Who can (make) the muddy water (clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear. Who can secure the condition of rest? Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will gradually arise.
– Tao Te Ching
Control Your Thoughts with Non-Action
Want to learn how to control your thoughts? Paradoxically, the way to control your thoughts is to not control them. Huh? What?
If you try to control your thoughts, you inevitably make clear waters “muddy”. Ultimately, controlling your thoughts means your thoughts controlling you.
Attachment to thoughts will hasten actions without rationale. Resistance to thoughts will cause anger or fear to grow. Both will cloud the mind’s clarity. Therefore, the best way to control your thoughts is be a witness.
Learn to just observe your thoughts with no interpretation nor judgement. Imagine your thoughts as a river. Realize that they will come and go. And any action of grasping to your thoughts is just like you grasping water with your hands, only to find the water continuing to flow through your fingers.
It’s pointless. Your thoughts aren’t real anyways. Just view your thoughts as entertainment.
Resolve Decisions and Problems with Minimal Effort
This excerpt can also be a metaphor on how to solve tough decisions and problems. It’s ok to plan and weigh out the positives and negatives of every scenario. However, we stress out over the little details and makes it more difficult to make a decision or solve a problem than it really should be. Sometimes it may cause “analysis paralysis” and stop you in your tracks
Rather than going full throttle on activity, try to take a step back, go for a walk, drink a cup of a tea, or whatever, and take a break from the issue. Breathe. And let the issue breathe.
After a good break, you may find that the resolution to a decision or problem will appear effortlessly. Remember, Wu-Wei.
You muddy waters with your attachment and aversion to your thoughts. You muddy waters when you stress out over every little detail to a decision or problem. Keep things simple. Less is more. Through that you will find clear waters.