How to Stop Ruminating

Even when nothing is particularly wrong, the mind can keep generating something else to want, solve, compare, worry about, or figure out. All that mental activity can be exhausting—and it can keep us from recognizing the contentment and peace that are already available. In this talk, I explore an early Buddhist teaching on papañca—the mind’s tendency to proliferate—and how we can gradually step out of all that chasing. What feeds a busy mind? Craving, comparison, and getting caught up in view...