One of the most common misconceptions about meditation is that it’s about making your mind go blank. I don’t know where this “meme” originated (a “meme” is a virus-like idea which inhabits or even “infects” our minds) but it’s pervasive and long-lasting. I think it may take at least another generation or two of spiritual practice before that notion goes to the scrapheap of ideas that it deserves to rest in.
This mistaken idea is even found in some meditation sites that rank highly in Google, which is a little worrying.
Certainly, we want in meditation to reduce the amount of thinking that goes on. Most of us are plagued with thoughts that arise seemingly without cause. It’s rare to experience more than a few moments without some thought arising. And although this is “normal” (i.e. very common) it’s not healthy. Many of the thoughts that arise in the mind are supportive of emotions of anxiety, ill will, neurotic craving, and self-doubt. So that’s why we want to reduce the amount of thinking we do — to have a rest from this near-relentless onslaught of thoughts.
We can even experience times in meditation when no thoughts arise at all.
Hey, you may be thinking, hasn’t he just contradicted himself? Well, no. Let me explain.
If you think that not thinking is the same as having a blank mind, then you’re making the error of equating “the mind” with “thinking” and specifically with verbal thinking, or inner self-talk. There’s much more to the mind than inner self-talk! There are perceptions of physical sensations, and there are perceptions of feelings and emotions, and of internally-generated images.
When meditation brings us to the point where self-talk ceases, the mind is anything but blank. Instead it’s full — full of an awareness of those sensations, feelings, emotions, and images. I like to think of this as one of the meanings of mindfulness – “mind-full-ness,” or the mind being so full that there’s no need for, and no room for, inner self-talk.
Our inner self-talk, as well as generating or reinforcing unhelpful emotions, also has the effect of keeping us at a relatively superficial level of our experience. We get so wrapped up in what we’re saying to ourselves inside our heads that we often don’t really notice what’s going on in the heart, the body, or even in the outside world.
As we start to pay more attention to the breath, and therefore the body, we find that our thinking naturally starts to quiet down. And this creates an even greater opportunity to notice the body, feelings and emotions, etc.
And we find that interesting things start to happen. Because we’re no longer reinforcing unhelpful emotions, we feel happier. And we’re free to notice that happiness more because we’re less obsessed with our thinking. So we really notice how happy we are becoming.
Interesting things start to happen in the body as well. Because we’re no longer reinforcing unhelpful emotions, the body starts to relax. As it relaxes it feels more enjoyable to have a body and energy starts to be released. And that energy is very pleasurable, and because we’re less obsessed with thinking we’re free to really notice those sensations as well.
And sometimes vivid and symbolic imagery wells up into the mind, and of course we’re free to really pay attention to that. We don’t necessarily think about the imagery, but we allow it to sit within us like a wise presence.
So all this is going on in the mind, and the mind is therefore anything but “blank.” Normal experience seems “blank” in comparison to the fullness of experience that we can develop in meditation. I’m reminded of times I’ve been reading outdoors and have emerged from the lines of text on the page to realize that there’s a world full or life and beauty around me that seems incomparably richer and more beautiful than the book. And I say this as someone who has always loved reading!
Sometimes we decide it is appropriate to think in meditation. And we call this reflection. This kind of thinking is more focused and powerful than normal thought. We don’t have a constant stream of thoughts running through the mind, but instead we take a thought and allow it to be there, not going anywhere but simply sitting in the mind, surrounded by awareness, and we notice what responses it calls forth. It’s like the difference between watching MTV, with its constant jumping from one image to another, and standing in an art museum, spending time in front of one picture and drinking it in. (Although I’ve noticed that people generally spend most of their time reading the labels of the pictures than they spend actually looking at the pictures themselves — a sign, I assume, that they are addicted to inner self-talk and uncomfortable with actual experience.
So, no, it’s not contradictory to say that meditation isn’t about making your mind go blank, but that it can help us to reduce, or even eliminate, inner self-talk for periods of time. Meditation is about developing mindfulness, or “mind-full-ness.”
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Exactly..those who experienced it knows better..
Hi, I practised a little bit of a meditative technique, only a couple of times, where I focused on not allowing thoughts to intrude into my mind. But ever since that time, this has become a permanent state. My mind is blank (no thoughts whatsoever) all the time unless I consciously make the effort to think of thoughts. Otherwise, my mind is blank. I often experience periods of time where, while I am blank, I forget what I'm doing or stop doing what I'm doing. I can't multitask. I can only focus on one thing at once. I recently had an EEG done and everything was normal except: I was conscious during the test but the results show that I had fallen asleep.
Is what I'm experiencing normal? Is this good? Can anyone tell me what this is? A permanent meditative state? Permanent trance? Permanent daydreaming? Does anyone else experience this?
Hi Fuzzwuzz,
To be honest I don't know, but you might want to check out Ekhart Tolle's very popular book, The Power of Now, where he describes a very similar experience of losing his thoughts (unless he wants to have thoughts). On the other hand, he additionally describes this as being accompanied by powerful insight experiences and by a deep sense of, which suggests that what happened to him is not the same as happened to you. Unless of course you had those experiences too and just didn't mention them for some reason.
Sounds like an interesting book. What kind of deep senses did he describe having?
I often feel as though I'm purely conscious, and without thoughts entering my mind, I just know things, eg. when I'm talking, I know what I'm going to say without thoughts entering my mind. It's almost automatic. Although I do have random epiphanies sometimes. People around me say that it's unusual, that's all.
I'm just concerned that the no-thought thing is supposed to, usually, be temporary, not permanent.
It's quite a few years since I read the book, so I'd suggest that you read it yourself rather than rely on my shaky recollections, but from what you say it doesn't sound as if you've had exactly the same experience as Ekhart Tolle, although there's some overlap. Good luck with understanding what you're experiencing. By the way, you wrote "I know what I’m going to say without thoughts entering my mind" but I'd assumed that was true for everyone -- understandings (including understandings of what you're going to say) come wordlessly at first and then emerge as speech. At least that's my experience.
I am with Fuzzwuzz I only done meditation a couple of times. This has resulted in me being free from "Inner talk" thoughts almost completely. To be honest it sucks and I have been kind of depressed about it. I hope in the months, or years to come with stopping meditation my inner voice will come back. I knew meditation over time can quiet the thoughts, but I didn't think completely and forever. Yeah I still think about stuff it's just those random thoughts that would pop up in my head are gone. Like Fuzzwuzz I seem to feel more aware now. I would do anything to get my thoughts back.
That's very odd. The only time I've heard of this the experience of being thought-free has been accompanied by a sense of deep joy. I can only presume this is a different experience altogether, and not one that I've come across in any meditation text.
Yeah it's really wierd I feel so numb it's horrible. Is the absence from all thoughts supposed to be forever? I don't feel any deep joy, more emptyness than anything. I actually cried my eyes out over being in this state I am experiencing. I feel like I am loosing interest in almost everything even women. I am worried and scared I won't be back to normal. I also worry that now I could be potentially dangerious being free from thoughts. Should I see a doctor?
If I were you I would definitely see a doctor. I'm not sure your General Practitioner could do much more that refer you to a specialist, but it's worth following up if this is causing you suffering. I'd suggest also that you go further into meditation. You have a need to bring more joy and acceptance into your life. That's not something your doctor is going to be of much help with. Mindfulness and lovingkindness are wonderfully enriching practices that might help you to see the benefits of having a quiet mind (something most meditators would -- metaphorically -- kill for).
So is this "quiet state" forever? Perhaps I just can't accept this is my new way of living. I truly feel like I am in a dream sometimes and wish I would wake up. It's like my soul has gone. I also worry being free of thoughts can make me somewhat dangerious in not having a conscience anymore. Many concerns are endless including having problems connecting with women. I for more numb than anything else, I wonder if this is depression, I also recently had emotional issues and panick attacks.
Thanks
I really don't know -- as I mentioned what you're describing is unlike anything I've experienced or heard described as emerging from meditation experiences. It's possible through meditation to experience temporary states where there are no thoughts, but these experiences are extremely enjoyable. It's also possible to experience enlightened states where there is no thought unless one wants to think, but this too is described as being a state of deep joy. Non-thought without the joy is something I don't know about.
It's possible you're half-way to some kind of insight experience, which is why I suggested going further into meditation -- to finish the job off, as it were. It may be that there is some kind of alienation going on, where you are thinking but somehow don't recognize the thinking. This is more common with emotions, where people have feelings but don't recognize them. But I've never heard of alienation with regard to thoughts.
But whatever the cause, I suspect that cultivating greater mindfulness and lovingkindness will be helpful. I'm picking up from the way you talk on a sense that you have a lack of positive emotion -- joy, love, etc. I think that's probably what you need to work on. If we're talking about some kind of alienation then that will be of benefit. If you have had some kind of "dry insight" experience then positive emotion would help that insight to become complete so that you can be genuinely happy.
There's little connection, by the way, between verbal thinking and conscience. Conscience is more of a gut sense of things being right or wrong. Thinking is vastly over-rated, by the way. We don't need to think nearly as much as we think we do. And often people identify themselves with their thoughts, so that they think that if their thoughts vanish then they too will vanish. But it's not like that! We are not our thoughts. We can lose our thoughts and be infinitely richer for that.
I do wish you well. Please do let me know how you get on, and if you have any follow-up questions please feel free to toss them my way!
I love how you've re-defined "mindfulness" here. I've had a bit of trouble over the years with how so many people tend to approach being mindful as thinking about everything, which to me is missing the point! Your comments about the fullness of experience when the mental chatter slows down or stops are beautiful. I spent most of last Sunday experiencing just that sort of spaciousness when I went to the mountains for the day. No doing, just being!
If I may toss a further comment into your conversation with "Calm" - it seems to me as if there is still quite a lot of mental thought stuff going on, actually - no? The concerns that you have about what it means to be quiet inside sound to me like there's a lot of thought coming up! After all, if there's no thought, then are there questions about what no-thought means? :)
I wonder what it would be like to be very curious about what's happening instead?
Just a couple of ideas...hope it's okay to toss them in here.
Thank you for publishing your link on Twitter, I found pleasure in reading this post and was able to find a calming or clamming moment in my thinking.
I particularly liked your reference and definition of a meme. I keep encountering the meme that true meditation only happens sitting a certain way on the floor - of course this lets me out because of a strangely formed knee joint I can not sit cross legged and now it is extremely difficult to get off the floor - I always give folks permission to meditate in a chair - straight backed if that feels more profoundly authentic.
I am working at healing my body at this point in my life - primarily of the extra fat I have gained to protect myself - as a boundary, to not take in other people's emotions - which I just seem to sponge up.
My mind gets stuck on the idea that as each of the fat cells open up and release their energy - I will have to feel all those old emotions again which have been encapsulated.
When I have a massage the old emotions flood my stomach and I must drink lots and lots of water and rest until these are moved on through my system and released.
I have put my evening meditation practice into the 4pm - very hungry time of the day and I now find myself crying and breathing the pain and fear out until I am exhausted.
At this rate it will take me 20 years to let go of 80 pounds and gain my health.
I am trying to decide about giving up my health insurance before they drop me or bankrupt us in premiums or if I can truly attain health by learning a new practice of release so that I can achieve this goal sooner?
I am also practicing by eating vegan raw, which is not exhausting me but is energizing me.
Is this just a meme? and I need to be doing a different practice with better thinking?
I do need to find different boundary protection also, as I went into the opening of a new grocery store the other day and was so overwhelmed and felt vulnerably sensitive to the bombardment of other people's emotions - I handed my partner the list and left to go breath deeply in the parking lot - this is nothing like an anxiety attack...while I am making changes it is more as though I am rawly sensitive and salt is coming at me...
I am hoping you have a suggestion or two as I am stuck in a way too sensitive spot. Thank you
Fuzzwuzz and Calm are likely experiencing some form of dissociation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociation
"Dissociation is an unexpected partial or complete disruption of the normal integration of a person’s conscious or psychological functioning that cannot be easily explained by the person. Dissociation is a mental process that severs a connection to a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity"
Instead of joy and peace, confusion and disruption of daily activity takes place. Rather than freedom from the mind by releasing grasping, the individual shuts down the mind entirely.
Steve Andreas talks about how a participant in an NLP seminar was able to induce a dissociative experience on this blog post:
Luckily this person's inner dialogue came back quickly on its own.
These folks might try to consciously think in terms of an inner voice to find out if they can. Try hearing your inner voice saying something like "I can easily notice my inner talk as it arises on its own, automatically."
If this doesn't work, seeing a creative psychiatrist or counselor would be in order, especially one trained in Transpersonal Counseling Psychotherapy, for they may have ideas on how to deal with dissociative disorders as a result of meditation.