Both Michael and Adyashanti talk about how our belief in our thoughts leads to suffering. Remember Michael's reference to the neurotic roommate in TUS? If we listen to and believe that incessant chatter we will suffer.
Here is what Adyashanti has to say about our thoughts
"when we believe our thoughts, in that instant we begin to live in the world of dreams, where the mind conceptualizes an entire world that doesn't actually exist anywhere but in the mind itself. At that moment, we begin to experience a sense of isolation, where we no longer feel connected to each other in a very rich and human way, but we find ourselves receding more and more into the world of our minds, into the world of our own creation." (falling into Grace, p. 8)
Sad isn't it, to isolate ourselves in a world of our own creation instead of living in the real world?
On one of his CDs (The World, the Mind, the Heart, and You) Michael talks about the fact that thoughts in our head do not come from us. The thoughts are a result of past experiences, genetic predispositions, the society in which we live... Thoughts have a life of their own. They come and go when they please.
I am the Observer of the thoughts. I am the space in which thinking happens.
So what if I REALLY knew this and was able to let go of this attachment to the thoughts in my head? Remember Michael's analogy of the brave dog who went through the shock of the electric fence so that he could live a life of freedom? I'd imagine that letting go of our attachment to thoughts would be painful at first (i.e., we would experience the fear of the unknown since we are no longer relying on our thoughts to help us feel a false sense of safety and control in life). And then we would begin to experience the freedom that exists on the other side of the ego!
Yesterday, I was having a conversation about Spiritual principles with a new friend and at one point we decided to move our awareness to the space between us, instead of keeping it focused on what each of us was saying individually. This allowed me to detach from my thoughts and brought me into a fuller experience of the moment. I noticed what I was feeling in my body and my emotions. I was aware of discomfort. Of course that never feels good, but if it is there I want to be able to accept it. Distracting myself from the feeling of discomfort by staying stuck in my head is just a way to avoid what is happening in the moment, and that limits my life.
You are not your thoughts and neither am I. We are much more than that. And, we can begin to open to the Truth of who we are by letting go of the attachment to thoughts.
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