Our thoughts have an enormous impact on how we experience life. Many philosophers and spiritual teachers have pondered the notion that we live in our thoughts more than we live in the physical world. This raises some intriguing questions:
Do our thoughts create our reality?
Many ancient wisdom traditions and contemporary thinkers believe our thoughts directly shape our experiences. According to this view, our thoughts literally create our reality. Rather than simply observing reality, our mental activity is constantly generating our experiences. As spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle puts it: “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.”
This perspective suggests our thoughts do not simply describe the world; they actively construct the world we perceive. We do not see reality as it is, but rather as we are — through the lens of our thoughts, beliefs, judgments, expectations, and assumptions. In a very real sense, we live in a world of our own making.
The power of thought
If our thoughts create our reality, then we have tremendous power to shape our lives through our mental activity. By changing our thoughts and perspectives, we can transform our experience of life. As Henry Ford said: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
This view emphasizes the need for mastery over the mind. If we do not take charge of our thinking, it will control us. By taking responsibility for our thoughts and intentionally choosing empowering beliefs and perspectives, we unleash our greatest potential.
The role of awareness
An essential component of mastering the mind is awareness. When we lack awareness, our thoughts and stories dominate our perception without us realizing it. By bringing awareness to our thought patterns, beliefs, and perspectives, we can examine them objectively. We may find that many of our thoughts are distorted, disempowering or simply not true. Awareness allows us to take back control of our minds.
Do our brains shape our thoughts?
While our thoughts may create our reality, modern neuroscience research shows our brains constrain and shape the very thoughts we can think. The structure and workings of our brains influence our mental experience in profound ways.
The neuroplastic brain
The brain exhibits neuroplasticity, meaning its pathways are constantly changing in response to experience. This means our thoughts gradually alter the physical structure of our brains. Certain thoughts and activities get reinforced and become dominant pathways over time. So in a sense, our thoughts shape and train our brains.
Yet our brains also clearly shape what thoughts arise. We cannot simply think whatever we want; our brains generate thoughts within the range of possibilities enabled by our neural networks. So our biological makeup constrains our stream of consciousness.
The predictive brain
The brain is essentially a prediction machine. It constantly generates hypotheses about the world and looks for confirming evidence. Neuroscientist Anil Seth describes how the brain hallucinates our conscious reality based on its predictive model of the world.
Rather than objectively perceiving reality, our brains construct simplified mental models aimed at prediction. So in a sense, we really do live in our thoughts — but these thoughts are driven by our brains’ predictive workings rather than some separate mind.
Can we control our thoughts?
If our brains determine our thoughts, does this mean we cannot control our thinking? Not exactly. While we do not control the initial arising of thoughts, we can shape patterns of thinking through intention and practice.
Directing attention skillfully
Attention plays a key role in awarely working with thoughts. Wherever we place our attention, neural activity and brain connectivity strengthen in that area. By purposefully directing our attention, we can strengthen more skillful thought patterns.
For instance, if we get caught up in negative rumination, we can consciously shift our attention to our breath, body sensations or the present moment. We have the capacity to guide our attention in ways that gradually alter neural pathways.
Cultivating new perspectives
Cognitive behavioral therapy and related practices work with thoughts by intentionally cultivating new perspectives. With repetition and effort, we can exercise new neural networks that change how we relate to our thoughts.
For example, if we suffer from low self-esteem, consistently generating thoughts and memories aimed at self-appreciation can gradually build new brain connections that change our self-perspective. Our thoughts have the power to transform over time.
Are we our thoughts or the awareness of them?
Perhaps the most radical perspective is that we are not our thoughts at all. Some contemplative traditions suggest our true nature is the pure awareness observing our thoughts unfold. From this space of awareness, thoughts are just part of the passing show of the mind and have no power to define us.
The observer of thought
We all have the capacity to observe our thoughts as the objective witness. When we rest in this place of awareness, we gain insight into the inner workings of our minds. Thoughts are seen as temporary phenomena rather than absolute truth.
By resting as the observer, we can watch even painful thoughts arise and pass without identifying with them or getting caught up in their stories. This builds emotional resilience and inner freedom.
Beyond thought
Some meditative practices aim at moving beyond thought entirely into pure presence. By consciously letting go of the mental commentary that normally fills our minds, we can experience inner stillness and peace. We touch the essence of awareness itself, beyond the churning of thought.
From this space, we realize thoughts are just part of the ebb and flow of the mind’s energy. We are the still backdrop, not the passing thoughts.
Conclusion
Our thoughts wield great power to create our moment-to-moment experience of life. Yet the workings of our brains also fundamentally shape the very thoughts and perspectives available to us. While we cannot control each passing thought, we have the capacity to direct our attention and intentionally cultivate new patterns of thinking over time. And ultimately, we can realize our true nature as the spacious awareness within which thoughts come and go.
So we are far more than our thoughts, and yet our thoughts help create our worlds. By living from awake, compassionate awareness, we can master our minds and thoughts to unlock our greatest potential.