Welcome dear Over-Thinkers!!
This book is especially for you. But also for many others who want practical tips and scientific ways of managing your mind and all the thoughts it generates. If you would like to have a calm, clear mind with positive thoughts, then this is a good book to invest in. And it is a super short read – only 128 pages.
The Practice of Not Thinking
-Ryunosuke Koike
The author was born in 1978 in Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan and is a former Buddhist Monk. This book was originally written in Japanese and has been translated by Eriko Sugita, and my thanks to her especially as otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to read this.
THE THINKING DISEASE
The book opens on a provocative note – “By thinking, we can become ignorant.”
Sounds counter-intuitive, does it not? The author presents a very astonishing insight.
“In recent years, there has been a tendency to speak about the brain with a sense of awe and gratitude for its functions. But this information processing device that we all have is a rogue entity that continues to forge ahead in search of thought-provoking stimuli, regardless of the effects on us and whether we’ll end up suffering as a result.”
Sometimes, an unpleasant conversation that hurt you in the past will come to your mind and all over again you might relive the moments. Did you choose to recall that conversation or did it come to your mind without being summoned ? i.e. do you think by your own ‘free will’?
Ryunosuke shares examples that show clearly how our thoughts may not necessarily be governed by our own free will and how they can pull us into negative territory.
So, if we really don’t have any control on the traffic of thoughts in our mind – what should we do? The author suggests some techniques to “overcome our thinking”. And the first step is to fully acknowledge that, in fact, we do not have control over the thoughts our mind generates and that our mind is simply responding to stimuli in the environment we chose to exist in.
There is no free will thinking! Get used to that idea.
“My feeling is that because we think, our ability to concentrate can falter, and we can sometimes get frustrated or lost.”
‘Being aware’ is the opposite of ‘being ignorant’. In that context, Ryunosuke explains that when we allow our mind to flood us with thoughts randomly responding to stimuli, we lose focus. We are not fully aware – we are not telling our mind, ‘wait, where is this thought coming from ? I don’t need this.’
The moment you make that observation when an unruly thought comes up – you will immediately see that the power of that thought will dissipate and weaken. It will no longer trigger strong emotions. Simply because you are ‘aware’, that thought cannot make you behave a certain way.
You dictate your mind, your mind does not dictate you.
DESIRE, ANGER AND UNCERTAINTY
Ryunosuke talks about how we’re constantly receiving different information through our various senses and how the mind responds to the stimuli. The three most strong responses are desire, anger or a feeling of uncertainty – and we get caught up in them.
Ever had a sleepless night? Or woken up at 2 am with a sense of unease? Most likely, the thoughts which you suppressed in the background of your mind from something that bothered you earlier, are now surfacing. They are now able to surface as your mind’s chatter has quieted as you sleep. And then you wake up and are freshly bothered again, and the “monologue in your mind increases in volume”.
Even if you are in a comfortable bed in your home next to loved ones sleeping peacefully, you cannot take in properly these sights and sounds and feel calm and satisfied.
“When we think, our energy is spent on the act of thinking. It means our other senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch – tend to become dulled. Because we’re so focused on thinking about various things, our physical senses are neglected, and our mind and body become out of sync.”
TRAINING TO DISCIPLINE THE MIND IN THE RIGHT WAY
“In Buddhism, the ability to become aware is called the power of the will. The will refers to our ability to recognize things, like a sensor for awareness.”
“Check yourself now and then, setting up an imaginary sensor in the same way that you would set up an alarm system for your home, and ask yourself these questions… What is my mind thinking about now?..”
Ryunosuke delves into the techniques – and this chapter is the heart of the book. Once you fully understand the fact that your mind does not operate at your own free will – this chapter teaches you how to manage it better. You may not be able to curb the thoughts, they will rise any way – but you will be able to choose how to respond. And whether to respond at all.
The author talks about the ways of managing the five senses through which we take in the stimuli that give rise to our thoughts. To be aware while speaking, listening, seeing, eating and touching. To focus on the act and the senses involved.
For example, when you look at a painting – focus on the canvas and nothing else. Look at the textures, the colors, the lines. Increase your awareness deliberately as you see the painting. No other thoughts should cross your mind. Because you are, at that very moment, looking at the painting.
Or, when you are listening to a child – look into their eyes and actively listen to what they are saying. Look at their expressions and try to sense how they must be feeling. Focus on that conversation and no other distractions should interrupt this.
“Shift your mindset from hearing to listening, seeing passively to seeing intentionally, practice sharpening your five senses, and you will begin to get a sense of fulfilment …your temperament may even have improved in the process.”
THE SCIENCE OF IT ALL
The last chapter of the book is a conversation between Ryunosuke and Yuji Ikegaya, a neuroscientist. They explore the relationship between the brain and the mind and yes another interesting insight emerges.
Ikegaya talks about the fact that the brain is instrumental in prolonging survival i.e. recognizing pain and learning to avoid it.
“..negative emotions like pain form the foundation of the brain. I say that because, while the brain is an organ that focuses on the physical…”
The mind on the other hand searches stimulation – the stronger the better. Otherwise, it is bored. In seeking this stimulation, it does not recognize the good or the bad kinds. And that is why, for example, even though we know that anger is bad for us, until it causes us physical pain, we continue to indulge in it and falsely feel a sense of relief when expressing it.
PRACTICE
I am sure many of you have heard the term ‘mindful living’. This book will tell you what that actually means and how to do it.
Meditation need not be a 15 minute activity, but your every waking moment can be calm and fulfilling if you choose to practice the art of ‘not thinking’ by being aware and alert in the present with all your senses.
“Wishing you clean, clear thoughts.”
Ruta
P.S. – Publishing this on International Women’s Day. I think women – most of all – can benefit from this book.
Thanks for the synopsis
Best wishes on the women’s day which I feel is every day every moment. Cheers