Hi Horace,
You imply it was I who has tried to stop thinking and perceived it. I *know* I am thinking because I am thinking that when *you* stopped thinking you perceived you stopped thinking and thus had that perception. If you go to sleep, on the other hand, your perception may or may not be present, but if not, then where are you?
Hi Horace, The problem is that we tend to identify our sense of identity (who we really think we are) with our personal thoughts and emotions. The suggestion I was trying to make here is that its possible to acquire a more accurate perception of who or what they really are when we give ourselves permission to step back - and simply observe the nature of our own thoughts and emotions which are constantly running through our line of perception like monkeys jumping from tree branch to tree branch. This is what is called transcendence. But most of us tend to identify our sense of identity with our personal thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. We take positions on this and that issue. Meanwhile others invariably take the opposite position. This eventually leads to struggle and disappointment when things don't go according to plan... and they eventually will. Everything eventually changes. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson
