Page 19 - Extinguishment of self, in search of dhamma

experiencing thoughts, we tend to focus on the content of the thoughts—from one story to the next, to the next. This leads to mental formations (sankhara). But, according to the principle of vipassana, the way to manage our thoughts is to focus on how the thoughts emerge and how they cease. There is no need to focus on “good” or “bad” (Translator’s note: Thoughts), as our perception (sanna) already does its duty (Translator’s note: Deciding what is good or bad).
When negative thoughts emerge, we are angry that they emerge. Anger is the food that feeds de lements. The greater the dissatisfactions, the more de lements emerge. The way to address this: When thoughts appear, contemplate how they emerge and cease. The way to contemplate thoughts is the same way as to contemplate sensations. When thoughts emerge, observe whether the mind that experiences (the thoughts) and the thoughts themselves—are they one of the same, or separate? The thing that enables the thoughts to take hold (Translator’s note: Of the mind) is the sense of self, not the physical body. Sensations reside within the physical body, hence detachment from the body is dif cult. But, detachment from the sense of self is easy, as it has nothing to attach to. It is a mental phenomenon.
Therefore, if we could contemplate how the thoughts that emerge cease; and, if we could see that the thoughts that emerge and the mind that acts as the experiencer are
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