Awareness vs Internal monologue
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:11 pm
Hey there,
I'm someone who always 'uses' internal monologue to express my thoughts or make my ideas clearer (for myself). In my head I'm talking to myself, because hearing ideas in my head helps me to make decisions and it gives structure to my thoughts. Without an internal monologue I don't seem to be able to structure my thoughts properly, and I have the feeling I lose a lot of 'brain power'. I'm sure a lot of people do this so I never really cared about it, until now. I've been practicing vipassana for some time. When I meditate, I'm fully aware of my surroundings and because I don't really think while meditating, there is no internal monologue. As soon as I'm finished meditating I start thinking again and my internal monologue returns. As a result, my awareness disappears. It's like I have to choose between being fully aware, and being able to think. My question is: how to combine thought with awareness? I want to get to the level where I can be fully aware all the time in daily life. Most people who practice vipassana don't seem to have this problem, but maybe that's because they think in a different way. So... any thoughts?
I'm someone who always 'uses' internal monologue to express my thoughts or make my ideas clearer (for myself). In my head I'm talking to myself, because hearing ideas in my head helps me to make decisions and it gives structure to my thoughts. Without an internal monologue I don't seem to be able to structure my thoughts properly, and I have the feeling I lose a lot of 'brain power'. I'm sure a lot of people do this so I never really cared about it, until now. I've been practicing vipassana for some time. When I meditate, I'm fully aware of my surroundings and because I don't really think while meditating, there is no internal monologue. As soon as I'm finished meditating I start thinking again and my internal monologue returns. As a result, my awareness disappears. It's like I have to choose between being fully aware, and being able to think. My question is: how to combine thought with awareness? I want to get to the level where I can be fully aware all the time in daily life. Most people who practice vipassana don't seem to have this problem, but maybe that's because they think in a different way. So... any thoughts?