Present Still

Even when you are still, thoughts continue to follow one after another like a chain. Anger or regret arises from past events, and worries about a future that hasn't arrived yet persist.  Your body is clearly resting, but your mind is moving incessantly like a battlefield. That is why many people often say, "I think I have too many thoughts," "Why do I have so many thoughts?" or "I wish I could live without thinking." Photo by the author But why don't thoughts stop as we wish? How can we escape from this hellish repetition? Most people believe that the "arising of thoughts" itself is the problem, but the real issue lies elsewhere. It is true that thoughts are painful, but the real problem is our "attention" that believes in the content of those thoughts and gets dragged away by them.  In fact, you don't need to put in even 1% of effort to eliminate thoughts.  This is because the core is not to control or stop thoughts, but t...

“Are you awake right now?” Photo by the author Are your thoughts racing restlessly, like a monkey swinging from tree to tree? In fact, you might not even realize this is happening. You might be constantly recalling things that have already passed, or worrying about a future that hasn't arrived yet.  Even though nothing is happening in the physical world, the mind creates countless scenarios, repeating cycles of anxiety and tension. Why Do We Struggle to Notice Something So Simple? In moments like these, we try to solve the problem with more thinking.  However, in most cases, thinking only feeds the problem rather than solving it. What is needed is not a way to think "better," but to ask yourself in this very moment: “Am I awake right now?” Venerable Wonbin says that this single question is the fastest way to break free from the world of thoughts and return to reality. Do not wander within your thoughts and tremble in anxiety. Just ask.  In that very moment, right now, th...