Hello,
I am looking for a sutta where a monk complain to the Buddha about having (of what we call now) intrusive thoughts and the Buddha’s advise on how to counteract that.
Thanks.
Perhaps you mean MN 20, “How to Stop Thinking”? The Buddha isn’t asked by a monk, but explains the topic without being asked.
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That sutta’s mention of the last resort of forcefully squashing through gritted teeth has never worked for me. I have heard accounts from others that it has had the opposite effect of making the intrusive thoughts worse as well. Maybe it works for some, but I wonder if it can work for others or perhaps it depends on the kinds and flavors of the intrusive thoughts in question.
What has worked for me in the case of anger is to not give it energy, but rather to be mindful like a kindly grandfather watching silly children play in a sandbox. The grandfather does not use force or judgement but when one of the silly children attempts to get out of the sandbox or is causing harm to themself or others to kindly watch over and prevent that harm from arising without judgement or giving energy to the harmful activity.
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Yes, that’s it!. Thank you so much.
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