What puts thought in motion?
Does thought begin by itself?
Is it set in motion by something we see or hear?
By a word?
A sensation?
A memory?
Pleasure?
Fear?
Desire?
Can we observe the moment thought begins?
What in our experience is directly observed… and what is added by thought?
Can we understand thought by looking at each of its movements?
Thought appears in many forms.
We think all day.
We plan.
We remember.
We imagine.
We worry.
We compare.
We hope.
We desire.
We envy.
Is every movement of thought the same?
Thought seems to accompany almost every moment of our lives.
But what is thought?
Is thought always necessary?
When is thought useful?
Can thought solve every problem?
Is there a difference between practical thought and psychological thought?
Can thought create fear?
Can thought create conflict?
Is thought ever quiet?
Can thought observe itself?
Are we thinking, or are our thoughts simply happening?
Is thought the instrument we use to understand life—or can it also prevent us from seeing clearly?
Is thought the trap we are all caught in?
Is it possible that thought solves some problems while creating others?
Is thought necessary, inwardly?
Is thought necessary for what?
Is every movement of thought practical?
Perhaps we can observe one ordinary example.
Suppose someone insulted me yesterday.
Today I’m still replaying it in my mind.
Tomorrow I’m still replaying it.
Next week I’m still replaying it.
What is thought doing now?
Is it solving a practical problem?
Or is it repeating a memory?
Is it necessary for thought to keep returning to that memory?
Can thought keep psychological pain alive by constantly returning to it?
Can thought stop itself? If we say, “we must stop thinking, “isn’t that another thought trying to control thought?
Can we watch thought as it is happening, without immediately agreeing with it or fighting it?
Are there questions that thought can solve, and questions that thought cannot solve?
Is thought limited?
Can thought repair what thought itself has broken?
Can thought put right what thought has confused?
Can thought heal what thought has damaged?
Can thought solve a problem that thought itself has created?
If thought is limited, can a limited instrument ever completely solve the problems it creates?