Tibetan Buddhist says think less

[Ensapa]

Thinking less...hmm... interesting way to describe calming down the mind so that it can think in more clarity. But does it work for analytical meditation tho?

Tibetan Buddhist says think less
12th September 2012 9:23 AM
 
PEOPLE of the Sunshine Coast need to think less, not more, to find the solutions to their problems, one of the most senior Tibetan Buddhist lamas alive today says.

His Eminence the 7th Dzogchen Rinpoche is coming to Maroochydore at the end of the month to say we make better decisions when we rest our minds and tune in to our inner wisdom.

Dzogchen Rinpoche says every day we are faced with hundreds of decisions about all aspects of our life from work and relationships to health and finances but we often get confused about what we should choose.

His Eminence said the more we think about these problems the more unclear we actually become about the best course of action.

"In a busy place such as the Sunshine Coast people are faced with many issues and decisions on a daily basis," he said.

"Adding worry and stress to an existing problem blocks our potential to make wise decisions and only prolongs our suffering.

"When we rest our mind, we create space and clarity arises, spontaneously guiding us to make choices that benefit all, including ourselves.

"Often people are encouraged to analyse their problems over and over again before they make a decision, but from the Buddhist point of view this can actually restrict our natural wisdom which will automatically give us the best answer to any question we may have."

Dzogchen Rinpoche will be in Maroochydore on September 27 at Millwell Rd Community Centre, to give a public talk on the subject of Realising True Happiness Through Wise Decisions.

Doors open at 7pm.

Tickets are $20 ($15 concession).

The talk will be followed by a three-day retreat on How to Make Wise Decisions from September 28 in Mudjimba, over the Queen's Birthday weekend.

These events are part of a worldwide tour which covers America, UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and finally India.

The tour will consist of public talks, empowerments and teachings and residential retreats in most countries.

Dzogchen Rinpoche, one of the highest lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, is the authentic Dzogchen lineage holder and head of Dzogchen Monastery in South India with more than 280 branch monasteries in Asia mainly in Tibet, India, Nepal and Bhutan and in the West.

For more information go to www.shenpenaustralia.org

INTERESTING FACTS

His Eminence is the authentic holder of the Dzogchen lineage - part of the Nyingma school of Buddhism.
Dzogchen Rinpoche was recognised as a reincarnate lama by His Holiness Dodrupchen Rinpoche.
Having mastered many of the great texts of Tibetan Buddhism, Rinpoche obtained the title of Rabjampa [Masters of Tibetan Buddhism] at only 19 years of age. Aged 21, Rinpoche took full responsibility of Dzogchen Monastery, re-established in South India.
Dzogchen Rinpoche also founded Shenpen, an international network of organisations that support the spiritual and charitable activities of DSSCS and Dzogchen Monastery. Shenpen, meaning "benefiting others", has branches in America, Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
In 1995 Dzogchen Rinpoche founded the Dzogchen Shri Senha Charitable Society (DSSCS). The charity works to improve the educational, healthcare and social needs of the surrounding Dhondenling Tibetan refugee settlement and Indian community.

[Amitabha]

His Eminence said the more we think about these problems the more unclear we actually become about the best course of action.

"In a busy place such as the Sunshine Coast people are faced with many issues and decisions on a daily basis," he said.

"Adding worry and stress to an existing problem blocks our potential to make wise decisions and only prolongs our suffering.

"When we rest our mind, we create space and clarity arises, spontaneously guiding us to make choices that benefit all, including ourselves.

Awesome 

The mind of most people in Sunshine Coast is not at rest and this unrest mind aggravated from desiring for others' mind to be unrest as well. Hence, it's necessary for people of Sunshine Coast to revisit their mind especially in meditation to rest their mind so that their wealth of wisdom will resurrect, and peace upon them will prevail 

[Manjushri]

Hehe think less to make clearer and wiser decisions. That's a first for me to hear.

I guess in most part, people are so caught up with decisions that they have to make that they really forget to stop, take a break and relax. By having the mind work at high speed 24/7 can lead to exhaustion and mental burn out very quickly. When you think less, you complicate matters less. You have more "chi" flowing through so that decision making can be swift and most correct (in your terms). It also brings clarity and focus which I think is key in decision making.

You tend to make wiser decisions when you are calm and not all over the place, running on high speed all the time. A clear mind is an organized mind, so think less to have more "space" to recollect your thoughts and feelings. 

[Dorje Pakmo]

His Eminence said the more we think about these problems the more unclear we actually become about the best course of action.

"In a busy place such as the Sunshine Coast people are faced with many issues and decisions on a daily basis," he said.

"Adding worry and stress to an existing problem blocks our potential to make wise decisions and only prolongs our suffering.

"When we rest our mind, we create space and clarity arises, spontaneously guiding us to make choices that benefit all, including ourselves.

"Often people are encouraged to analyse their problems over and over again before they make a decision, but from the Buddhist point of view this can actually restrict our natural wisdom which will automatically give us the best answer to any question we may have."

At first I find it a little hard to accept how thinking less allows one to make clearer and wiser decision. And then it occur to me, in our world today, we often complicate ourselves trying to make the "right" decisions. Actually the decisions we are able make spontaneously are often the right decisions without needing much analysing. 

By thinking too much, we often complicate things that are actually very simple and straightforward. If one's mind is already too packed, then it is advisable to take a step back to relax the mind instead of trying to find an answer or solution. This is because with the current problems that is already burdening one's mind, may just lead one to make a decision based on one's negative emotion.

Relaxation, backing off for awhile and clear the mind, might just lead one to the perfect solution.

Here I share with you a story about thinking too much:

A simple question:

Once there was a monk who was an expert on the Diamond Sutra, and as books were very valuable in his day, he carried the only copy in his part of the world on his back. He was widely sought after for his readings and insight into the Diamond Sutra, and very successful at propounding its profundities to not only monks and masters but to the lay people as well. Thus the people of that region came to know of the Diamond Sutra, and as the monk was traveling on a mountain road, he came upon an old woman selling tea and cakes.

The hungry monk would have loved to refresh himself, but alas, he had no money. He told the old woman, "I have upon my back a treasure beyond knowing -- the Diamond Sutra. If you will give me some tea and cakes, I will tell you of this great treasure of knowledge."

The old woman knew something of the Diamond Sutra herself, and proposed her own bargain. She said, "Oh learned monk, if you will answer a simple question, I will give you tea and cakes."

To this the monk readily agreed. The woman then said, "When you eat these cakes, are you eating with the mind of the past, the mind of the present or the mind of the future?"
 
No answer occurred to the monk, so he took the pack from his back and got out the text of the Diamond Sutra, hoping he could find the answer. As he studied and pondered, the day grew late and the old woman packed up her things to go home for the day.
 
"You are a foolish monk indeed," said the old woman as she left the hungry monk in his quandary.
"You eat the tea and cakes with your mouth."

[Tenzin K]

In 1991, when hikers discovered the well-preserved body of a 5,000-year-old "ice man" in a glacier 10,500 feet above sea level at the Austria/Italy border, they found him wearing a pair of leather foot coverings stuffed with straw. Elsewhere in Spain, cave drawings of more than 15,000 years show humans with animal skins or furs wrapped around their feet. Apparently, shoes in some form or another have been around for a very long time. Shoes are indeed a clever invention: they protect the feet since time immemorial from hard and rough surfaces as well as climate and environmental exposure. They give us the freedom to go about taking care of our needs.

While shoes offer us physical protection for our feet regardless of the external conditions and circumstances, we have little to safeguard our mind from fluctuating whenever the external conditions and circumstances change. In this regard, we have little to protect the mind.

This world of ours is called the "Sea of Suffering". In order to live, we have to endure suffering because many things in life are beyond our control. Thus, our world is also called "Saha world"; Saha meaning 'enduring suffering'. Lest one disagrees, just look at the pains of birth, of growing old, of poor health and sickness and finally death. What about the anguish of being separated from those we love, being in the presence of those we dislike, and not getting what we desire? Lastly, the imbalance in the way we perceive the objects of form arising from the five senses; the ensuing feelings, the thinking of the mind, the mental activity in processing the likes and dislikes and the resulting consciousness (Five Skandhas). The mind is constantly besieged by these Eight Distresses. Regardless of whether one is the world's wealthiest or cleverest man, he is not spared from having to endure sufferings as part of life.

Therefore, Buddha said:


"Abstain from all evil, Perform all virtue, Completely purify the mind."

 

A completely pure mind is devoid of thinking, grasping and attachment and it therefore will not hold any suffering. Thinking is like a container for suffering. The moment thinking starts, the seed of suffering is sown. If there is no such container, then, there is no place for suffering to exist. A pure mind spontaneously forms the correct relationship with the situation and does whatever needs doing at that moment. Without thinking and attachment, like or dislike does not exist in our mind. Thus, we will not find ourselves in the presence of one whom we dislike. Is there suffering arising from not getting what you desire? No, because a completely pure mind has none of the worldly desires. Similarly, it has no birth, no old age, no sickness, and death; the Five Skandhas are empty. They are the products of our mind.

Enduring these Eight Distresses, though, is not the ultimate because it does not eliminate suffering. We merely put up with it in order to live, and under these circumstances, our lives become unsatisfactory. Thus, while we have shoes to safeguard our feet, it will serve us well to do less thinking, because the less we think, the less we have to suffer.

[brian]

I think it is always easier to make a decision or think about the solution when a mind is clearer. In contrast, a lot of us in this world have uncalmed minds. Many of us are unable to focus on calming our mind. If we do not have calm mind, we do not make the so called best decisions for ourselves. We should also make it a point that we can think of the situation better if we don't think as ourselves in that situation, we should look at the problem from the outer angle. It is easier to see it that angle, take for instant we sometimes rely opinions from 3rd parties and usually we would think "hey, how come I didn't thought about that"

[Jessie Fong]

I would say "Worry Less".  Our mind would be clearer as we do not get clouded by problems worries and unneccesary thoughts.  Having a monkey mind does not help either; most of us are not in a position to be almost always in a calm state of mind.

Yes, a clearer state of mind does help in getting our thoughts together in the right perspective.  We can think better and clearer with a calm mind.

[RedLantern]

One of the most senior Tibetan Buddhist lamas says to find solutions,people need to think less,not more.
To make better decisions we must rest our minds and tune in to our inner wisdom.
We are faced with hundreds of decisions about all aspects of our life from work to relationships to health and finances,but we get confused about what we should choose.
The more we think about the problems,the more unclear we actually become.When we rest our minds,we create space and clarity arises,guiding us to make choices that benefit all,including ourselves.
People are encourage to analized their problems over and over again before they make a decision,but from the Buddhist point of view this can actually restrict our natural wisdom which will automatically gives us the best answers to any questions we may have.

[biggyboy]

In life we have many problems and dilemmas to think and solve them.  There are times, we just have to let go and think less.  To think less, is to let go of focusing too much on ourselves but rather to focus out and think of others.  When we focus out to benefit others, answers come.  Believe it or not we have to let go on focusing too much on how it will affect us.  Most of these problems only exist within our mind.  They are not real physical problems but rather imagined obstacles. It is about letting go in trying to force ourselves into a mould of societal should and embracing our true self.

Try these out....

    Give up trying to be cool.

    Give up your golden handcuffs.

    Give up wanting to be a famous musician, artist, architect, thinker, writer, whatever-it-is.
    Maybe it’s smarter to make your purpose to have an impact, instead.

    Give up wanting to be different for the sake of being unique.

    Give up trying to be perfect.

    Give up keeping relationships with people you don’t really like.

    Give up trying to be the center of attention.

    Give up trying to be important. (Focusing on community is usually more fulfilling.)

    Give up achieving a lot of ego-driven goals.

    Give up trying to be super-focused. Sometimes the most compelling ideas come from the most messy,
    unexpected sources.

    Give up trying to be indie.

    Give up trying to popular.

    Give up caring about owning a lot of cool things, which keep you distracted from acknowledging that
     you don’t like what you’re doing with your life.
   
    Give up trying to have a perfectly organized workspace and a zero inbox.

With that said, there are a lot of ways we think we’re doing good, but we’re really not.  Counter-intuitive to what we think, it might make more sense to…

    Give up trying to be super happy all the time. Instead, settle for being peaceful.
 
    Give up needing a reason to share your love. Being alive is reason enough.
 
    Give up trying to be everything to everyone.
 
    Give up trying to fit the mould of your race, astrological sign, job title, religious group, political party or
    other erroneous associations.

    Give up caring about being the smartest, best and fastest. At least don’t let your ego get caught up in
    it.
 
    Give up caring about “being a man” or “being a woman.” Or doing what is expected of your gender.

    Give up sacrificing your life for an expensive degree that makes you feel important.

    Give up trying to be ultra productive, especially if productivity is making you miserable.

    Give up caring about having a respectable job, a respectable resume, and a respectable life.
    Replace following a template, with freestyling life.

    Give up trying to constantly improve yourself. Sometimes too much self improvement can cause you
     to lose sight of the present.

    Give up caring about doing what works.

    Give up thinking you don’t have the time or skills to make your dreams a reality.

    Give up caring about knowing everything in advance before you take action. Put yourself on
    auto-response instead.

    Give up trying to always find interesting experiences and interesting things to do. Alternatively, be
    interesting and be interested.
   
    Give up trying to live up to the expectation of your parents, your friends, your boss, and peers.

    Give up trying to live up to the expectation of… yourself.

    Give up trying to have a flawless body, perfect face, or an impeccable wardrobe. Care more about
    beautifying your mind and being a person who takes beautiful actions.

Trying to make things happen all the time creates a lot of unnecessary anxiety. It’s stressful trying to deny what is.  When we let go, we accept life as it is.  No strings attached.  If an action needs to be taken, take it with an open mind.

[dondrup]

It is very true what Dzogchen Rinpoche has taught about the workings of our mind.  When our mind is distracted with thoughts in the form of worries, issues, choices, decisions making etc, naturally, it lacks the clarity and space for the inner wisdom to arise.   

In the Buddhist practice, we develop two fundamental qualities – concentration and wisdom.  Without concentration, wisdom never arises.  To develop concentration, we need the mind to be focused and not be distracted by the countless thoughts that arise moment to moment.  When the mind is at rest, it has the opportunity to concentrate on any chosen object; it will not be distracted by thoughts that arise.  Later, when the concentration is fully developed, it can analyse any object with clarity and soon wisdom will naturally arise giving us the right solution that we need to solve all of our secular problems.

[sonamdhargey]

Yes sometimes when we think to much we complicate things. I've experience this many times in my life when things are supposed to be very simple become complicated just becuase someone think it is supposed to be more and not less. My point if view is most of the time people don't think logically rather think with thier ego. Thus more is better and the more complicated it is the more good they looked. So instead of thinking of solving the problem only, some people think of how to make themself look good first while solving the problem.

[Aurore]

This is another way to convey the concepts of meditation in the modern world. Thinking less is not letting our thoughts run wild on the mundane things in life and refocus to more important stuff. Inner wisdom is when we see beyond the surface of life. With that, decisions are much easier when we base it on other's needs and what is beneficial overall in life. Take a step back and contemplate what is good for our spirit, body and mind.

[diamond girl]

I like what you posted Biggy Boy.

With respect, when I first read the words "Sunshine Coast and think less" altogether, I thought to myself, "Why think less? Too much sun? Fried the brains?" I know that it was not meant to be taken like this. I am kind off thinking less now...

Ok back to thinking... about this post... A congested mind cannot think clearly. Just imagine a crowded storage room, how can one possibly put anymore new inventory in? So the place is packed with old stuff. Not conducive. This is how I see it... If we want a clear mind to make new decisions we need to clear our mind from crowded junk. The mind is not a dumpsite.

Free your mind and the rest will follow...

[buddhalovely]

In an era where an infinite amount of information is available with the click of a finger, thinking less is the key to solving your problems.

That’s the key message that Dzogchen Rinpoche the 7th, one of Tibet’s most respected and knowledgeable Buddhist lamas, will convey in his upcoming talk in Torquay as part of his Realising True Happiness Through Wise Decisions Australian tour.

At Quiksilver’s auditorium in Baines Crescent on the evening of September 5, Rinpoche, who is the head of the Dzogchen Monastery, will talk about the many decisions that people get confused about in all aspects of their lives. He says the more we think about these problems the more unclear we actually become about the best course of action.

“In a busy place such as Torquay people are faced with many issues and decisions on a daily basis. Adding worry and stress to an existing problem blocks our potential to make wise decisions and only prolongs our suffering.

“When we rest our mind, we create space and clarity arises, spontaneously guiding us to make choices that benefit all, including ourselves.

“Often people are encouraged to analyse their problems over and over again before they make a decision, but from the Buddhist point of view this can actually restrict our natural wisdom which will automatically give us the best answer to any question we may have.”

In 1995 Rinpoche founded the Dzogchen Shri Senha Charitable Society, a charity that works to improve the educational, health care and social needs of the surrounding Dhondenling Tibetan refugee settlement and Indian community. Rinpoche also founded Shenpen, an international network of organisations that support the spiritual and charitable activities of Dzogchen Shri Senha Charitable Society and Dzogchen Monastery.

Shenpen – meaning “benefiting others” – has branches in America, Australia, and several European countries and Rinpoche’s Australian tour will consist of public talks, empowerments, teachings and residential retreats.