Hi Pete

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - just bought a new computer and making the switch.

Thank so much for the time and effort you have put into helping me, for all your encouragement, support and skillful guiding - The whole process has been a really valuable experience and its ...

Hi Pete

She says, "There continues to be a lot of the use of the word 'I' particularly in his response to Q3. I wonder if you can ask him, now that he has seen this, who or what is this 'I' that is noticing eg thoughts that he refers to?"

A big part of the problem here is the way language is ...

Hi Pete

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?

no

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it now.

The illusion of a ...

Hi Pete

I haven't managed to find any time today to sit down and write - its been crazy busy.

Thankyou for your message - I'll be in touch properly tomorrow.

Warmly
Seagull

Hi Pete

Are there any doubts about seeing through the illusion of separate self?

I am pretty sure that I can see through the illusion of a seperate self. A couple of things you said in a earlier response has stayed with me and helped to give me confidence about this.

I'd stress that, by doubts ...

Hi Pete


Is 'I' a different thought from the thought of say, a table?

The thought "I" is a thought that I have identified with and by doing so created the false perception that there is a self.
Thought "Table" is still just a thought but it refers to something that does actually exist although I ...

Hi Pete

Can you stop a thought from coming?


No I cant. in the same way that I cant stop waves from breaking. when I try to stop them I have a feeling that i am just trying to deny reality.

Can you stop it in the middle?

no I cant.

Do you know what the next thought will be?

I had some ...

Hi Pete

This is what I have been looking at in relation to thoughts.

Are you in control of them?


No i'm not in controll of them. They are already there by the time I notice them. What is interesting for me is the familiar sense of frustration and disapointment that follows me noticing that I ...

Hi Pete,

So, this time entirely from experiencing, and not at all from thinking, please answer these questions:
'When you 'deliberately' stay with a painful experience, describe to me the actual process whereby 'the thought story called me' makes that decision to stay with the pain. What happens ...

Thanks Pete for managing to meet me where I am.
The article really spoke to me.

I am really busy tomorow so I might not be able to post till late - but I am going to make time to do the exercises around thinking again.

Warmly
Seagull

So, when you 'deliberately' stay with a painful experience, describe to me the actual process whereby 'the thought story called me' makes that decision to stay with the pain. What happens? How do the thoughts that comprise this story bring this about? In turn, how does the decision to make the ...

Hi Pete


Have you been able to find, a ‘self’ that is the ‘experiencer’?

no, there is just this really strong assumption - thoughts that fire off really quickly saying "this is me" but whenever I have looked I have never found any "one" there doing the experiencing.

Or a self that is the doer ...

Hi Pete

Ill have a look at these and get back to you tomorrow

Warmly
Seagull

Hi Pete

With 'you' revealed as a thought story, what remains?

Nothing is lost, so I guess everything remains its just seen differently - You’re signing off puts it very poetically "Just consciousness taking the shape of experience from moment to moment..."

What experiences?
Nothing ...

Dear Pete

This is so. But I wouldn't get hung up on whether you've really seen it yet or not. These are just expectations in the form of more thoughts, something to avoid getting tangled up in, as I stressed at the beginning of this thread. This process of looking is solely about, whenever you ...