The Zen Thinking Podcast

This week's episode is entirely spontaneous without any planned topics and without any featured readings. I didn't know where this "go-with-the-flow" talk would take me, but I ended up discussing the phrase, "All is well"—which is, in a nutshell, the absolute truth of reality. All is well. It is only the false "I" that believes otherwise. The imagined separate self, which the mind asserts into your life as the persistent I-thought, which attaches itself onto the world in a perceived position of duality, will always define itself (and its happiness) in varying states of conceptual opposition. See through the false duality of your being. Realize the perfect, peaceful and quiet presence of your true Self—Pure Consciousness, Absolute Awareness. As always, this episode is best listened to in total silence, free of distractions. Dive deep into your innermost self. Expose the untruths which you've been clinging to, and realize That which is ever-present... which is, all is well. Thanks for listening. Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

In this week's episode, I discuss the importance of observing the activities of mind, as they happen, and not reacting to its illusory mental projections. The mind is never satisfied. It continually bounces back and forth between desire and fear, sadness and happiness, pleasure and pain, lack and abundance. However, this duality is imagined only, it isn't real. You are not relative to the contents of thought, no matter how it might feel. You are pure consciousness—and so too are all your conceptions, perceptions, sensations, and experiences. Everything is consciousness. Everything is a reflection of your Self—not your imagined self, but your actual self of Absolute Awareness. Observe the objects of thought just as you would an object appearing off in the distance. Realize yourself as the empty aware presence in which all “things” arise and in which they also disappear. You are beyond it all, and yet, you are also one with everything. Everything is your Self. Know yourself as Pure Consciousness—Absolute Freedom—content, peaceful, unaffected, and unchanged by any appearance that happens to arise. You are not something. You are nothing, but this nothingness, is absolutely everything. Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

I'm back! I took an unexpected couple of months off from writing and podcasting, but here I Am… and hopefully the pointings I have to share are even more clear and precise than before. In this new podcast episode I point towards the knowing of your true emptiness—the Absolute Zero, from which all that seems to be, appears, and in which all that seems to be seen, heard, and felt, arises. Be the selfless witnessing of all experience. Let go. Let go. Let go. Return to Zero. Know yourself as an empty Knowing presence, nothing more. Relax and abide in the bliss of nothing, in which the beauty of all somethings effortlessly pass through—free of mental attachment. Om shanti shanti shanti. Brian Thompson www.zenthinking.net ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: www.patreon.com/zenthinking Read the show notes for this episode at www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

Join me in a meditation of Self, an inquiry into understanding the true nature of this knowing presence that you are and that I am. Self-Inquiry, otherwise known as atma-vichara in Sanskrit, is a tool used in Advaita Vedanta's seminal practice of Jnana Yoga, which is the Yoga of Wisdom. This wisdom is not of the intellect however, it is the wisdom of knowing your Self as you truly are, and not how you think you are. Self-Inquiry is used to dispel the illusion of mind which is continually projected onto the world (and self) you perceive. Self-Inquiry dissolves the ignorance of the falsely perceived personal self into the silent awareness of pure consciousness, which is the very presence of being which you acknowledge through your utterance of, I am. I often speak of Self-Inquiry, but few understand how to approach it in their daily life. So, if this interests you, please join me in this podcast for a quiet walk-through of this inner-inquiry, which is the oldest question in the Universe—Who am I? Delve into the nature of your being, of consciousness, and find your Self. Om shanti shanti shanti Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

In this week's new episode I share some pointers to help awaken you to your true nature, which is a peaceful presence of pure consciousness, free from the mind's dream-like influence. Our continual stream of thoughts seem to rule our every waking moment, but, life doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to be so overwhelmed by the mind and its contents. We don't have to be troubled by the thoughts the ego projects, nor do we have to identify with any of the emotions that seem to flow through us. We always have a choice—a choice to not react to the mind and to, instead, abide only in our presence of awareness, empty of influence. I hope this episode helps point you towards knowing your truth of being—that which is always here and now. Thanks for listening. Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

This week's podcast is an exploration of Self. Join me in this quiet meditation—a contemplation of your aware presence—to reveal the changeless aspect of your being which has always been. In the silent stillness of non-reactivity, no longer deluded by the mind, your original Self will show itself, and your natural presence of peace will become apparent. Thanks for listening to the show, I hope you enjoy it. Brian ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

This week's episode focusses on becoming aware of the subtle quality of "noticing" that enables every experience to appear. Underneath every sensation and perception rests your presence of awareness, which is the absolute reality upon which all things rely—both conceptual and material. Listening to podcasts, reading books, and attending teachings can point you towards your own Self, but its realization depends on a persistent practice of mindfulness, meditation, and self-inquiry. Thanks for listening to the show, I hope you enjoy it. Brian ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

Underneath every concept of yourself and the world, there exists a still and silent presence of Being which is ever-present. This is your true Self—a pure and unconditioned Presence. This aware presence that you are is the universal principle that gives every experience, every perception, and every sensation their appearance of reality. It is this principle alone that is a reality, while everything else is merely a brief appearance of mind within it. When we forget our true formlessness, however, we suffer. We suffer because we become lost in the world of forms which the mind has created countless stories around, all of which are a threat to the concept called, "me". In this episode, I attempt to bring the absolute reality of this underlying consciousness to your attention, so that it can be self-realized in the present-moment, which in turn helps you see through the many delusions created by the egoic mind. By just observing the mind, and no longer believing in its stories, you dissolve the ego's hold over you. In doing so, you begin to awaken from the dreams in which you appear to suffer. Thanks for listening to the show, I hope you enjoy it. Brian ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

This week's new episode discusses how happiness is synonymous with the end of desire. Surrender all desires to your awareness of them—including your desire for happiness itself. If there is any senses of personal lack or wanting, whatsoever, happiness will continue to be obscured by the ego's false projections. Inner peace can only be realized when you are absolutely content in the present moment, within yourself, as yourself, regardless of whatever appears to be happening around you. You must embrace whatever is, gracefully. In doing so, happiness will be realized as being ever-present. In truth, it is only the mind that keeps it hidden. So ignore the mind's grasping for desires and happiness will reveal itself as being the natural reflection of your true Self. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

This week's episode points towards the aware presence of your true Self. Ever since you were young you were taught that you were that face in the mirror—that "that" image is you! You've then lived your entire life in relation to what you think about that image, always comparing your apparent appearance to everyone else, what it has, and what it has not. But, this image in the mirror is not your direct experience of actually being yourself. Your actual experience is one of infinite presence, an unlimited field of awareness in which all things appear—including your supposed self-image. To believe that you are a moving image in the mirror is to limit yourself needlessly. Your presence then constricts around an imagined concept, and you become virtually lost within it. Awaken to Presence. Find freedom and happiness within the clear awareness of your Self, no longer be distracted by whatever appears within it. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

This week's podcast focusses on recognizing all of the things which condition you—in other words, whatever causes you to emotionally react. As you observe yourself and become aware of your reactions to people, places, or things, you begin to isolate the ego. You become aware of its false presence. As you transcend your habitual reactions to the mind and the world, you also begin to transcend the ego. In doing so, you move beyond being stuck in a conditioned and reactionary egoic state, to one of pure, unconditioned presence—at peace with both yourself and the world. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

In this week's new episode I use the technique of Self-Inquiry to zero in on the stream of "I-thoughts" that seem to pervade every perception and experience. It is the I-thought that creates the imagined false self (the ego) and that is responsible for creating the illusion of all problems, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and suffering in one's life. Through a practice of Self-Inquiry one's underlying true Self is revealed as the empty presence of awareness itself, thereby exposing the I-thought as nothing but a false belief, allowing it naturally dissolve into pure consciousness. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

In this week's new episode, I discuss being mindful of your knowing presence. After all, your sense of knowingness is your Self. Unfortunately, however, we are continually distracted from it by that which appears within it. As we navigate through our daily lives it's easy to become lost within, and consumed by, the mind's thoughts. It is the mind's habitual nature to divide everything it experiences apart from the awareness which is perceiving, and it then brandishes these conceptual discernments with all sorts of egoic beliefs and opinions. By abiding in your presence of awareness, however, while not being distracted and involved with any of the mind's divisive chatter, we become free of the ego's false projections. When you remain in awareness, as awareness, you no longer view the world as being separate from you—it is found to be just another part of you. When you know your knowingness to be all that Is, everything is realized to be your own self-reflection. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

In this week's episode I discuss how the only thing that you suffer from is your own self-concept. It is what you believe "You" are (or aren't) that is the cause of all your problems, and it is whatever you believe "You" lack that creates all of your dissatisfaction and unhappiness. After all, if you didn't take anything personally, then how could you possibly suffer, and from what? You only suffer from the "you" that you believe you are and from whatever imagined problems you mistakenly attach onto its falsely-conceived identity. Realize that you are not the by-product of any such personalized stream of thought, nor are you the experiencer of whatever drama these thoughts happen to create and imply. No matter what the mind tempts you into believing, you remain totally free as its witnessing presence of awareness, regardles of whether you are self-aware of this fact or not. Despite whatever self-concept you hold as being true, you are the theatre of consciousness in which all such concepts appear—free of them all. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ♥︎ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast.

This week's episode is a little different. It begins with a slow and meditative exploration into the nature of being. It's an inner-contemplation that examines the presence of awareness that you are, investigating the essence of consciousness itself. If you've ever considered the question, Who Am I?—this one's for you. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode zeroes in on the true experience of what it means to be alive—that we are 'reality', experiencing itself. We are not separate from reality, reality IS what we are. In fact, reality appears within us, as us. But, the question remains... Who am I? You are the awareness in which all things appear. You are consciousness, being—not being this, and not being that—just, being. You are the awareness that is aware. You are Ultimate Reality. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

Today's episode focuses on the importance of being aware of your assumptions. In most cases, our assumptions are subconscious. Since we are unconsciousness to them, they appear to be real and we overlook their unreality—rather than seeing them as the illusions of mind they truly are. Assumptions create a virtual reality, one that is defined by much needless emotional suffering. When you are able to recognize these false projections of mind however, you transcend the mind altogether and open yourself to the inner-dimension of pure, unfettered awareness—one that is free of false assumptions. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I investigate the nature of experiencing, which shapes the very nature of our sense of being. I discuss how the conditioned mind interacts with the processing of perceptions—interpreting each sensation with its prior conditioning, concepts and beliefs, thereby distorting reality and creating an illusory world, one that exists only within mind. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss the many different false projections of mind that distort our perception of reality, and what you can do to ignore them and become immune to them—transcending them entirely. We never really struggle with reality itself, we only seem to suffer from the concepts of mind which we presume to be true, which we apply onto the world around us, including our own sense of self. To see through these illusions and no longer believe in them, is to realize our true Self nature and be free of their illusory bondage. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about understanding the nature of pain, no matter if its physical or emotional, and why we suffer from it. Pain happens. But suffering? That's a choice. To suffer means to self-identify with both the pain and its apparent causal factors. In doing so, you create a story for yourself, within mind, where you are the sufferer—where you are the victim that something has personally happened to. However, life doesn't have to be perceived in such a way. With a practice of mindfulness and self-inquiry, all suffering can be transmuted into the presence of awareness in which it appears—which is, the Self. And so, like all other challenges in life, pain can be realized as just another opportunity to awaken from the dream of mind. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about realizing our true self-nature, that is always ever-present, by revealing all that is false within. By continually questioning our perceptions of the world, and inquiring into where our beliefs arise from, and how, and why—we thereby negate the reality of our own subjective opinions. By knowing that which is false, you can realize the truth that Is. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's new episode I investigate the nature of what it means to exist, using the Advaita practice of Self-Inquiry (or, Atma Vichara). Through self-inquiry, the idea of the personal "me" is revealed to be nothing other than a mis-perceived concept, one that "you" have mistakenly identifed yourself with, and as. When this understanding is absolutely realized and known, without any doubt whatsoever, then all other "personal" conceptualizations dissolve along with the illusion in which they existed—including any previous sense of personal separation, division, confusion, emotional distress, or existential quandry. When the truth of your intimate and aware presence is truly realized, you become free—liberated from all egoic suffering and delusion. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss using a practice of self-inquiry to empty the mind of its mistaken beliefs to reveal the bliss of the don't-know mind. When the ego is silenced and the mind no longer tries to assert its opinions onto everything it perceives, your entire presence-of-being experiences a profound shift in perspective. Within this new-found aware presence of nothingness, peace and happiness blossoms in what was previously filled with false egoic projections, imagined concepts, mistaken perceptions, untrue thoughts, needless drama, and faulty logic. Within the don't-know mind, all problems disappear entirely, and bliss is uncovered as always being right here, right now. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's new episode I discuss how everything we experience in life is filtered through our own beliefs, memories and conditionings. No matter what we perceive, it's always shaped by the contents of our mind and distorted by the ego. To experience the beautiful truth that is within every experience of every moment, we must quiet the mind—and the practice self-inquiry is the direct method to achieve this. When the ego has been silenced—peace and happiness appears, no longer divided by the mind who can only deal in concepts, opinions and speculation. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss the only reality there is, the one that is here, now. Most people overlook the truth of reality because they're lost within the dream of conceptual thinking. When we live inside a world of thought however, we create an alternate reality—one that isn't real, it's imagined—it's virtual. Reality is not a concept—it is the absence of concepts. The conundrum we face, is that every single word we think and speak is a concept! Which is why it's often said in the teachings of non-duality that the truth is silent. The more words and conceptual ideas that we have bouncing around in our minds, the more truth of reality is obscured from our perception. Quiet the mind, silence all egoic thought—and the truth of Reality will become clear—that, You are That, here and now. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss how spiritual enlightenment isn't a special state-of-being to be acquired, it's already your true nature. All that's required to wake up is to surrender your pre-conceived self-identity and realize that which you already are—an aware presence of consciousness. There is nothing to be learned—rather, only a thorough process of un-learning is required. The ego and all of its concepts and beliefs must be shed entirely. I also talk about the recent violence that's been in the news, and I share some words that I hope will help make sense of that which appears to be senseless. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about transcending the concept of "Me"—which is, the personalized sense of a body/mind self that you believe yourself to be. All problems, confusion, suffering and existential struggle arises from that which you attach to the Me-thought—which is entirely imagined and non-existent. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Much love, Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss how our perception of reality is continually distorted by whatever concepts we happen to believe in and by whatever stories we're presently telling ourselves. Our experiences happen only within our own consciousness, and how we interpret that perception is modulated entirely by the stories we tell ourselves about it, which is of course based upon our self-centred opinions and personal biases. It is this false reality, that is perceived to be real, that is the both source and substance of all our sorrow, suffering and struggle. To awaken from the dream is to be aware of our stories and to see completely through their illusion. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's new episode is all about realizing your own beingness. When you bask in your own presence, without any distraction, and you allow all thought to settle... what is the nature of your aware essence? In this inner silence, ask yourself, Who am I? Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ★★★ Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast ★★★

This week's episode is a little different from previous ones, in that much of it is a stream-of-conscious discussion regarding the peace of being that can only be found in inner silence. I also share a little tool of mindfulness to help you find your own space of inner quietude, one that you can use anywhere, anytime. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson www.zenthinking.net ★★★ Read the show notes for this episode at www.zenthinking.net/podcast ★★★

In this week's episode I discuss one of the fundamental teachings in non-duality—you are not the 'doer', you are the witnessing presence to things being done. Your true self is not the subject of its experiences, it is the ever-present perceiving of them. And so similarly, we are not the thinker that we believe ourselves to be, we are the presence that perceives the body/mind process of thinking, just as we observe all of the other bodily functions. In the last half of the episode I discuss how focussing the mind on the breath that is our pure presence points us towards finding our true Self, our presence of awareness—the only thing in our personhood that is forever unchanging—the very essence of our being. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ★★★ Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast ★★★

In this week's episode I discuss the stillness of our true nature and how, by simply abiding in its innate quietness, we find the happiness we've always sought. I also discuss how objects and things do not actually exist—including us—but rather, all apparent 'things' are merely events within consciousness, whose duration within time gives the appearance of their realness. But in truth, all appearances are illusions of consciousness, within consciousness—which is our true Self nature. And so, All is Self. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### ★Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about revealing the false self that you perceive yourself to be—that you lovingly refer to as, Me—as the false perception that it truly is. Your person is your problem. When you place your well-being in the hands of a make-believe entity, the false self, suffering is unavoidable. Life doesn't have to be this way. Realize your true Self nature by understanding all that you are not. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I'm joined by special guest, Carmella Whitehead, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, for a conversation that explores the nature of consciousness in our day to day lives, personal realizations that lead to inner change, and awakening to our own awareness and the affects it has on our emotions. Visit Carmella online at: http://www.carmellawhiteheadmft.com Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes for this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I explore the illusion of free will, revealing that all of our actions are almost entirely predetermined, shaped by the conditioning of our consciousness and minds. Our life is a projection of consciousness in consciousness—it is not unlike a dream—whose outcome is determined by our level of awareness and whatever we perceive our 'self' to be. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is an inquiry of sorts into Awareness, which is the source of the "I" we refer to ourselves by. Your "I" gives you the sense of "I am", which is the very presence of being that has never left you. It is your relationship to this "I am", Awareness, that determines how you perceive your life and the world around you. In this episode, I reflect on the reflection of Awareness, as it appears in the perceivable world. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about recognizing the mistakes in our perceptions that create a dreamlike world of ignorance and delusion—a world that leads to nothing but suffering. When we see through this illusion of mind however, we become able to free ourselves from a false reality that would otherwise ensnare us in a world of imagined pain, chaos and needless drama. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss perceiving our perceptions and being cognizant of the false duality that arises when we believe ourselves to be the perceiver, or rather, the subject to which experience occurs to. The truth of reality however, is that neither the perceiver nor the perceived actually exist—both are illusions that co-arise within the unified, non-dual act of perceiving. Rather than identifying ourselves with that which we perceive (our thoughts, beliefs, opinions, emotions, memories, sensations, experiences and knowledge) we should identify with the very act of perceiving—which is a reflection of awareness, within awareness—our true self nature. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss the natural law of impermanence and how its presence underlies all things. From our thoughts and feelings, to our possessions and way of life, to the ones we love—no thing can escape death or transitional change. This episode comes from an incredibly personal place as I just lost one of my best friends only five days ago, Iggy the cat. If you've recently experienced a loss of any kind, I hope you find some peace through these words I share... Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about getting rid of our preconceived notions, opinions, beliefs, and judgements—both about ourselves and the world around us—so that we can just BE. When we choose to ignore all of the subjective imaginings from our minds, we become able to dip into the boundless flow of our being where our natural state of acceptance, love, and happiness can be fully realized. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss the knowing that is our True Self, Awareness. There's an incredible spiritual breakthrough that's available to anyone, simply through realizing that "you" are not the contents of your mind, but rather, "you" are that which is aware of the contents of your mind. You are the knowing that knows. You are the consciousness in which all things occur. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about understanding consciousness and understanding how we experience our own experiences. What is the nature of our moment-to-moment experiencing? What is it composed of? What part does the self play in interpreting our sense perceptions? Where does suffering come from, and what is the source of our happiness? Press play and find out. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week I discuss how simply observing and questioning our every thought and can lead to a freedom we've never before experienced. Once we recognize and realize the subjective futility of our thinking, we can begin to distance ourselves from believing any of it. Free of the belief in our thoughts, our hearts and minds then become open to the peace that's found by abiding in the pure awareness of the present moment. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss how everything within our experience is mind. Everything. All of our beliefs, all of our opinions, all of our worries, all of pleasures and pains, all of our desires, all of our perceptions—they're all created by mind. As fish swim in the sea, we swim in consciousness. When you realize that all is mind, you perceive things differently—you experience them as they truly are, as opposed to wrapping them inside a mental conceptualization. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I explore the formless nature of consciousness permeating all of our perceptions, that forms the emptiness of awareness that all manners of subjectivity exist within. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I discuss the infinite, non-dual nature of our unlimited Awareness (our True Self). When we place restrictions on our pure-Self through false projections of a mind that has decided to take everthing personally—we distort the truth of our reality, and we cause ourselves to suffer greatly because of it. We must awaken from our "dream of self" and become completely selfless—only then will we realize the beautiful truth in all of our experiences. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about becoming empty of self, or rather, becoming empty of the false perceptions that have come to shape your life, your experiences, your world view, and all of your emotions. In the emptiness of nothing, we become free. In emptiness we are able to see everything clearly, without anything (from our mind) being in our way. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This week's episode is about challenging the ego to a life or death duel in search for truth. Most of what we perceive in the world—including our universe within—is a fabrication of mind. What we believe to be true, isn't. The stories we wrap ourselves in are nothing but pure fiction, created by an ego desperate to not only survive, but to thrive in the turmoil of our pain. But the ego CAN be defeated, and it's done by denying it of any belief in any of its thoughts and opinions. The ego will die, but only when you no longer feed it with your attention. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

In this week's episode I talk about the empty nature of words and language, and how they are entirely unable to express the true nature of direct experience. It is the words that echo inside our heads that cause us to suffer; words that create thoughts, that then form concepts of duality, which then turn in to beliefs, which we then wrongly wrap ourselves in and indentify ourselves by. Only by seeing through the inherent fault in language can we break free from its harmful by-product—belief. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the show. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net

In this week's episode I discuss how our perceived sense of self is created (and maintained) by all of the things we identify with, which then goes on to create the virtual reality we exist within. It's nothing more than one illusion creating another illusion. So to change the world, you must first begin with yourself. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast

This episode is all about waking up. It's about seeing through the veil with which we've shrouded our reality in—a veil of conceptual thought. When we're able to recognize that all of our perceptions are distorted by mind, which differ from the truth of reality itself—we can begin to see through the veil of our own delusion. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode. ★ If you enjoy my work, become a patron: http://www.patreon.com/zenthinking ★ Brian Thompson http://www.zenthinking.net ### Read the show notes to this episode at http://www.zenthinking.net/podcast