In Japan, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjushri, is known as Monju. Iconographically he is portrayed as a blue-skinned youthful prince who rides a lion and wields a flaming sword.

In the Zendo (Zen meditation hall), this sword is represented by a wooden stick called the keisaku. This stick has a handle at one end and a flattened broad end at the other. The jiki-jitsu, (time-keeper and appointed person who keeps Zendo discipline), occasionally may walk around with the keisaku. It may be used to align sitters who have fallen out of good posture. It may also be requested by sitters who will receive three blows either side of the spine. This invigorates the sleepy and relieves muscular pain and stiffness. These physical interventions provide a break in the inward state where consciousness may have become sluggish and lethargic and aids in re-establishing focus.

The sword of Monju is said to cut through the chains of delusion, hence why the keisaku has been associated with this role in the Zendo. But what about outside of the Zendo? How do we apply the same method to provide a break to the incessant torrent of thoughts that assail the heart. In particular those strong feeling-toned thoughts that arise and obsess us. Of course, this tendency to obsess has always been with us, but now, with a large portion of our energies being focused on social media via smart phones and assorted devices, we are constantly being stimulated to distraction.

Imagine the scenario - you have been doom-scrolling on your favoured social media app. Suddenly, you see a headline or something written with the caps lock on. You get triggered and cannot resist clicking through (there are algorithms out there geared to do just this). It probably only takes a few moments to read the ‘offending’ item. Once triggered however, this is going to stay with you and even though you may go for a walk you are mired in the swamp of your reactions. There you are, arguing with imaginary adversaries, - maybe you imagine you are on the panel of BBC Question Time giving both barrels to those ‘idiots’ who just will not see sense!

Part of you knows this is happening and yet you feel powerless to pull out of it. Perhaps you come up for air for a moment then only to find yourself once again engrossed in the fantasy. How do we break the chain of this obsession?

Such obsessional fantasies are highly energetic. This energy underpins both our physical and mental activities. When it comes to our mental activities,there are deep roots to our psychic habits  and,if we have been regularly indulging our fantasies, then we need to understand that de-coupling from them is not going to happen overnight. However, jump-starting a new habit that does not ‘feed the beast’ is not difficult, though it does require determination. So, if we are serious about our training and recognise its value, then we have to accept that such old habits have tied up a lot of energy into ‘my’ opinions which have now become deeply emotional fixations and convictions. Whilst we place these convictions above the Zen training, then we will continue to fall for them and to feed them. If in our heart we truly recognize that they differ from the teachings of the Buddha, which lead all beings out of suffering, then we can move onto the next step.

Master Daiyu used to have a mantra that could usefully be applied for such strong and persistent thought streams. It is the mental equivalent of a short sharp shock to the heart to momentarily dislodge the energy feeding the obsession.

To understand how this mantra works, we need to just ask what is it about the fantasy that is so compelling to me? Examining the feeling, there is an underlying sense of urgency about it. The matter demands attention right now. It also has importance for us since consciousness is giving it top priority. There is no room for anything else to rise up to the surface. It has us completely. Finally, in some way, it is deeply relevant to myself. It touches something or other in me, quite often this is not fully conscious or only partly so. It touches me existentially and for it to be denied is for me to be denied; hence why I feel threatened by this denial and, let’s face it, the strength of this reaction does seem like life and death to me.

With this in mind our mantra is quite simple. When, in a moment of clarity, we see ‘I’ am overwhelmed by this fantasy inwardly, we voice in a commanding tone:

UNIMPORTANT!  IRRELEVANT!  UN-INTERESTING!

Each one should land like the WHACK of the keisaku on the back. If it does not dislodge, then repeat as often as necessary. Each time it re-surfaces, then the mental blow can be applied once more.

It may be thought that this mantra is also a thought - indeed it is - but like the method of placing a count on the out-breath during Zazen meditation it has the power to slay 10,000 thoughts