Quote Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII View Post
Think of it in terms of an analogy-- the mind is constantly working, with or without your own input. Trying to shut all those thoughts off is like putting up a giant dam...there's a tremendous amount of force behind that wall, and for the average person (IE someone other than a monk who spends life meditating for hours) there is not enough will to hold up that much force.
I'd say it's even more problematic than that. It's like trying to hold back a body of water with more water.
If you're directly trying to stop your thoughts, you are thinking about trying to stop your thoughts. Which obviously means you have made no progress whatsoever.