"Can thought bring about a vital change? Up to now we have relied on thought, have we not? ... And can thought fundamentally change man, change you and me? If you say it can, then you must see all of its implications - that man is a product of time, that there is nothing beyond time, and so on. So, if I am to create fundamental change in myself, can I rely on thought as an instrument to bring about that transformation? Or, can there be a fundamental change only when there is the ending of thought? My problem, then, is to experiment, to find out, and I can find out only through self-knowledge, through knowing myself, watching, being aware in the moments when I'm off guard. It is only when I begin to understand the process of my own thinking that I can find out whether or not there is the possibility of a fundamental change; until then, mere assertion that I can or cannot change is of little significance. Though we see the importance of radical change in the world and in ourselves, there is very little chance of such a change as long as we do not understand the thinker and his thought."
I came to understand this twice tonight. I listen even when I pretend not to.
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