Thought and Thinker

“The root of contradiction is the division between the thinker and the thought.”
Paris, France 30 May, 1965

Krishnamurti stated that “the thinker is the thought”. But because so much of thought is silent speech, the illusion of the thinker cannot be dispelled by the assurance that thought is a mechanical process articulating and expressing the ideas and feelings of the brain that utilizes it. This illusion of the thinker persists because thought is conditioned to be reactive; to respond conditionally and habitually. Only when there is awareness of this conditioned reflex, can thought respond reasonably, thoughtfully.

Because of its conditioning, thought is a relentless, often mindless process, that precludes awareness of space and silence, making it impossible for the brain to realize that thought is merely a mechanism and not a person who must defend and deny his/her behavior.

When thought speaks like this about itself, it brings up a question: can thought describe itself as “mindless”? What is going on? It means that thought is aware of itself and is scolding itself for keeping the “brain” from realizing that it is merely a “mechanism” and that the brain should see through the illusion?

Thought is not aware. It’s a mechanism used by the cognitive faculty, the mind, to generate practical and, unfortunately, psychological thought. There is awareness of deliberate thought, and awareness of involuntary, mindless thought, e.g., “monkey mind”, babbling, rambling, though much of it is unconscious.

The thinker is thought is saying, to put it another way, the brain is producing my life. When there is this complete awareness of the brain, in my face, as it were, probably I am stuck with this awareness, and keep wondering what to do with it. So, as in meditation, not stuck focusing on it, nor trying to fix it, the whole affair is learning.