My article was not engaging in a commentary on Guatama’s sayings as originally recorded, but with the Western derivations of Buddhism as spoken by the celebrity who inspired my article with his “all of my thoughts are illusions.” That quote is the subject of my article.

No, not all thoughts are sandcastles. As I stated, and is self-evident, thoughts motivate people and are used by them to define themselves and others. We decide far more than we realize what thoughts stay and dissolve within us. Regardless, who we are is a product of our thoughts and our choices from and about them.