מַחֲשָׁבוֹת וְהִרְהוּרִים

The thought in the brain corresponds to the character traits [midos] within a person — and according to whichever trait a person holds to, so do the thoughts that pass through the brain pass over him.

Regarding the need to be shaiv v'al ta'aseh [sitting and not acting] — both in deed and in thought; for the thought of such people is also considered action, etc. — see the Appendices [ha'shamasos], letter bes. [Translator's note: This teaching cross-references the Appendix section of the Likutay Aitzos Mahadura Basra, letter ב, where this topic is expanded.]

All mental disturbances [hirhurim] come through the imaginative faculty [koach ha'medameh]. And through innovating some Torah thought — which is the dimension of comparing matter to matter [medamim milsa l'milsa] — through this one rectifies the blemish of the disturbances, which come through the imaginative faculty. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

When the thought is entirely seized and attached to one thing — that it should be so — meaning in all the dimensions that exist in thought: its inwardness and outwardness and all the other dimensions down to the point [nekudah], and when all of them are together seized and attached and think that it will be so, without any confusion or inclination toward another thought — one can effect through this that it will necessarily be so as one thinks. Only that the thought must be in specific particulars [bifratei pratiyus] and not in generalities [see the inner text]. And for matters of study this also helps — if one's thought is firm and seized strongly in this, it will certainly be so. For example: if one thinks in one's mind that one will merit to study and complete all four codes of law with all their commentaries — and specifically how one will study them and in how much time — and similarly regarding other studies; and one brings one's thought into this forcefully as above — then certainly one will merit that it will be so. See the inner text.

When the ba'al davar overwhelms a person greatly and greatly confuses his mind with many types of evil thoughts and confusions that are very hard for him to overcome — then the person should nullify himself entirely to Hashem Yisborach. For every person can sometimes nullify himself entirely — meaning to close his mouth and eyes and remove his mind entirely, as if he has no mind or thought at all — and simply nullify himself to Hashem Yisborach entirely.

Sometimes thoughts greatly overwhelm and confuse — and the more one tries to push them away with various pushings, the more they confuse. The primary counsel is: not to begin to think about them at all — to remove one's mind from them entirely and do what one is doing in what one is engaged in.