So imagine that you're sitting in front of a sushi train at one of those Japanese restaurants. And there are all these dishes going past on the train.
And in the center, there is the chef creating all of these dishes. The chef is like your mind.
And the dishes are like all of those thoughts, ideas, memories that keep cropping up coming and going all day long.
Some of the dishes on that sushi train may be very appealing. Some of the stuff on that sushi tray may be unappealing. And some of it may be neutral, take it or leave it.
And it's much the same with our thoughts, memories, ideas that pop up throughout the day. Some of them are very pleasant, we really like them, we want them we want to hold on to them.
Some of them are very unpleasant, and we just want to turn away from them get rid of them. And a lot of them are kind of neutral. They're neither positive nor negative.
So all day long, the sushi chef of our mind is creating all these different dishes.
And the train keeps carrying them round and round. These thoughts keep cropping up throughout the day.
Now we can learn to step back and watch our thoughts coming and going in much the same way that we can step back and watch that sushi train and unpleasant dish pops up on the train.
We don't have to turn away in disgust and horror that a pleasant dish comes by. We don't have to reach over and grab it and stuff it down our mouth.
And we can do the same with our own thoughts.
We can step back with an attitude of openness and curiosity and watch them come stay and go in their own good time.