Anyone who has tried meditation knows that it’s not easy to either stop or control your thoughts. According to Yoga Sutras thoughts arise from “Samskaras” or “Latent Impressions” in the mind. The modern way to say this is that thoughts arise from the “wiring of the brain” or neural connections. But how does the “wiring of the brain” arise? The answer is that thoughts themselves modify the brain’s wiring. New connections are forged by thoughts and ideas. There is nothing unusual about this notion. We routinely talk to others in the hope of influencing them. A new thought can rewire the brain and subsequently change behavior. Modern psychology, advertisement, and education are based on this notion.
So we have a closed loop system: Thoughts arise from the wiring of the brain and in turn influence and modify the wiring of the brain. It is apparent that this closed loop system is self-perpetuating and has potential to continue ad-infinitum. Our actions in the past are the cause of thoughts and feelings in the present that then give rise to new actions that then influence the way we think and behave in the future.
The past casts its shadow on the present and our actions in the present shape the future. So how do we unshackle from the past? How do we break this cycle? Are we doomed to being shackled to this endless chain of cause and effect?
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