How can you get rid of negative thoughts? How can you control bad thoughts?

One easily remains separate from a bad thought

Talk about something else. Get everything clarified here. It is possible to get clarification to all your entanglements, here. Otherwise, the whole world is in an entanglement.

Questioner: It appears that the difficulty is of the mind; there is nothing else.

Dadashri: Of the mind? How is the poor mind at fault? What is the mind like? What problem do you have if a dog that is tied up to a pole starts barking?

Questioner: It appears that I do not understand the facts (truth).

Dadashri: Everyone understands that. They understand the mind very well. They regard it like a tied up dog when they do not like it (keep away from it), but when they like it, they become tanmayakar (one with; engrossed in) with it. What I am saying is that during both circumstances, pleasant as well as unpleasant ones; keep the mind as a tied up dog!

Questioner: Many times we have unpleasant thoughts even when we do not wish to.

Dadashri: That is the main question. You do not know whether the thought comes to You (the Self) or some other entity, do you? Therefore you feel that ‘I’ am the one having the thought. Does the unpleasant thought come to you or to someone else? Thinking is the function (dharma) of the mind. Whose dharma is it to have pleasant or unpleasant thoughts? It is the dharma of the mind. That is not Atma’s (the Self’s) dharma. Are you Atma (the Self) or the mind?

Questioner: Atma.

Dadashri: So then, thinking is not at all the Soul’s function (dharma). You take upon yourself the function that is of the mind; you take the blame (aarop) for it and that is wrong.  How is it your problem when the thoughts are coming to the mind?  Because thinking is the very function (dharma) of the mind; it will constantly think, all day long. We are labeling it right or wrong; ‘this is a pleasant thought and this is an unpleasant thought!’ It does not take long for one to become engrossed (tanmayakar) with pleasant thoughts, but he remains separate from unpleasant ones and then complains that he has bad thoughts. When unpleasant thoughts come, it proves that he (the real Self) is separate from the thoughts. Do unpleasant thoughts not prove this?

Questioner: But the mind remains surrounded by thoughts for twenty four hours.

Dadashri: Let it think, it is the nature of the poor thing!

Questioner: So is there any kind of a ceremony (vidhi) to get out of it?

Dadashri: Why do you need to get out of it? Just ‘see’ what the mind is doing. If it thinks, ‘my mother-in-law has fallen sick; she is definitely going to die. What will happen after she dies in the morning?’ - Hey! Why should you listen to the mind? All you need to do is to ‘see’ what the mind is complaining about. That is its nature.

Questioner: But so many thoughts come that I am not able to continuously read even five sentences when I am doing my vidhi (Charan Vidhi).

Dadashri: Thoughts will come but they are of the mind, the Soul never has any thoughts. No one will believe that the Soul has a thought. When thinking is all a function of the mind, whom are you disgracing?