Struggles & Identity > Thoughts

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You know what I always wonder..?

I wonder about the people who use the term, 'I'm thinking to myself.' .. do they have some some form of ESP or something? When you say you're thinking to yourself, you imply that you have other options of people you could be thinking to but at that time you were only thinking to yourself. The definition of the word thinking already implies that you're going to be doing it to yourself. As far as I know, we can't think to other people , so unless you're trying to bulk up your word count in an essay or something,, you can leave that whole part about yourself out and quit confusing me, cuz I'm assuming that anybody who thinks, thinks to themselves. Just say 'I'm thinking' and it means the same thing but better cuz it's nice and clear and saves time. After all, time is life.

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SW-User

Start with simple personal experience. Just five minutes of attempting "keep the mind on the breath" meditation. Keep the mind on the breath - in......out. Stray thoughts will pop into the mind. Unwilled.

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SW-User

@Jayciedubb Well, no. "Empty mind" is not an empty mind.

But hey, don't let me confuse you!

😀

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@SW-User okay. What's the difference?

SW-User

@Jayciedubb I'd say that the "empty" zen mind is empty of the garbage, the constant reactive chatter, of our day to day lives.

Maybe the words of Dogen will help:-

Conveying oneself toward all things to carry out practice-enlightenment is delusion. All things coming and carrying out practice-enlightenment through the self is realization.

Our chatter is about imposing ourself upon the reality unfolding. Instead of allowing reality to "unfold" through us.

[i]Whoever told people that ‘Mind’ means thoughts, opinions, ideas and concepts? Mind means trees, fence posts, tiles and grasses.” – (Dogen)

Entwistle · 56-60, M

Thoughts exist but no thinker of them can be found.
There is no 'me' no 'i' experiencing the thoughts.

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@Entwistle now thats deep. I think i understand. It's like the reason I always say the wheel is not an invention it's a discovery. Something like that? But can you imagine if they could trace back to the inventor of the wheel and get royalties for their family LOL

helenS · 36-40, F

@Entwistle another adherent of an ontological thought theory! 👍🏾

Amor69Fati · 56-60, M

@Entwistle very interesting.. 🤔

HoraceGreenley · 56-60, M

Sounds like you have too much time on your hands

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@HoraceGreenley that may or may not be. One thing for sure I'm still not going to be wasting any of it thinking to myself. The truth is, I don't know how much time I have until I'm out of it..

Budwick · 70-79, M

You are over thinking this.

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@Budwick for you, maybe. For me, it's just thinking (to myself 🤪)

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@Budwick since when is streamlining considered to be overthinking?

Adstar · 56-60, M

When a person says they are thinking to themselves it usually means they have not yet come to a solid Point of View on a topic.. They are holding an internal debate..

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@Adstar this is what grammarly has to say on the matter

"Reflexive pronouns as intensive pronouns
Intensive pronouns are reflexive pronouns that are used to emphasize the subject or antecedent in a sentence, often in the sense of “and not someone else.” You can tell when a word ending in -self or -selves is being used as an intensive pronoun because the sentence it is part of will not change in meaning significantly if you remove it. "

See the "and not someone else" part? Since it's not possible to think to anybody else but yourself, no intensive pronoun is needed.

Starcrossed · 41-45, F

Can you not "think out loud" to others?

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@Starcrossed that's a whole different word. It's called talking.

Starcrossed · 41-45, F

@Jayciedubb but what if it's more of a monologue not looking for feedback but more of just a soundboard...

Jayciedubb · 56-60, M

@Starcrossed you mean something like a lecture or a dictation? Even if it was something you could do to somebody else, you still wouldn't have to mention that you were doing it to yourself. By saying you were thinking will always imply that you're doing it to yourself unless otherwise noted. Like you said, thinking out loud. I would understand what you meant. If you just said thinking, I would assume you're doing it to yourself

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