with every exhale, let go of whatever you are thinking about. Let go of preoccupation with what you are thinking about. Let go while you exhale so you are able to receive the inhale with a freshness or an openness.
For a little bit longer, with every exhale, let go of your thoughts—any thoughts—so that when you inhale you can be more connected to your immediate experience here and now. Maybe through the sensations of inhaling, maybe through your body's experience, or maybe through a present-moment recognition of what is happening to you. Otherwise, let go with the exhale, and then remember to be present here and now on the inhale.
Continuing on the exhale to let go. Let go of any momentum, any preoccupation. Let go of even what you are not attached to for these few moments as you exhale, so it is clear here nothing you are holding on to. If you can't let go, relax, soften, lessen the attachment to whatever degree you can.
And then as you inhale, from the profoundest place you know within, or the most holistic way you know, use the simplest possible thought to connect you to what is happening here and now. Maybe the simple thought "this," or "here," or "now." An upwelling of a deeper way of thinking that puts you in a partnership with the deepest, fullest place within—a place of non-clinging, non-attachment.
And then gently, softly, take just a little bit deeper inhales than usual in meditation so you can have a longer exhale in which to let go, relax, settle in more deeply into yourself. Letting go of the tension or pressure, agitation that might be associated with thinking. A softening of the thinking mind.
And from whatever degree of letting go, relaxing, being present you have, see if there can well up from within some wisdom that you have, some way of thinking about the present moment, about practicing in the present moment that you have. What wise way can you think about being here and now? Thinking about how it is valuable so that it connects you to that very way of being.
And then from this deeper source of thinking—a quieter place, a wiser place within—from that place turn your gaze outward into the world. To the people you will meet today, both people you know and strangers on the streets. And from a deeper place of wisdom, deeper place of non-clinging, what for you would be a friendly, respectful, kind way of gazing upon the people in your life?
And maybe perhaps from this deep place these following words will resonate for you:
May others be happy. May others be safe. May others be peaceful. May others be free.
And may I look upon the world with those wishes1. May my thinking, my way of being, support this way of seeing everyone. May all beings be happy.
Thank you.
Dharmette: Intro to Mindfulness Pt 2 (20) Thinking from Non-Clinging
Hello and welcome to this last talk on the results or symptoms of non-clinging.
Non-clinging—letting go of clinging, dissolving clinging, having clinging lessen and lessen until maybe it disappears—these are not easy to do. And it can't be done necessarily by just sitting down and saying "let go, let go, let go," like we did in the last meditation. But as we keep practicing, every time we come back to breathing, every time we come back to mindfulness—a moment of clarity of knowing and seeing—that is a kind of letting go. Or maybe a different way of saying it is a way of no longer feeding the clinging we have, the attachments we have. It might not seem very significant, one moment like that, but the accumulation of moments of not feeding or clinging, not being involved in our clinging, has dramatic results.
You can see and highlight this if you remember or consider that for many of us, we have spent decades with a kind of thinking that is being propelled by some forms of compulsion, attachment, clinging, wanting, not wanting. Given that we have done decades of that, the amount of time it takes to begin softening and relaxing is relatively short. Even though the process might be imperceptible in the moment, it still can happen much faster than the opposite happened.
So as we begin to lessen our attachments, lessen that drive to be attached, to be clinging, to be repressing, to be resisting—whatever form the attachment takes—at some point something begins shifting within us. And it is not just a matter of clinging or not clinging, but it is beginning to appreciate something that is growing within us: a different way of being, a different sensibility. That has been the theme for this week.
So, there can grow a sense of well-being, a sense of spaciousness, expansiveness, a sense of peace and ease. There can grow a sense of feeling more connected to our life and what is happening now. There can also arise a deeper sense of creative thinking, or a deeper wellspring of thinking in a new way, a different way, a better way.
If there have been times when I felt kind of overwhelmed by things in my life—too much happening and my mind is kind of spinning and actively running and jumping around from one thing to the other—I have learned when that happens I will go sit down and meditate for a while. Sometimes it doesn't take that long for things to settle and relax enough that it changes the quality and characteristics of my thinking. And now my thinking is not jumping so much; it is more relaxed and settled and able to address in a clear way one thing at a time, whatever the issue is, rather than jumping around and hopping.
As we let go, the letting go is not just a surface thing we do. It begins opening up and releasing the wellspring of intelligence that is in the whole of who we are. Whenever there is attachment, whenever there is clinging, whenever there is repression going on, we are limiting ourselves. We are restricting ourselves. And the movement in this practice towards freedom is to have an unrestricted feeling within. Doesn't mean we are unrestricted to do whatever we feel like we want to do, but there is no sense of anything here being restricted in the movements within us.
And so then there can be a very different way of thinking. And deep meditation sometimes has a certain kind of rudimentary, simple, very light, very calm, almost silent way of thinking that is about the present moment experience. This is the deeper source of where wisdom can arise.
And so, when you have non-clinging—not easy to do, but certainly possible for every single one of you—as you begin sensing that you are letting go or relaxing even temporarily, one of the things to appreciate is the different way that you think. Maybe I talk about it being a deeper or more profound way of thinking. Some of you might have a different vocabulary for it. It might be that it feels the thinking is more holistic, or simply that the thinking is more calm—it is more settled thinking. But one way or the other, it doesn't have to be any of these words. It can be your own discovery for yourself of what the difference is between thinking that is driven by clinging—thinking that is compulsive thinking, jumping thinking, agitated thinking, scared thinking—versus thinking when we are settled at ease, feeling safe, feeling contented, feeling here. We are really here in the moment in its fullness. And then can you see how for you there are two different ways of thinking?
I am particularly fond of these days about the idea of profound contemplation: a deep way of thinking from deep within, from the belly almost. That settled and connected feeling of being really in the body, holistic and here. And that what wells up from within, and then thinking can be... there is a different kind of intelligence, there is a different form of creativity, different form of wisdom that can come.
One manifestation of that, when I first was living at a Buddhist Monastery, was the creativity that started flowing through me that hadn't existed in my life before. I started writing poetry. I started doing art as a way of giving voice to this deeper wellspring of emotions, even creativity, that I had. And certainly the art, certainly the poetry, required some kind of thinking, but it was a very different kind of thinking. Sometimes there was a kind of spontaneity to it and a connectivity to it, a freedom to it where sometimes it feels like it is not me thinking. I can't take ownership of those thoughts because they seem to be just coming from some place deep inside that knows better, knows best.
Not that we should automatically believe everything that comes from this deeper place—there is always a place for checks and balances, to take a second look at whatever we are thinking and question everything. But it can be so satisfying to think in some deeper source within, where kind of thinking flows in a very satisfying way. Maybe even a sense of flow with what emerges from us. Some people find that happens when they think from that way as they write, that they are writing it out and there can be a sense of flow and spontaneity and even surprise by what might come.
So, I would like to repeat what I said: that the way I describe this doesn't have to be how it actually is for you. The important principle is that you might, as you begin to relax, settle, get calmer, less driven by attachments, that you might notice that the nature of your thinking changes. And it is valuable to see that change and it may be appreciated if it feels right, then feels good. Because the appreciation of the consequences of non-clinging strengthens the value, strengthens our connection to non-clinging. If it is just a matter of non-clinging and like that is all it feels like I am doing, then why would we do it? But we start feeling the benefits from it. And feel—the choice word here—to really feel it, to sense it, to experience it. Then non-clinging is not the duty then, and it is not just simply to let go of something that is some suffering we have. We let go also to receive the benefits of a life of freedom, a life of mindfulness, and we are coming home to these benefits.
So, thank you very much and I hope that this week has filled out and expanded the domain, the realm of mindfulness. So this has been a long series now since the beginning of the year on the introduction to mindfulness. And in some ways this is the kind of a culmination of the basic mindfulness instruction that also includes being mindful of the consequences of the practice: the good, the benefits that come from it.
So thank you all very much. I will be away for the next three weeks and I will miss being here with all of you, but you will be in very good hands with the other teachers who come. Next week it is Diana Clark, one of the wonderful teachers here at IMC, and Kim Allen the following week, and the following week is Dawn Neal2. So they are three really good teachers, they have been here before, and I feel very fortunate to have them substituting. And I will be back on the 21st of April.
I hope you all stay well and connected and find your deeper source of creativity and intelligence and wisdom through this practice. Thank you very much.