The art of Unlearning: Mind

Let’s continue our discussion this month on the “art of unlearning.” Letting go of these fixed ideas of what we “know to be true” is really helpful sometimes when it comes to our thoughts and mind patterns. This week we’ll talk about what it would be like to unlearn that there is anything wrong with our thoughts… or that we have to change them in any way.

This can be especially important as we start a meditation practice. There can be this expectation that meditation is all about stopping our thoughts… but that is an almost impossible task. I love this quote by Ram Dass, from his book Polishing the Mirror-

“A meditation practice is extremely useful in clearing stuff away and letting you see how your mind keeps creating your universe. The ego will keep you occupied with its endless storyline of thought forms. Just keep watching them until they dissolve.”

What if, rather than thinking that we have to stop thinking or that there is anything wrong with our thoughts we just let them be? Just let the monkey mind do its thing. Let it be… it will settle in time. When we are patient with ourselves, the thoughts will just dissolve.

I also think about how we can let go of the thoughts that aren’t helpful for us in our lives. Rather than thinking certain thoughts are “bad” or “wrong,” what if we just let them be. See them as old friends coming to say hi. When they no longer play a role in our lives, we can let them go. Then I came across this quote by Paulo Coelho and it also tied into this theme.

“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t you, so you can be who you’re meant to be in the first place.”

I love this quote because it reminds me that we can let go of the thoughts that we need to “be”, “do,” or “become” anything per se. What if we just let go of those ”being,” “doing,” and “becoming” thoughts and saw what happened? What thoughts would then come up? Would we just be left with an innate sense of who we truly are?…. kind, compassionate, thoughtful, loving? It is a fun practice to try out. Let go of the thoughts that are no longer serve you, but don’t see them as anything more than a thought. Then try releasing the thoughts that you need to become anything other than who you are in this current moment… a beautiful human walking this path of deeper inquiry.

Play with the art of unlearning this week as it relates to your thoughts. Let me know how it goes!

Tune in next week as we continue this discussion on the Art of Unlearning as it relates to needing certain outcomes for the future.

With deep love and gratitude