One of the first insights of vipassanā practice is the recognition that the mind has a mind of its own. When we finally begin to attend to the dynamics of our thinking processes, we realize that thoughts often seem to arise of their own accord, with little or no apparent prompting or direction. Where do these thoughts come from after all? It might seem that our thoughts are thoroughly beyond our control, that we have no choice about the kinds of things that drift across our minds. Are we … [Read more...]