[layman]

I read the new article on the difference between tanha and upadana and wanted to clarify, is the key to stopping vaci sankara just not thinking about the given thought/habit as much as possible? Even if it feels like you’re just suppressing it?

Like take the drug example, it’s easiest to stop yourself from physically going for drugs, then there’s directly thinking to yourself about drugs, then there’s picturing in your mind taking drugs, then even if you’re not doing the first three the thought of taking drugs could still be in the back of your mind. Are you supposed to just suppress all of these, even if it feels difficult to?

[Lal]

Welcome to the forum, layman!

Yes. As I explained in that example, if one stops taking drugs but keeps on thinking about those drug related pleasures/activities, then it will not be possible to break the habit. At least, it will take much longer to break the habit; but the real problem is that if one uses it just one time after even several months, then one will have to start all over.

Of course that is the hard part too: to stop thinking about it. The Buddha suggested the following:

1. One must think about the bad consequences of taking drugs. Since thinking about drugs also contribute to the problem, it is as bad as taking drugs. One could read about what happens to drug addicts at the end, and that should scare anyone.
2. Start doing or thinking about another activity that one likes, when those bad thoughts come to the mind. One could read a book, exercise, or do some other activity that one likes.
3. If all this fails, one should “with his teeth clenched and his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth — he should beat down, constrain, and suppress those bad thoughts”.

The above quotation (which I revised a bit) is from the “Vitakkasanthana Sutta: The Relaxation of Thoughts“.
– It is not a very good translation. But the above three points are made in that sutta.
– Of course it should work with any bad habit.

So, it takes a real effort to suppress such thoughts (vaci sankhara).

[layman]

Thanks for your reply.
I didn’t think just suppressing my thoughts would work but after a few hours it has worked well. I’d been having intrusive thoughts and now I don’t let them come up.
If I keep it up I hope the part about “He thinks whatever thought he wants to, and doesn’t think whatever thought he doesn’t.” will be true with practice.

[Lal]

Yes. Mind is very powerful. We just don’t realize it.

[layman]

So vaci sankhara can be more specifically defined in terms of vitakka and vicara right? Then the key to stopping a certain thought is to stop the vicara, then vitakka, then apply vitakka to another thought.
I’ve had worries about not being able to do it right but I realize those worries are also just thoughts to stop.

[Lal]

“So vaci sankhara can be more specifically defined in terms of vitakka and vicara right? Then the key to stopping a certain thought is to stop the vicara, then vitakka, then apply vitakka to another thought.”

You got it exactly right!

P.S. For those who may not know: Vitakka is setting one’s attention on a given thought object. Vicara is maintaining one’s attention on that thought object, generating more vaci sankhara.

Vaci sankhara are actually defined as “vitakka, vicara“.

[Author]

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