What to do!? What to do!? All this thinking is driving me crazy.
It seems we are in a massive think-a-long, one thought clambering after another, some overlapping, some tripping over each other, others lagging behind and holding up the rest of the gang for a moment. The whole thought marathon is just barreling along. Sometimes there are rapid changes of direction, mid-course corrections, other times it’s just a headlong, headstrong directionless gallop.
Sometimes one thought gets out ahead and holds up a palm calling a halt. Then others join in with forward-facing palms, turning around toward the on-rushing crowd. Pretty soon the whole crowd of thoughts screeches to a halt, turns around and faces the opposite direction with forward-facing palms, all screaming, “No thoughts. No thoughts”. (Some call that meditation). And then there is a sudden about-face and they all take off again, hurtling onward.
What to do!? What to do!?
Some thoughts are pleasant. Some are painful. (Klista aklista, if you will). Often, one thought leads to another. A significant run of painful thoughts can be more than just a bad day. (Duhkha, or suffering, if you will).
One thought says, “I shouldn’t be thinking”. Another says, “The mind has to be quiet”, and yet another quips, “I like grapes”. Then there’s always, “I’m a terrible meditator”, “I’m no good at this”. And last but not least, “What to do!? What to do!?”, itself a thought as well.
Here comes another one: “I love a parade”.
Here are some more:
“Who thought up all those funny costumes?”
“What a racket!”
There’s a whole possible commentary on the commentary.
And finally, along comes “Who is thinking?”
Ahhhhhhhh.
So, rather than thinking up an answer, it’s about letting the question resonate in the pool of the heart, not as a thought, but as a listening. Not as an action, but as pure sensing.
“Who (or what) is thinking?”
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Who (or what) is thinking?
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