A perspective on thought

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thought. With our thoughts, we make our world." ~The Buddha

I believe this quote by the Buddha reveals a 1/2 truth.

If everything that arose from thought were creating our world, perhaps this is why we have war. Most of us, if not all, struggle with our thoughts. On one end, our thinking is light; it is the thought system of love, of heaven or of nirvana. On the other end, our thinking is dark. We tend to hide our darkness, suppress and deny that it exists. We hide it through shame, blame, guilt and fear. What happens, however, is that the shame, guilt and fear gets stored in the body, in the unconscious and creates trouble. This manifests as projections that are seemingly outside, reflecting part(s) of us to be brought to light and healed.

It is not thinking that is bad, it is how we interpret our thoughts and try to suppress and deny them that wreaks havoc. While it is true that thinking shapes our perception, our view of life, it is not true that every thought that comes into mind is who we are.
To know this is true, because truth is love and love would not deny a thought simply for having it.

With that said, when darkness arises, ask yourself what light can we shed to learn about ourselves? What healing do I need to reveal about myself, through this thought? What can I learn about myself through shame, guilt and fear? Where did I learn this? How committed am I to this thought? What do I want to do about it?