At one time, the Buddha was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, at Anathapindika’s monastery. There, the Buddha addressed the mendicants. He said that a mendicant committed to the higher mind should from time to time focus on five subjects.
What are these five ways to master thoughts?
1️⃣ Focus on the Skillful
First, a mendicant might be focusing on a subject that gives rise to bad, unskillful thoughts. These are thoughts connected with desire, hate, and delusion. When this happens, a mendicant should focus on some other subject connected with the skillful.
As this is done, those bad thoughts are given up and come to an end. The mind becomes stilled internally. It settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samadhi.
This is just like a deft mason who would knock out a large peg with a finer peg. In the same way, the unskillful should be replaced with the skillful.
2️⃣ Examine the Drawbacks
Sometimes, even when focusing on a skillful subject, bad thoughts keep coming up. If this happens, the mendicant should examine the drawbacks of those thoughts. One should consider that these thoughts are unskillful, blameworthy, and will result in suffering.
As this is done, those bad thoughts are given up and come to an end. The mind becomes stilled internally. It settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samadhi.
Imagine a young person who is fond of adornments. They would be horrified if the carcass of a snake or dog were hung around their neck. In the same way, one should feel a sense of disgust for these negative thoughts.
3️⃣ Forget and Ignore
If examining the drawbacks isn’t working, one should try to forget and ignore the bad thoughts. As this is done, those bad thoughts are given up and come to an end. The mind becomes stilled internally. It settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samadhi.
Think of a person with clear eyes. If some undesirable sights came into their view, they would just close their eyes or look away. In the same way, one can choose to simply turn away from those bad thoughts.
4️⃣ Stop Their Formation
If ignoring the thoughts still doesn’t work, one should focus on stopping their formation. As this is done, the bad thoughts are given up and come to an end. The mind becomes stilled internally. It settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samadhi.
This is like a person walking quickly who decides to slow down, then stand still, then sit down, and finally lie down. They are adopting progressively more subtle postures. In the same way, one can stop the formation of thoughts by moving to a more subtle mental state.
5️⃣ Squeeze, Squash, and Crush
As a final resort, if thoughts still persist, one should squeeze, squash, and crush the mind with the mind. This is done by clenching the teeth and pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
As this is done, the bad thoughts are given up and come to an end. The mind becomes stilled internally. It settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samadhi.
This is like a strong person who grabs a weaker person by the head and squeezes them. In a similar way, one uses will to forcefully stop the thoughts.
When these methods are mastered, one becomes a master of the ways of thought. A person will think what they want to think, and they won’t think what they don’t want to think. They will have cut off craving, untied the fetters, and made an end of suffering.
- Majjhima Nikaya No. 20. The Middle Discourses No. 20. Translated by Biku Sujato. Published on SudaCentral.net.
