We're all a little "mad" or insane. I think it is when we recognise and admit this insanity that we begin the journey toward sanity. For me I would have to say that thought is mostly the voice of the ego and those moments of no thought I can only describe as a delicious feeling. I tend to overthink most things so when I can attain those fleeting moments of no thought I'm in heaven. I guess thinking is the problem until we learn to use it as opposed to it using us. If we can reach those moments of no thought, I would agree that listening is way more beneficial as the voice we are listening to then comes from a higher source.

The gap between thoughts is absence of thought, it's a state of awareness, a state of conscience ,,, just as hot and cold or dark and light, thoughts and awareness are on the same continuum and are polar opposites, the more you think the less aware you become and inversely the less you think the more aware you become, Between these two poles there are infinite combinations and degrees of thought/aware states ,

Many people live their lives with a constant chatter of thoughts in their head, thoughts often imposed by education, culture , etc ,,, without ever realizing that a state of awareness exists ,,, they are lost in clouds of thought that distort true vision

A state of complete awareness can be cultivated and achieved through the art of letting go ,,, and this eventually leads to the realisation that matter, thought and life are only different aspects of the great whole, the universe,

True meditation is awareness, it's a state of being wholly present in the now ... thoughts cannot exist when in such a state, It's also known as 'i am', cosmic consciousness, enlightenment, etc ,,,

Thinking is a left brain activity, it is funny that given enough time and work the left brain can work things out that the right brain just already knows.

I love your listening instead of thinking idea, you have it now. :-)

We can think of a problem a bit then say "I give this over to my right brain to give me the answer", then forget about it, the answer will come.

I believe the absence of thinking is sleeping.

For me:

Thinking is trying to put a human experience on a "being" event

And

Not thinking is Being during a human experience.

Michael

Thinking is listening to your thoughts form, and mind chattering, and the absence is silence in your thought, where there is no thoughts form, no chattering, but dark grey matter extending into the horizon!

the absence of it is no more veils in the mind it is like a blank canvas or a clean window! then only awareness and perfect focus remains! similar like being in the moon state except that you don't think anny thing you just are aware if you continue and go deeper you lose earing then seing then it is darkness then you see with out the eye the golden light come to you and you exit the body and go in the golden light!

Being lost in thought can be a beautiful thing if you stay focused on Love (Appreciation).

It's all of the thoughts that doesn't resonant with who you truly are that gives you pain.

The absence of thought is mental silence-

Whether we are now providing logical reasoning through premises and conclusion, deduction and induction or any other possible reasoning. But, ...

What is thinking?

• Thinking is activity(ies) that typically by associating and connecting (whether emotionally or not) among associated, then tracing limits between them.

And something was logic because our thinking found connections (whether emotionally or not), ...

• That's why sometimes we saw people did something to be considered "not logic" (emotionally), but for them, they did reasonably. It's because they found connections. But for others they did improperly (not logic) just merely because of comparison to the specific ethics or morality or general assumptions (it doesn't have to be like that, etc ...).

And What is the absence of it?

• Closer to it ... it's confusion -- even closer to it ... it's idle -- further ... it's closer to emptiness

Thinking is when the brain is actively pondering something- the catch is that there are various levels of thinking...trying to solve a math problem is a different level of thinking than is letting yourself get inspired as to what to make for dinner...and that is different than the thinking called "daydreaming", which is a loose type of thinking where brain waves are not as sharp, and thought is seemingly suspended...but brain wave tests show that even daydreaming is still thinking.

But what you are describing is moving your brain waves to a completely different type of wave.

There are six discrete states of brain waves that the brain produces, and each indicates what the brain is busy doing: Gamma- Actively Working on a Problem; Beta- Alert, Thinking; Alpha- Meditative, The "Golden State" you Achieve in Early Meditation; Theta- Where you are Drowsy, Meditative- The Point between Wakefulness and Sleeping; and Delta- Sleeping Waves produced while asleep, which vary according to the level of sleep you are in (REM Sleep, etc.)

So, if I try to interpret what you are describing, you are wondering about the state of "Not-Thinking"....which would probably fall somewhere between Alpha and Theta Brain wave activity. There's the science. Achieving this state is ideal for what you are describing- the brain is less active, the waves, if you view them, are actually loosely formed, but not as loosely formed as those of deep sleep.

You have described a very good technique for beginning meditation. Letting go of active thought is hard at first, but with practice, one begins to achieve whole periods of time where the brain is actually dropping down into Alpha and even Theta Brain waves- and this is the "Sweet Spot" for Close Encounters with the Fourth Dimension (or is it the Infinite Dimension? LOL!)

I personally seem to get more out of this exercise than actually sleeping- It enriches me, it brings me to God, it Enlightens me, all while I keep my brain quiet...In other words, (my words) Letting Go and Letting God Talk...or The Universe, if you Prefer...or my Right Brain, which sometimes does happen!

I can describe such a state and the results achieved...I was driving the all-too-familiar route between Woodstock and Wonder Lake, IL (a distance of about eleven miles, and at that time, all cornfields and two lane sleepy traffic...) I regularly drove this route day after day, getting my kids to and from High School and Middle School and Grade School and Kindergarten....(Family Planning??? Yeah, I had a year where I did all four...)I was daydreaming, and not at all really aware of my driving. I suddenly must have dropped down in my brain wave activity, for I became aware of the wide sky, which I could see from horizon to horizon. The sun was bursting out from behind clouds, dazzling me, and became Aware of the Presence of God all about me. I will never forget the feeling that I had in those moments...I felt Love, Great Love, Acceptance, Peace, and Again, Such Love! It was amazing!

So, to me, that is the Result of the Absence of Thinking- in other words....Receiving!!!

Blessings,

Jai ♥♥♥