Years back I attended an online webinar… the topic revolved around a non-rent-paying tenant that has moved uninvited into our minds.

The observation then was, although uninvited, the tenant came. Some are not easy to deal with. Some delay “paying rents”, some are defaulters etc. Ultimately what one lost or what one gained is our own perception.

But why not look at how this tenant “moved in” in the first place?

And if this tenant has moved in, then which floor and which unit is the tenant in?

Today, is our attention the most valuable commodity?

Yet, we find ourselves in a paradoxical struggle increasingly distracted and disconnected from ourselves? Amidst screens flickers and incessant notifications chimes, there is an age-old companion that is become increasingly restless: the monkey mind. This concept, from what I have heard, is often attributed to Eastern philosophy and folklore, and it refers to the unsettled, restless, and sometimes chaotic nature of our thoughts.

But what exactly is this monkey mind, and why does “it” seem more agitated than ever in our techno-reality? Or does it?

In the Vast, Lush Jungle is the Supercharged Digital Monkey

The Sutta, No Other Single Thing in the Gradual Sayings (Angguttara Nikaya), The Book of Ones, Chapter IV emphasises the importance of developing and cultivating the mind for spiritual wellbeing. The following was spoken: ¹

“Monks, I know not of any other single thing so intractable as the untamed mind. The untamed mind is indeed a thing untractable”.

“Monks, I know not of any other thing so tractable as the tamed mind. The tamed mind is indeed a thing tractable”.

“Monks, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great loss as the untamed mind. The untamed mind indeed conduces to great loss”.

“Monks, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great profit as the tamed mind. The tamed mind indeed conduces to great profit”.

“Monks, I know not of any other single thing that brings such woe as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded and unrestrained. Such a mind indeed brings great woe”.

“Monks, I know not of any other single thing that brings such bliss as the mind that is tamed, controlled, guarded and restrained. Such a mind indeed brings great bliss”.

The Buddha states that he doesn’t envision a single thing that - when tamed, guarded, protected, restrained - leads to such great benefit as the mind.

Interestingly, studies in cognitive neuroscience talks about a neural network that bears a striking resemblance to the Buddhist concept of the monkey mind: the Default Mode Network (DMN) - a brain system of interacting cerebral regions characterised by coordinated activations that are distinct from the activities of other brain networks. The DMN is a network of brain regions that show high activity when the brain is at rest and the mind is wandering, rather than focused on a specific task. The DMN is suppressed when one is focused on external stimuli; but “defaults” to internally focused thought processes in the absence of attention to external stimuli. ²

Just as the monkey mind represents the constant flux of thoughts, emotions, and mental chatter, the DMN is associated with spontaneous, unconstrained mental processes (internally focused thoughts) like mind-wandering, daydreaming, self-referential thinking, recall of personal experiences, and envisioning the future. In parallel:

• Both concepts describe a mind that frequently wanders from the present, either revisiting the past or projecting into the future.

• The DMN is associated with thoughts about oneself, mirroring the self-centred nature of the monkey mind’s chatter.

• When the DMN is active, we’re less attuned to our immediate surroundings – a state that Buddhist practitioners have long sought to address through mindfulness practices.

Hence, both describe the natural tendency of the mind to wander, be distracted, and engage in spontaneous, self-referential thought processes when not focused on a specific task.

In our present digital digital age, technology is designed to hijack these very neural pathways. We have inadvertently created a playground that amplifies our monkey mind to unprecedented levels. Social media feeds, push notifications, and the ever-present allure of the internet have transformed our mental jungle into a high-tech amusement park for our inner monkeys. Each notification, each scroll through a social media feed, each click on a provocative headline activates our DMN, feeding our monkey mind with a constant stream of distraction. The result? A collective state of digital overwhelm that's reshaping our cognitive landscape and challenging our capacity for deep focus and genuine presence.

Tim Wu’s The Attention Merchants ³ argues that we are living in an age where our attention is being harvested and monetised at an unprecedented scale. This “attention economy” has created an environment where every app, website, and digital platform is competing for our mental real estate. BUT, companies are not the only attention grabbers! Individuals also found platforms (e.g. online social networks and blogs) to establish their own online presence and share their messages. Some gained immense popularity, turning their creators into new media stars who were able to capitalise on their newfound fame.

Some consequences of this constant cognitive tug-of-war based on past researches are provided below:

1. Decreased Attention Span: A 2015 study by Microsoft ⁴ found that the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds – one second less than that of a goldfish.

2. Increased Stress and Anxiety: The American Psychological Association’s 2017 Stress in America Survey ⁵ reports that constant checkers of email and social media experience higher stress levels than those who engage with technology less frequently. Addiction-like behaviour such as problematic smartphone use in which excessive use of smartphones results in negative outcomes in daily life has also been linked with depression and anxiety. ⁶

3. Lowers Cognitive Performance: This 2023 research published in the Scientific Reports suggests that the mere presence of one’s smartphone can reduce available cognitive capacity ⁷. An important fact could be shown is that the smartphone presence influences attention even while solving tasks that require basal attentional processes.

These findings paint a stark picture: our digital habits are not just distracting us; they are reshaping our cognitive abilities and emotional well-being. The monkey mind, once a manageable aspect of human consciousness, has been supercharged by our technological environment.

Why does this tenant seems to have free reign over so much of our mental real estate? Let’s begin with the original “move-in”.

The Mysterious Move-In: The Origins of the Monkey Mind

Given this digital amplification of our monkey mind, one might be tempted to advocate for a complete technological detox. However, such an approach is neither practical nor necessary. Instead, we need to cultivate a new relationship with our technology – one that acknowledges its benefits while mitigating its potential to overwhelm our minds. A quick search on the internet returned many results on how one can do that.

In the beginning part of the article, I shared the analogy of the monkey tenant having moved into the mind and behaves in it’s own preferred manner. Some questions I posed then were:

But why not look at how this tenant “moved in” in the first place?

And if this tenant has moved in, then which floor and which unit is the tenant in? So, what/where is this “in” the tenant has moved?

Now Buddhist philosophy offers a fascinating framework for this exploration. According to the framework, our consciousness is composed of eight distinct layers, or vijnanas:

1. The five sense consciousnesses - These five consciousnesses ⁸ are like the entry points for our monkey mind. It is through these doors that external stimuli enter, often triggering the monkey’s restless activity.

2. The mind consciousness - This is the first floor where our monkey tenant really starts to make itself at home, begins its chatter, creating narratives, making judgments, and jumping from one thought to another. It is like a common area in our mental building where thoughts and ideas mingle and interact.

3. The afflicted mind - This is where our monkey mind reinforces our sense of separate self, leading to comparisons, self-criticism, and many of our psychological struggles. It is like the monkey’s private office, where it plots and schemes, always with reference to “me” and “mine”.

4. The storehouse consciousness - The deepest level of the mental building. While our monkey mind tenant does not directly reside here, the alayavijnana provides the raw material for many of the monkey’s activities. It is like the basement full of props and costumes that the monkey uses to create its endless mental dramas.

The monkey mind, in this context, can be seen as a manifestation of the manovijnana and klistamanas - the layers of consciousness responsible for conceptual thinking and ego-formation. But why does it seem to have “moved in”?

Understanding this structure helps us see why the monkey mind seems to have “moved in”. In reality, it is always been a part of our mental architecture. Does this mean the monkey mind isn’t an intruder, but rather an aspect of our evolved consciousness that has become problematic in our modern context?

We can perhaps get a glimpse of the answer by looking at our evolutionary history. The DMN perspective offer a neural basis for understanding why our monkey tenant seems to have such free rein in our mental space. It is not just a philosophical concept; it is a measurable pattern of brain activity that underlies our tendency towards mind-wandering and self-referential thinking. But to digress a little, why would our brains evolve such a network? Why give this chaotic tenant a lease at all? The answer lies in the adaptive value of the mental processes associated with the DMN:

1. Problem-solving: The ability to disengage from the immediate environment allows us to solve complex problems that require internal reflection.

2. Creativity: Many creative insights occur during periods of mind-wandering, when the DMN is active.

3. Social adaptation: Thinking about ourselves in relation to others helps us navigate complex social environments.

4. Learning and memory consolidation: The DMN may play a role in integrating new experiences into our existing knowledge base.

In other words, our monkey mind tenant, as disruptive as it can be, also brings some valuable skills to our mental household. The challenge lies in balancing its activities with our need for focused attention and present-moment awareness. The human mind evolved to be constantly alert, scanning for threats and opportunities. Has this hyper-vigilance, once crucial for survival, become a double-edged sword in our modern world? The monkey mind is not an intruder; but a remnant of our evolutionary past. A once-useful tenant that has overstayed its welcome?

Again, if we imagine our consciousness as a multi-story building, where exactly does the monkey mind live? Is it on the ground floor, easily accessible and constantly interrupting our daily life? Or perhaps it is in the penthouse, overseeing all our thoughts and actions?

We see that the monkey mind is not confined to a single “unit”. It has the autonomy to access multiple floors:

1. The Sensory Suite (1st-5th floors): Here, the monkey mind jumps from one sensory input to another, constantly seeking stimulation.

2. The Conceptual Commons (6th floor): This is where the monkey engages in endless thought loops, creating narratives and judgments.

3. The Ego Penthouse (7th floor): The monkey reinforces our sense of self, often through comparison and self-criticism.

4. The Subconscious Basement (8th floor): Even when we're not aware of it, the monkey mind influences our deeper patterns and habits.

So this multi-level occupancy helps explain why the monkey mind seems so pervasive and difficult to pin down.

So what “space” does the monkey mind occupy, you ask.

What is the “in” where the tenant has moved?

This inquiry leads us to the very nature of consciousness, often described as having three aspects:

1. Emptiness: The open, boundless nature of mind.

2. Clarity: The luminous, knowing quality of mind.

3. Appearances: The manifestation of thoughts, emotions, and perceptions.

It seems the monkey mind occupies the realm of appearances with its constant parade of thoughts, emotions, and mental chatter that seems to fill our consciousness. But here is the key insight: these appearances arise within the vast, open space of emptiness and are illuminated by the clarity of awareness. In other words, the “in” where the monkey resides is the infinite potential of our consciousness, within which all mental phenomena - including the monkey mind - arise and dissolve.

Living with the Monkey

Understanding the monkey mind in this way opens up new possibilities for relating to our thoughts and mental patterns. Instead of trying to evict or control the monkey - approaches that often lead to more struggle - we can:

1. Recognize the Nature of the Space: By cultivating awareness of the vast, open nature of our consciousness, we create perspective. The monkey's antics become less overwhelming when we realize they're occurring within a boundless sky of awareness.

2. Observe Without Attachment: Rather than engaging with every thought, we can practice watching the monkey mind's activities with curiosity and non-judgment. This is the essence of many Buddhist meditation practices.

3. Understand the Monkey’s Purpose: Recognising that the monkey mind evolved for our survival can help us approach it with compassion rather than frustration.

4. Explore the Building: By investigating different levels of our consciousness through practices like meditation and self-inquiry, we can become more familiar with the entire "building," not just the floors the monkey frequents.

5. Cultivate Clarity: Practices that enhance our ability to recognize the clear, knowing quality of mind can help us distinguish between the space of consciousness and its contents.

As we come to understand the monkey mind not as an invader to be expelled, but as an aspect of our evolved consciousness, our relationship with our thoughts and mental patterns can transform. We move from a stance of constant struggle to one of deep understanding and even appreciation.

This shift doesn't mean we'll never be distracted or caught up in mental chatter again. But it does offer a profound new perspective - one that sees the monkey mind as a part of our inner ecosystem rather than an enemy to be vanquished.

As you reflect on your own experience, consider: How might your relationship with your thoughts change if you saw them as temporary appearances in the vast sky of your awareness? What would it mean to befriend the monkey, rather than fight it?