“When there is no observer, our thoughts are unconscious—below the radar of our awareness. When we wake up a little more, we may become aware of a thought, but because our identity has become so linked to it, because we are so close to it, we have no perspective to determine its validity. So, we tend to assume that whatever we’re thinking is true and accurate. In this way, we each project our own reality. Our reactions are also often determined by pre-programmed conditioning that gets reinforced through continual repetition. Thus, we find ourselves stuck in repetitive tape loops. This makes it hard for us to see the lessons we need to learn, to grow and evolve.
The first step towards a solution is to know what is taking place in the mind and to recognize that the observing mind has the choice to either support or not support a thought (by not feeding it). As we practice meditation over time, we become more established in the observer, and at the same time the mind becomes healthier, less confused, more good-natured, and more compassionate.”
~ Swami Asokananda, New York Integral Yoga Institute
