Spiny Norman wrote:fivebells wrote:Which voice in the head? There is no one coherent voice.
Arguably the purpose of practice is to make the voice more coherent.
The suttas often speak of "unifying the mind."
acinteyyo wrote:you probably know "the voice in your head" (for lack of a better term). To what extent can you trust that voice? Which purpose does it serve? What do you guys think about it in general with respect to anattā?
I think the things and stories told by "the voice within" if not observed and recognized carefully and mindfully are a main hindrance to understanding;
In one sense, since what goes on in the mind is also action, I think that the mind, the thinking can be thought of in a similar manner as we otherwise think of physical actions.
Just as one can physically walk into quicksand or off a cliff, or into an oasis, so one can engage in lines of thought that end badly, or well. There are lines of thinking that have a similar effect as walking into a pool of quicksand, for example - one is stuck, and the more one tries to get out, the more one sinks in. Or lines of thought that are like boarding a plane or train: once one boards it and it takes off/starts driving, one is stuck on it, and has to wait until it lands/stops.
To what extent can you trust that voice?
Trust that voice for what purpose?
Which purpose does it serve?
It's a verbalization of thought processes; once verbalized, it's easier for many people to make sense of them and use them.
What do you guys think about it in general with respect to anattā?
That voice is not the self. But since we ordinarily tend to think of it as
one voice, it's easy to identify with it, thinking that it is "my voice".
There is also a popular warning against "talking to yourself" and that only mentally ill people do that, or that having more than one voice in one's head is a sign of schizophrenia.
I think the things and stories told by "the voice within" if not observed and recognized carefully and mindfully are a main hindrance to understanding;
I tink that much like one can move furniture around in a room, bring in new or discard old etc., so one can do with thoughts. Although in general in Western culture, we aren't used to think of the mind this way. There are some new approaches on psychotheraphy that do propose this, but IMO, they lack the connection to and contextualization with a bigger picture that Buddhism provides, but psychotheraphy lacks (because it has to be religiously and spiritually neutral).