What Are Thoughts?

Here are some good beginner words from an old Tibetan teacher - A Dzogchen guy:

Dilgo Khyentse, from Shambala Sun

The obscuring emotions of anger, jealousy, pride, ignorance and desire are nothing but thoughts. But what are thoughts? When you watch a thought, look to see if it has any substance or solidity. Does it have a color or shape? Can you find the place where the thought has arisen? Can you find a place where it dwells? Can you find where it has gone when it disappears from your mind?

When a negative thought like anger arises, look to see whether the thought itself and the ground from which it arises are the same or different. Generally speaking, when you have many thoughts running through your mind, this is called “movement”. It is the moving aspect of mind. Occasionally there are fewer thoughts and the mind is quieter. This is called “quiescence”, the still aspect of the mind. When you are conscious of having either many thoughts or few thoughts, this is called “awareness”. You should try to practice always being cognizant of whether your thoughts are moving or still, and so on. Try to observe your mind in this way. Then continuing with the investigation, look to see whether the known and the knower - the object of the investigation and that which is investigating it, are two distinct things or the same.

Meditate on the nature of your mind.