It is very likely that at the beginning of our practice we are a bit muscular in dismissing our distractions, because they are both so magnetic and disruptive to our focus. We feel we must act to get rid of them. We treat them like an enemy. As we progress, we find that we can give up the labeling, and, more subtly, we can check in with ourselves about whether we are falling into a near-enemy of mindfulness practice, namely being dismissive.
What I’m calling “dismissive” that has some tincture or subtle feeling of resentment, a pushing-away, a dislike. Our optimal stance of mindful practice is tender evenness. When we hear teachings about thought, conceptions, or distractions being obstacles to our meditation it is easy to make them the enemy. But they are not. They are simply what our mind is habituated to doing. We do want to grow familiar with states during which we identify with our thoughts. This is a very important aspect of practice. But we do not wish to become lopsided thought-haters! We can let the thoughts be, and dissolve in their own impermanence. This is insight in the practice of sutra mindfulness.
As we move into deeper views of practice such as that of Dzogchen, we come to understand thoughts are a transient manifestation. We can experientially be clear that dismissing our thoughts, especially when accompanied by something like “oh no, that’s bad,” is just more thought. Guided by the specific oral instructions of our teachers and a wide scope orientation, beyond hope and fear, we can slowly come to appreciate a spiritual depth, at rest, and clear.