Here’s a detailed overview of Dvedhāvitakka Sutta (MN 19)—sometimes rendered as “Dweda vitaka Sutta 19”—from the Majjhima Nikāya, known in English as the “Two Sorts of Thinking” discourse:

🧠 Summary

1. 

Two Categories of Thought

Before his Awakening, the Buddha, then still a Bodhisattva, deliberately divided his thoughts into two categories:

• Unskillful (unwholesome): sensual desire (kāma-vītakka), ill will (vyāpāda-vītakka), and harmfulness (vihiṁsā-vītakka).
• Skillful (wholesome): renunciation (nekkhamma-vītakka), non-ill will (avyāpāda-vītakka), and harmlessness (avihiṁsā-vītakka).  

2. 

Observing Unskillful Thoughts

When unskillful thoughts arise, the Buddha observed:

• They lead to his own affliction, the affliction of others, or both.
• They obstruct discernment, instigate vexation, and do not lead to Unbinding (Nibbāna).
• On this basis, he simply abandoned, dispensed with, and wiped them out of existence  .

3. 

Cultivating Skillful Thoughts

Skillful thoughts, however, served as catalysts for spiritual growth:

• They lead to no affliction—neither personal nor for others.
• They foster discernment, promote calm, and lead to Unbinding.
• Engaging in them overnight or longer carried no danger, except possible physical fatigue, which could disturb the mind. Thus the mind must be steadied and unified to maintain concentration  .

4. 

Outcome: Jhāna & Higher Knowledge

Sustained focus on skillful thinking allowed the Buddha to enter the four jhānas:

• 1st jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of withdrawal
• 2nd: rapture & pleasure from composure
• 3rd: equanimity with pleasure
• 4th: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, beyond pleasure and pain  

From this stable concentration, he attained recollection of past lives and knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings—important higher knowledges preceding full Awakening  .

🎧 Video Explanation

This concise YouTube talk provides a clear summary of the sutta, ideal if you’re looking for a quick, engaging walkthrough.

📚 Further Reading

• Bhikkhu Thanissaro’s translation: Provides the full text used above  
• SuttaCentral translations by Bhikkhu Sujato & Bhikkhu Bodhi: Alternate accessible renderings of the sutta  

✨ Reflection & Application

• Practical takeaway: By recognizing harmful thoughts and skillfully letting them go, one cultivates inner clarity and calm—leading toward deeper states of meditation and awakening.
• Encouragement: Recognize the guiding principle here—abandon the unwholesome, cultivate the wholesome—which lies at the heart of Buddhist mental training.

Would you like the full Pāli text, a verse-by-verse breakdown, or discussion on how this sutta relates to contemporary meditation practice?