(... the lowest hanging fruit here is to not write anything, but thats no fun.)
Many Homo sapiens think that being able to think makes them a superior being. If they can really think, they should also realize how biased this sentiment is. It's like elephants deciding that they are the best due to their long trunk. Or cheetahs deciding they are superior due to their… sexiness.
Sure, thinking is a very powerful tool. It gives us things like computers, reliable food supplies, and logic. And without thinking, I would not be typing these words, which, we can all agree, is a tragedy. But along the way, we’ve lost the ability to not think. And the crazy part is, most Homo sapiens either don't see this as a problem or think it is not true.
When I say “not think,” I don’t mean being stupid. We definitely are very capable of being stupid, myself included. I mean having literally no thoughts. I can prove that we don’t know how to have no thoughts. Just sit for 30 seconds and try to have no thoughts…
Done?
Let me guess some of the thoughts that you had:
Has it been 30 seconds already?
Am I doing this right?
I am having no thoughts!
This is dumb.
If you think you really had no thoughts, I must humbly call bullshit. Either you are just so lost in the sauce that you don’t even realize that you are in the sauce, or I am wrong and maybe you really are THE SOURCE, and please be my resource.
Anyways, from my personal experiences, I am assuming that you couldn’t have “no thoughts.” This means that we are literally incapable of perceiving the world without the filter of our thoughts. And what’s more real? The world or a world filtered through our thoughts? A filter that has been conditioned in so many ways through experiences, biases, and ego.
So if we are incapable of having no thoughts, we are living with a vision full of delusion, illusion, and end up in confusion.
But what does it look like to dwell in “no thoughts?” Awe in many different cultures and religions is described as not being able to be explained in words. Is this just a lack of literacy skills, or maybe words can never depict what exists in this realm? To dwell in this place of awe, one must let go of thoughts, form, and logic.
And this is where practicing Zen comes in for me. Zen meditation, Zazen, is just sitting. Through the practice, I am accessing the realm of “no thoughts,” or at least attempting to.
If I ever stop posting any writings, just assume that I transcended thoughts.