“When such thoughts creep into the mind, one should immediately get rid of them. That is the basis of Anapana and Satipatthana”. (Lal)
I know there are schools, like dzogchen, who teach we do not have to change anything which arises in the mind. The idea is: If we understand that thoughts are mere thoughts, they come and go, we do not have to dispel them. They liberate themselves, they go without a trace.
I have seen the Pali sutta’s deal with this differently. Thoughts are seen as motivations, such as sensual thoughts, ill will thoughts and thoughts of harming. Those thoughts prepare mind to speak and acts in a immoral way.
When such unwholesome thoughts are mentioned in the sutta’s, the sutta’s are very consistent in how to deal with them. They must be abandoned, dispelled, not tolerated, annihilated. Tolerating such unwholesome thoughts/motivation is seen as a lack of right energy, right diligence, as laziness.
I came upon a sutta in which this is nicely illustrated with two metapors, SN14.12
This sutta’s also treats the source of wholesome and unwholesome thoughts.
I will only mention the two metaphors:
“Suppose, bhikkhus, a man would drop a blazing grass torch into a thicket of dry grass. If he does not quickly extinguish it with his hands and feet, the creatures living in the grass and wood will meet with calamity and disaster. So too, if any ascetic or brahmin does not quickly abandon, dispel, obliterate, and annihilate the unrighteous perceptions (regarding sensuality, ill will and harming, Siebe) that have arisen in him, he dwells in suffering in this very life, with vexation, despair, and fever; and with the breakup of the body, after death, a bad destination may be expected for him. “Bhikkhus, thought of renunciation arises”
And
“Suppose, bhikkhus, a man would drop a blazing grass torck into a thicket of dry grass. If he quickly extinguishes it with his hands and feet, the creatures living in the grass and wood will not meet with calamity and disaster. So too, if any ascetic brahmin quickly abandons, dispels, obliterates, and annihilates the unrighteous perceptions that have arisen in him, he dwells happily in this very life, without vexation, despair, and fever; and with the breakup of the body, after death, a good destination may be expected for him.”
kind regards,
Siebe