[Buddha-l] Buddhist psychology

[Dave Strausfeld]

Hello to the Buddha-L list.

I joined the list to ask a question concerning Buddhist psychology.  I am doing some research into the mental principle that trying NOT to think of something has a tendency to make one think of it.  For example, try not to think of the Statue of Liberty and see if you start to picture it in your mind.

I have found a book by Swami Prakashananda called "Don't Think of a Monkey, and Other Stories My Guru Told Me."  This is in the Hindu tradition (I know) but he describes a story his guru told to illustrate a point about the practice of meditation.  In the story, a teacher gave a novice a "sacred" mantra but added that it would only be effective under one condition.  "Don't think of a monkey," he said.  Otherwise, the mantra won't work.  Of course, the novice could not carry out the condition, and returned the next day saying, "The thought of a monkey would never have occurred to me, had you not warned me against it."    The story supposedly teaches that in meditation one should not try too hard to shut out certain thoughts.

My question is, is there a similar story in Buddhism, or, if not a story, a similar recognition of the same principle of psychology, that is, that trying not to think of something can lead to that very thought?  I am trying to track down the exact sources and citations so any sort of direction to primary sources (sutras etc.) where this principle might appear in the Buddhist tradition would be tremendously helpful.

Dave
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