Thought Habits

Q: You say that thought is like a boat that takes you across the river of consciousness and once you get to the shore, you should leave the boat behind. What is the easiest and most effective way to leave the boat (the thought habit) behind.

A: Walk away from the boat. Simply cease creating thoughts. Meditation is a process of watching, not thinking. The only reason there is thinking is because you are unconscious and lost in repeating habits, and one of the strongest habits is thinking. It is simply that, a habit.

Once upon a time there was a country that encompassed all the countries of the world. And in that country there was a town that incorporated all the towns of that country; and in that town there was a street in which were gathered all the streets of the town; and on that street there was a house which sheltered all the houses of the street; and in that house there was a room that was all the rooms in that house and in that room there was a man, and that man personified all men of all countries, and that man laughed and laughed, and laughed and laughed, and no one was thinking.
~UMI