I was thinking about different suttas such as MN1, Bahiya sutta, SN35.248, MN44 and others.
What if a person practices not thinking? It seems to me that wrong views, intellectual doubts, conceivings are made up of abstract thoughts or thoughts about event that has occurred. Without thinking "I am this... My true Self is that... I love this, I hate this..." at that moment of not thinking could there be views about the Self? Without thinking, at that moment, can there be wrong theories?
English word "sweet" and actual experience of sugar on the tongue are different, and experience doesn't require the thought. There is no false experience. There are only false theories and interpretations of experience. Things are not as they seem, yet they aren't otherwise either.
Thoughts are at least one level removed from experience, and at worst totally unrelated, false and misleading. And when people argue, they argue over their thoughts and thought patterns.
Even thoughts, no matter how correct and well reasoned, about what is seen, heard, etc, add a layer of interpretation so that experience is no longer "direct". Angry thoughts add anger, while lustful thoughts add more lust.
Experience is always direct. Thoughts about it, are at best one level removed from actual experience.The Blessed One said: "There is the case, monks, where an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — perceives earth as earth. Perceiving earth as earth, he conceives [things] about earth, he conceives [things] in earth, he conceives [things] coming out of earth, he conceives earth as 'mine,' he delights in earth. Why is that? Because he has not comprehended it, I tell you. [alex: same with other items]
"A monk who is a trainee — yearning for the unexcelled relief from bondage, his aspirations as yet unfulfilled — directly knows earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, let him not conceive things about earth, let him not conceive things in earth, let him not conceive things coming out of earth, let him not conceive earth as 'mine,' let him not delight in earth. Why is that? So that he may comprehend it, I tell you.
"A monk who is a Worthy One, devoid of mental fermentations — who has attained completion, finished the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, destroyed the fetters of becoming, and is released through right knowledge — directly knows earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, he does not conceive things about earth, does not conceive things in earth, does not conceive things coming out of earth, does not conceive earth as 'mine,' does not delight in earth. Why is that? Because he has comprehended it, I tell you.
MN1
Måra. In conceiving, one is bound by Måra; by not conceiving, one is freed from the Evil One. “Bhikkhus, ‘I am’ is a conceiving; ‘I am this’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall not be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be material’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be immaterial’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be percipient’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be non-percipient’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be neither percipient nor non-percipient’ is a conceiving. Conceiving is a disease, conceiving is a tumour, conceiving is a dart. Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will dwell with a non-conceiving mind.’ - SN35.248 (11)
It seems that direct practice of MN1, SN35.248 and MN44 could directly be done by avoiding to think in such Self referential terms. Same with items in MN#1"But, lady, how does self-identification come about?"
"There is the case, friend Visakha, where an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — assumes form (the body) to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form.
.......
"But, lady, how does self-identification not come about?"
"There is the case where a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — who has regard for noble ones, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma; who has regard for men of integrity, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma — does not assume form to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. (same with other 4 aggregates) MN44
Any comments?
With best wishes,
Alex