Some thoughts are desirous in nature. My appetite for chocolates is more than just an occasional desire. The overdose of sweets this holiday season has delightfully satiated my taste buds. The constant nitpicking about my pickiness of food made me wonder about what is it that differentiates I like versus I don’t like.
Superficially, it is just a matter of a few pre set priorities of my mind about what tastes I like. It is similar to relationships. I like a few people and don’t like others. This is because I establish a connection or develop attachment (of varying intensities) with them. So my love of chocolates is a sweet attachment!
While I still haven’t figured out the above, I stumbled upon the nature of thoughts as such. Thoughts are infinite in number. Mind is like an assembly line dispensing myriad superimposed reflections. It seems daunting to control both number and nature of these thoughts.
Here are a few examples of nature of thoughts:
kAma - desire
sankalpa - willing
vikalpa - doubtful
nishchaya - decisive
sandeha - doubtful
shraddha - belief
ashraddha - disbelief
dhRti - fortitude
adhRti - lack of patience
hRi - modest
dhI - understanding
bhI - fearful
All these different kinds can occur with different intensities. These thought fluctuations is the mind.
saMkalpa vikalpa Atmika vRttih manah
Thoughts in a state of doubt are the mind
nishchay Atmika vRttih budhdhih
The thought of decision is the intellect
samaraN Atmika vRttih chitah
The faculty of memory is chitta
