Can one be aware that one is not thinking?

Question

Can one be aware that one is not thinking?

Answer 1

Yes.  Notice whether or not you are reacting emotionally to something.  If so it is likely, if you don't stop yourself, you will just ride with your prejudices.

If you mean no thoughts at all, like in some successful meditation practices, that should be obvious to you.  You will be noticing things around you more clearly and the "buzz" in your mind will be gone.

Answer 2

once u realise that ur not thinking ,u are ,in answer to ur question ,not at that time.

Answer 3

Yes, i think so because sometimes when we are aware of our thoughts, we cannot, or do not want to think about anything at all, just chill out and not have to think about anything.

Answer 4

One thing we can admit straight away: when we are thinking, we are aware that we are thinking. When we are in deep thought, however, we become oblivious to everything else and to the passage of time itself, and so we become unaware that we are thinking.When we are not thinking,we are not only aware that we are not thinking, but there is only awareness, except when we are stupefied, by, say, sleepiness or the effect of substances taken into the body.

Answer 5

If, by thinking, you mean in the forefront of consciousness, then no.

If you mean sub-consciously while you are daydreaming, or asleep, then yes, we can think without knowing we are thinking.

Psycho-epistemological [see Ayn Rand] intuitions* are ideas that "pop" into our minds from our sub-conscious, like a light bulb coming on. Sometimes it is because our sub-conscious was doing all the thinking on an idea we had forgotten about or that we had put on "the back burner," until something nudges it, wakes that idea up, and sends it to our consciousness.

*http://www.ditext.com/runes/i.html See "Intuition"

Answer 6

The mind/thinking and awareness have not relation to one another so therefore we can be aware without thinking and we can think without really being aware.

An example their independence is when in a moment of danger we are thrust into the moment.  All thoughts stop and we are frozen, time slows etc.  What has happened is that awareness has become so intense that it overpowers the mind and body, awareness actually control the mind and body.

In states of meditation this can also be observed.  When we become aware of awareness this state is seen as being separate from the body and the mind and at the same time brings order and controls the mind and body.

Answer 7

My answer is no!The brains controll all the other organs of the body,how then will you realise that you are not thinking when the brain is not functioning!

Answer 8

Really it boils down to how you want to split hairs regarding the terms awareness and thinking.

Essentially the right brain does its thinking without your awareness.

Its the left brain that most people associate with "awareness" this is where higher abstract cognitive activity is done for the most part.

The left brain is the source of that internal monologue the voice you hear when you "think".

But like I said, it really depends on what you mean by thinking and awareness.