Meditation often brings up a question: How do I stop thinking? If you’ve been practicing for a while, you may have wondered about this, especially during sitting meditation. But what if the goal isn’t to stop thinking at all?
The Myth of Stopping Thought
Many people believe that meditation means silencing the mind completely. However, Zen teachings remind us that the issue is not thinking itself but our attachment to thoughts. Hui Neng, the Sixth Ancestor of Zen, taught that true liberation comes not from suppressing thoughts but from allowing the mind to work freely. In his words:
When the mind works freely without any hindrance and is at liberty to come and go, we attain samadhi of prajna, or liberation. Such a state is called the function of no-thinking. But to refrain from thinking of anything, so that all thoughts are suppressed, is to be tied and bound by dharma. And this is an erroneous view.
In other words, the problem isn’t thought—it’s our grasping at thoughts, our tendency to hold onto them or push them away. This is where understanding different types of thinking can be helpful.
Three Kinds of Thinking in Meditation
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Lost Thinking
This occurs when the mind drifts into a dream-like state. Imagine driving home from work: your body is in the car, but your mind is lost in planning a vacation or obsessing over something that happened at work. While this isn’t inherently good or bad, it can have real consequences—like missing your exit or, worse, getting into an accident!
In sitting meditation, this manifests as being completely absorbed in thoughts without awareness of the present moment. When we miss what is happening right now, we respond in ways that create problems for ourselves and others.
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Attachment Thinking (Checking Mind)
This is when we start checking, judging, or resisting our experience. While driving, this might look like frustration at slow traffic: Why is this car in my way? Why is that person driving so slowly?
In meditation, it appears as thoughts like: Why can’t I stop thinking? Why won’t this problem go away? I’m not very good at this.
This kind of thinking—I want something to be different, or I like this, I don’t like that—is attachment. Grasping, holding, and resisting create tension, ultimately leading to suffering.
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Clear Thinking
This is thinking that functions appropriately in the present moment. If you're driving and deciding which exit to take, that’s clear thinking—it serves a purpose. In meditation, clear thinking arises when we simply notice: The floor is brown. The sound of rain. The smell of incense. Thoughts and feelings naturally arise and pass away, without resistance or attachment.
The Key to Freedom: Non-Attachment
Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts but about changing our relationship to them. We learn to wake up from lost and attachment thinking and become intimate with the clarity of the present moment. As Hui Neng describes, true samadhi means thoughts arise and disappear, yet we remain anchored in the present moment, not pulled around by them.
So how do we cultivate this non-attachment?
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Bring awareness to the present moment. Instead of trying to get rid of thoughts, shift your attention to what is happening right now—your breath, the sounds, what you see, or physical sensations.
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Let thoughts come and go. See them like clouds passing in the sky. No need to grab onto them or push them away.
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Ask yourself, “What is my job right now?” Whether it’s sitting, listening, or simply being, return to the present moment and respond accordingly.
By practicing this both on and off the cushion, we learn to navigate life with greater clarity and freedom.
Final Thoughts
Meditation is not about stopping thought but about freeing ourselves from attachment to thought. By recognizing lost thinking, attachment thinking, and clear thinking, we can shift our practice from struggling with the mind to simply being with it. This is the true essence of Zen meditation—just seeing, just hearing, just thinking, responding to this moment with love and compassion.
