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Sources for Shmiras Hamachshava
Guarding the mind from thinking impure thoughts

B - The Root of the Mitzvah

4 - The reason for this Mitzvah is obvious, by keeping this a person will refrain his entire life from sinning to Hashem. This Mitzvah is one of the main foundations of the Jewish religion. Impure thoughts are the father of impurity and the actions resulting from it are its children. If a person was to pass away before giving birth there would be no remembrance of children. It comes out that the prevention of impure thoughts is the root of all the good that result from it. (Sefer Hachinuch Mitzvah 387)

5 - Rabbi Lavi says “the heart and the eyes are the two tools of sin, as it says in (Mishlay/23/26): “My son, give me your heart and your eyes shall guard my path". Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, if you give me your heart and your eyes, I know that you are with me.” (Yerushalmi, Brachos Chaper1/5)

6 - We are warned not to think about sinning. Since Hashem Yisborach sees all that goes on in one’s heart, how can a person dare defile his heart. (Sefer Charaydim Mitzvos Los Taaseh depending on heart of 29)

C - Refrain from all Evil

7 - “You shall refrain from all evil” (Devarim 23) It comes to warn us that a person should not fantasize during the day and come about to impurity at night. (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 20B)

8 - It is forbidden for a person to purposely cause an erection or bring himself to have an impure thought. If an impure thought does come to him, he should maneuver his heart from things of emptiness to teachings of Torah. (Shulchan Aruch Even Ezer 23/3)

D - Fantasizing about impurity is Asur De’oraysa according to everyone

9 - Everyone holds that to think impure thoughts is Asur De’oraysa. Whether you go according to the Ramban, Rabbeinu Yonah and Sefer Charadim that include it in the Lav of “You shall refrain from all bad”, or according to the Ramban who learns it from the Lav of “You shall not stray after you heart and eyes.” According to everyone it is a Lav De’oraysah and should be treated like all other Lavim. (Derech Pikudecha Hakdama 1)

E - Even impure Thoughts That are not Carried out in actuality, are forbidden from the Torah.

10 - Even an impure thought that did not bring about a sinful action is forbidden De’oraysa. This is true even if he is thinking about an unmarried women and even if he does not plan on actually carrying out his thoughts. (Derech Mitzvosecha Mitzvah 35)

F - The Thought in itself is a sin

11 - A person is forbidden to cause impure thoughts even though he has no plans of actually carrying them out. (Rabbeinu Yonah, 316 Mitzvot)

G - It is even forbidden to fantasize about an unmarried women

12 - It is forbidden to think about women as brought down in the Torah, even an unmarried woman. (Igeret Hateshuvah from Rabbeinu Yonah ot 20)

H - More Torah Transgressions done when thinking impure thoughts

13 - There are thoughts that cause action (keri), as chazal say on the Pasuk “You shall make yourself holy and you shall become holy”, a person should not fantasize during the day and become defiled at night. Regarding this it says in Micha (Chapter 2) “ Woe to the thinkers of sin who commit evil on their beds.” (Pri Megadim part 3/16)

14 - “You shall be holy for, I, Hashem your G-d is holy.” This comes to tell us that a person can not claim that the Torah only prohibits physical sins, but gazing, thinking and other abominations are permitted. Over here Hashem commanded us on these things, that a person must stay away from abominations and things that are even remotely affiliated with it.
(Ohr Hachayim Vayikra 19/2)

15 - ”And you shall fear my Holy places” (Vayikrah 19/30). Guard yourself from impure thoughts, for my holiness is holy, for I am Hashem who makes you holy. (Zohar 1 265B)

16 - Whoever gazes at the beauty of women during the day will have impure thoughts at night, whoever brings impure thoughts into his heart transgresses the negative commandment of “You shall not make for yourself fake Gods.” (Zohar)

17 - It is forbidden to look at the beauty of a woman, in order not to cause improper thoughts and be uprooted to something else (keri, heaven forbid.) When Rebbe Shimon would walk in the city, followed by his students, and saw beautiful women, he would lower his eyes and tell his followers “Do not turn to the idols.” (Zohar)

I - Bad thoughts are by themselves a sin and they contaminate the heart.

18 - There are Negative commandments that are dependant on thought alone. These are apostasy, idol worship and impure thoughts.

These negative commandments that are dependent on thought have no need to be joined with a  physical action, purely with sinful thought alone, the damage is done. For example if a person is thinking thoughts denying G-d or thoughts of Idol worship, there is no need for him to actually go and worship idols, rather a big klipah is being created from the thought alone. The nature of these klipot are a lot more spiritual and refined then those created through physical sins. This klipah does not rest or stay still until it takes revenge against the person heaven forbid.

The Maggid from Kuznitz writes that a person who willingly fantasizes about women, the external forces created by this sin dress themselves in his thought process while he is praying, studying Torah or doing mitzvoth. They cause him to have thoughts of haughtiness, foreign thoughts and all types of stupidities and foolishness. Klipot that are created though physical actions do not have the power to affect a persons thought process. The sins of thought are the ones that keep a person from attaching himself to Hashem. These klipot contaminate the mind, the heart, and they make the mind very dumb and clogged.
(Taharas Hakodesh 148 – Maamar P’gam Hamachshavah)

J - Even the holy Rebbes guarded themselves from fear of impure thoughts.

19 - Look and see that even our sages, of blessed memory, who were holy, mighty and awesome to no extent, and despite all this they were terrified and and trembled from the possibility having improper thoughts. As is brought down in (Kedoshim 81A), Rav and Rav Yehudah were walking on their way and a woman walked in front of them. Said Rav to Rav Yehudah: “Remove your legs from in front of Gehenim.” Certainly us the lowest of the low, that if the sages were considered angels, we are not even equivalent to donkeys, how much precaution must we take to be saved from impurity.(Taharas Hakodesh Maamar Shmiras Habris 463)

K - One has to be careful to prevent having impure thoughts at night.

20 - When a person lays in his bed at night, his animalistic soul wakens the Yetzer Hara and fantasizes with it. He then binds himself with every impure thought until it brings that bad thought into a persons heart and sticks to it. Even as the thought is still in his heart and before he has a chance to carry it out, this desire raises the energy in the body to connect with the Yetzer Hara which results in evil. (Zohar 1 109B)

L - The main part of Teshuvah is to purify the mind.

21 - The main part of Teshuvah is to purify ones mind and to remove oneself from sinful thoughts, retroactively he will never come to committing any sinful actions. (Imray Noam, Pinchas)

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