Magnolia
Jedi
I have read an author (Thomas Hora, M.D.) who also posits that the source of thoughts is external to the thinker. He states thoughts are not generated by a “brain.” Instead, “thoughts ‘obtain’.” He states, “The thoughts which obtain in our consciousness are determined by the perspective which we have on life.” Thoughts obtain because we “invite” them in, extend hospitality to them........they are “involuntarily voluntary” presences. He also states, “whatever is in consciousness has a tendency to externalize itself in behavior, action, speech, symptoms, or experiences. Therefore it behooves us to be very careful of our guests and be very selective about the thoughts we entertain.” As a Chinese sage said: "We cannot prevent birds flying over our heads, but we need not let them nest in our hair."
He also explains where thoughts come from, but it is difficult to explain without getting into many of his ideas and his specific terminology (e.g., "interaction thinking," "self-confirmatory ideation," "mode-of-being-in-the-world," "valid/invalid thoughts").
Who is this guy? Thomas Hora (a psychiatrist, 1914-1995) came to realize that what he learned in university failed to heal people, so he studied extensively and wrote a number of books on "epistimology" (which he describes as the science of knowing) and “metapsychiatry” (beyond psychiatry). Like many, he discovered “physician, heal thyself,” was the first priority to serving others. His books include Beyond the Dream (an exposition of what he discovered through study and meditation) and One Mind (problem-solving dialogues with students).
“We live in a mental universe,” said Dr. Hora, “and thought is the basic stuff of life.”
“Where there are humans,
You'll find flies,
And Buddhas.”
― Kobayashi Issa
Hora is hard on the "ego" -- which is helpful (since Zen suggests 'erase your self utterly') but the ego's pride and delusional self-concept/vanity also comprise the major stumbling blocks to understanding the ideas he presents with ease.
Ego:
“Like vanishing dew,
a passing apparition
or the sudden flash
of lightning -- already gone --
thus should one regard one's self.”
― Ikkyu
He also explains where thoughts come from, but it is difficult to explain without getting into many of his ideas and his specific terminology (e.g., "interaction thinking," "self-confirmatory ideation," "mode-of-being-in-the-world," "valid/invalid thoughts").
Who is this guy? Thomas Hora (a psychiatrist, 1914-1995) came to realize that what he learned in university failed to heal people, so he studied extensively and wrote a number of books on "epistimology" (which he describes as the science of knowing) and “metapsychiatry” (beyond psychiatry). Like many, he discovered “physician, heal thyself,” was the first priority to serving others. His books include Beyond the Dream (an exposition of what he discovered through study and meditation) and One Mind (problem-solving dialogues with students).
“We live in a mental universe,” said Dr. Hora, “and thought is the basic stuff of life.”
“Where there are humans,
You'll find flies,
And Buddhas.”
― Kobayashi Issa
Hora is hard on the "ego" -- which is helpful (since Zen suggests 'erase your self utterly') but the ego's pride and delusional self-concept/vanity also comprise the major stumbling blocks to understanding the ideas he presents with ease.
Ego:
“Like vanishing dew,
a passing apparition
or the sudden flash
of lightning -- already gone --
thus should one regard one's self.”
― Ikkyu