Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘We tend to divide thoughts into positive and negative. This can be a helpful pointer and yet it can also easily be misused. We can begin to fear the “negative” thoughts, to react to them with tension and shame. I find a better approach is to ask, “What is life giving for me?” When we ask ourselves that question we can let go of the thoughts that are not life giving.

The basic approach to our thoughts is to welcome everything and to push away nothing.

Remember, there is no reason to be afraid of our thoughts. Tension, aversion, fear, shame, and other emotions wrap up our attention in the thought and give it a different kind of toxic life. If we can relate to our thoughts without pushing them away, pretending they aren’t there, or being ashamed of them, then they can take on their true dimensions in our mind, which is, of course, nothing.’ (from Slow Down. Help Out. Wake Up.)