Nothing More Than Thoughts

By the sensation of physical stimuli does everyone know they have a body, (and by observation, that does everyone else).  But man knows that he has a mind only because his thoughts tell him he does.  A human’s sensation of having a non-physical “self” is dependent entirely on this thing fabricated by thoughts – this supplemental organ – the mind.  It is thoughts’ creation of a solid seeming, permanently abiding, though imaginary structure/persona for themselves, which they treat unilaterally as a substantial reality, and call mind.  Man calls his self:  his strictly-private, inner-controlled, totally-individualistic, and not-limited-to-the-shortcomings-and-restrictions-of-his-physique – self.

Thus it is that a man, with blind confidence, refers to: “MY mind,” as though the thing that the word, “my” represents is something different than the other word, “mind.”  It is as though there is some distinct, controllable organ somewhere in man named the mind, which is responsible for the production of thoughts; which are what motivated him to make the comment about, “My mind.”

(If you are still reading this and still find it just vacuous, verbal hocus pocu
at least it proves you are normal.)

Illness alone bothers the body; not understanding the mind alone bothers the mind.  Being physically sick would not cause a man to believe that there is a metaphysical “purpose” or “meaning” to life, nor would it make him suspect the existence of a Secret, the knowledge of which would liberate him from all discomfort.  These notions require that the mind suffer an illness – the illness of stupidity,(“Ah, perhaps, the old doctor is being a bit dramatically harsh in his assessment.”). To be confused, disquieted and in conflict with life, demands that a man not realize, (or at least not acknowledge), that what he thinks of as his “self” is nothing more than the thoughts that are thinking the word/concept, “self.”  That “he,” (the thoughts in his brain thinking the word, “he/me/mine/his”), has no organ – “the mind” which is a something that churns out the thoughts that “he,” (the thoughts), then experience.

J.