Thought Is Our Most Basic Addiction
'Most of us have many addictions, which we may call habits and interests, or even skills and talents. Such addictions as drugs, alcohol or gambling are but the most evident forms of the addictive pattern of our entire behavior. Some of us are addicted to sex, others to food, others to business, to knowledge, or even to religious practices. Whatever we become dependent on to occupy our time or fill our minds is a kind of addiction. All external seeking—whether for pleasure, wealth, status or knowledge—is not ultimately different from an alcoholic looking for a drink.
'Thought is our most basic addiction from which all other addictions derive like branches. Thought is a habit, an unconscious mechanism of the mind. If you do not believe this, then try to control your thoughts, try to stop thinking. Obviously thought is not a conscious process but a compulsion. We automatically think about ourselves and what we will get in life. As long as we are ruled by this stream of mechanical thought we are addicts of one type or another, and our addiction must distort our perception.'
- David Frawley, in 'Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness.'
'Thought is our most basic addiction from which all other addictions derive like branches. Thought is a habit, an unconscious mechanism of the mind. If you do not believe this, then try to control your thoughts, try to stop thinking. Obviously thought is not a conscious process but a compulsion. We automatically think about ourselves and what we will get in life. As long as we are ruled by this stream of mechanical thought we are addicts of one type or another, and our addiction must distort our perception.'
- David Frawley, in 'Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness.'