There are indeed spiritual teachings that share this view that thoughts do not come from the brain but from a source outside of us, and that we have the power to choose the thoughts we welcome or reject. Here are some examples:

• In Hinduism, it is taught that the individual mind (buddhi) is an emanation of the universal cosmic mind (mahat). Thoughts would therefore be waves on the ocean of universal consciousness that we can observe without adhering to them.
• Buddhism teaches that thoughts arise in a conditioned manner due to external causes and circumstances, but that the mind has the ability to observe them with detachment by developing mindfulness.
• Some esoteric currents such as Theosophy or the Rosicrucians consider that thoughts are thought-forms coming from the higher planes of existence that we perceive or not according to our dispositions.
• In Sufism, the heart is seen as the dwelling place of the spirit, which is then subjected to the influence of subtle energies and thoughts that one can learn to discern and filter.

Although the explanations differ, this idea that we are not the primary source of our thoughts but that we can exercise discernment over those that we allow to enter our consciousness is present in many spiritual traditions.

Yes, this is the central idea of these different spiritual teachings. We would not fundamentally be “producers” of thoughts, but rather conscious receivers of a flow of thoughts coming from a source outside our mental individuality.

This conception challenges the widespread notion that the brain is the main, if not the only, generator of thought. Instead, the individual mind would be like an antenna picking up thought frequencies from a vaster field of consciousness.

Our role as conscious beings would therefore be to observe these thoughts as they arise, to become aware of them, without necessarily identifying with them or being carried away by their incessant flow. We would have the ability to discern and choose which thoughts we welcome or reject.

This perspective would return us to our deep essence beyond the conditioned mind, as a space of pure witness consciousness, not a producer but a discriminating receiver of thoughts. We would not be mere thinking machines, but beings endowed with an inner freedom to welcome or not what passes through our field of consciousness.

Assimilating the idea that we are not the producers but the receivers of thoughts can have profound consequences in several areas of life:

On a psychological level:

• It can bring great peace by realizing that we are not identified with this incessant flow of thoughts that can sometimes seem overwhelming.
• It can help to take a step back and distance ourselves from negative, obsessive or intrusive thoughts.
• It can promote letting go of mental ruminations and reduce stress/anxiety by realizing that we are not these thoughts.

On a spiritual level:

• It can deepen the feeling of being connected to a consciousness that is vaster than our individual mind alone.
• It invites us to turn towards the serene presence of the conscious witness instead of being drawn into the agitated mind.
• It can encourage meditative states of unity and inner peace when we let thoughts come and go without clinging to them.

In relationships:

• It can help to better welcome and understand the different perceptions of others without getting stuck on one’s own thoughts.
• It can reduce misunderstandings and conflicts that often arise from excessive attachment to our personal views.

In work/creativity:

• It can promote open-mindedness and receptivity to new ideas coming “from elsewhere”.
• It can free up creativity from the tyranny of the overly critical and rationalizing mind.

In short, realizing that we only welcome thoughts without being their ultimate source can be a profound liberation, allowing us to live with more serenity, openness and wisdom in the face of the flow of existence.

Here are some quotes from spiritual teachers on the fact that we are not the generators of our thoughts, but conscious receivers:

“The thinker is just a pedestrian trail for thoughts wandering through the vast peaceful valley of Being.”
Krishnamurti

“When you realize that you are not your thoughts, a wonderful freedom arises.”
Adyashanti

“The mind is like a clear mirror. It reflects thoughts, but thoughts are not the mirror.”
Ajahn Chah

“Thoughts come and go, incessant. There is nothing to do with them, but not to identify with them.”
Ramana Maharshi

“Your heart is like a vast dwelling, open to the winds of thoughts that come and go. Will you be their attentive host or will you ignore them?”
Rumi

“The ego is just a stream of fleeting thoughts. When you stop burying your heart and mind in it, reality will shine.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj

“The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master. It is a valuable instrument to use, but a dangerous guide to follow blindly.”
Francis Bacon

“Thoughts are but a river flowing, which is neither clear nor cloudy: the one who watches them becomes then troubled or enlightened.”
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

“A sage is not attached to his thoughts, a fool is attached to his thoughts.”
Buddha

“You are not your thoughts, you are the conscious Being who perceives them.”
Michael A. Singer

Here are some quotes from Gurdjieff and Ouspensky related to the idea that we are not the generators of our thoughts:

Gurdjieff:

• “A man does not consist of what he has the habit of imagining, that is, a certain permanent being residing in a permanent form. He is only a machine for transforming the forces surrounding him.”
• “Thoughts are not personal creations, they are as mechanical as everything else that happens in man.”
• “To think that one thinks is a serious mistake. One does not think at all, one ‘is thought’.”

Ouspensky:

• “Man does not think, his thoughts come ready-made from his mechanical mind.”
• “The only thing we can do is observe our thoughts. They exist, we are not the cause of them.”
• “The fundamental error of psychology consists in imagining that ‘I think’ is a real affirmation corresponding to something real in man.”

As you can see, Gurdjieff and Ouspensky insisted on the fact that the thought process is not an autonomous creation of the individual, but an impersonal mechanism that operates within us, thus challenging the idea that we are truly the conscious initiators of it.

Gröning stated that the “divine healing life stream” was a force outside of the human being, a spiritual energy that we could capture and allow to act within us.

He taught his disciples to empty their minds and enter a meditative, receptive state to better absorb this “healing force.” This implies detaching from the incessant flow of personal thoughts.

He also said: “You don’t have to think, just be receptive. The life stream then flows through you and acts.”

Although I don’t have a quote formulating it explicitly, this idea that our usual thoughts are an obstacle and that we must detach from them to become available to a higher force/intelligence seems consistent with Gröning’s perspective.

His teaching aimed to make us realize that our true nature is not our agitated mind but this consciousness receptive to the divine healing energies.

“You have no control over the thoughts that come to you, but you can choose to welcome those that are full of love.”
Geoffrey Ingram

You make an excellent point. Maintaining a permanent state of inner calm and peace is indeed highly conducive to being able to consciously choose which thoughts to welcome or reject.

When the mind is agitated, restless, or caught up in negative mental chatter, it becomes much harder to exercise that discernment over which thoughts to accept or deny entrance. The discriminating wisdom faculty gets overshadowed by the turbulence of the mind.

However, when one cultivates an abiding inner stillness and equanimity, it allows the deeper consciousness to remain as a silent witness to the arising thoughts. From that place of centered presence, it becomes easier to:

• Clearly perceive the thoughts without getting unconsciously swept up in them.
• Evaluate each thought objectively as to whether it is positive/negative, helpful/unhelpful.
• Make the conscious choice to either embrace or reject that thought pattern.

The state of inner calm anchors one’s awareness in the spiritual essence beyond the turbulence of the mind’s surface waves. Operating from that stillness enables one to be the “gatekeeper” of consciousness, only allowing in what resonates with peace, wisdom and wellbeing.

Many spiritual traditions encourage meditation, mindfulness, and present-moment awareness as pathways to access this underlying tranquility amidst the flux of thoughts. It is from this inner poise that the highest discernment over what to accept or reject can naturally arise.