The Merest Shimmer of Thought

Since stillness is our permanent true nature, it is the goal of our practice to return to stillness. This seems simple enough on the surface. We just need to calm our minds down until they are tranquil. Reading this and noticing the thoughts that come and go, we might tell ourselves, okay just one thought after another, I can do this, I can eliminate these thoughts.

But the reality is that the thoughts we notice are only the most obvious ones, the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

Our thoughts are vibrations. The ones we are aware of are, in actuality, far from representative of the majority. The ones we notice are akin to the shattering of the sound barrier—an immense sonic boom that can be detected for miles. Like a mental sonic boom, the vibrations from these thoughts of ours can even be detected by those near us.

For example, as an angry person walks by, you might well feel like you are encountering a wall of anger the vibrations are so strong. These are the thoughts that we are most familiar with. The ones as clear the conversations we hold in our heads.

But these are by no means the only thoughts we have. Actually there are many more thoughts in any moment. As the Buddha explained, we have over a trillion thoughts in the time it takes to snap our fingers. Yes, that many.

How often have you sensed a thought but were unable to grasp it. It was gone so quickly that you were aware of it’s arising but could not determine what it was. You just sensed that something had been in your mind. And then it was gone, impossible to recall. From here the thought vibrations become finer and finer until they get to the point that only an enlightened being can detect them. They are the merest of vibrations, a mere shimmer of thought, beyond our ability to even imagine.

So it turns out that there are uncountable degrees of increasingly subtle thoughts, of subtle vibrations. It’s not possible to wrestle them into oblivion one at a time since we can’t even detect them. Instead, we need to focus the mind through our meditative concentration. By doing this, we will change the state of our mind so the thoughts, the vibrations, very gradually cease to arise.

Comments

[Kathleen]

"The ones as clear [ ] the conversations"
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Oh Venerable,

So you read my thoughts ...

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you.

Kathleen

[Tony]

Do Pure Land practitioners practise silent meditation using the name of Amitabha or is the recitation usually out loud?

It is said that mantra repetition is more powerful when practised silently. Is this also true for Buddha name recitation?

[Venerable Wuling]

Tony,

It is best to chant the name of Amitabha out loud. We say the name, hear it, and think it. From In One Lifetime: "When we chant, the sound of 'Amituofo' arises in our minds. And as we utter 'Amituofo,' our minds concentrate on and embrace that sound."