Thoughts Create Your Destiny

Sense-Free Thinking Will Manifest Our Ultimate Destiny

Mar 14, 2026

This week, I began teaching a course on critical thinking at the College of Saint Benedict’s and Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

I told my students that before they learn to think better, they must first learn how to watch their thoughts. And, once they can watch their thoughts with some consistency, they will come to realize they can begin exercising some control over their thoughts.

I gave my students a simple meditative practice and told them that their homework for the week was to meditate 5 minutes a day.

I also gave each student a leather journal and asked that they write this quote from Lao Tzu as their first entry in their journal:

“Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

Isn’t that a profound idea? Your thoughts become your destiny!

What I did not tell them is that the truest and highest purpose of meditation is not simply to gain mastery over their destiny in the material world, it is to move towards our ultimate destiny in the spiritual realm.

Alas, there is a troubling paradox that the students must first grasp before they can begin moving in this direction. They must understand that the highest form of thought is non-thought.

It is only in this space of non-thought–or what others have referred to as “the cloud of unknowing” or “sense-free thinking”–that we can begin achieving some knowledge of higher worlds.

In my class, I won’t go into this idea for one simple and important reason: At this time, I am neither trained nor skilled in the practice (and I am not sure I ever will be in this lifetime.)

Nevertheless, I am convinced that this pursuit of “non-thought” is absolutely essential if we are to achieve our ultimate destiny–which is NOT in this world but in Higher Worlds.

It is my hope (and faith) that someday all of us–me, you, my students, and all of humanity–will achieve this knowledge and, together, we will then manifest our ultimate destiny–which is the reunion of soul with Spirit.

Jack Uldrich

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