1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?
No there is no separate entity, self, or me, hiding somewhere or real in any way. There never was.

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it ...

I would like to look more at how the mind automatically labels things. Be it sensations (things that are seen, heard, felt, tasted, smelled, or thought). This is abundantly clear while reading a book. "I" am not deciphering every word in real time and figuring out what it means. The mind "speaks ...

4 years after going through LU this cycle still is playing itself out.
Interesting. I can see how noticing these things is only a beginning. There is still a deep drive to find this lack of self though in my case. It almost feels as though I have given up on the search.

If you feel this is ...

Here's a question, which state feels more 'selfy'. The frustrated state or the fun/relaxed state?
Ponder on that a little...


Sorry for the late response. My wife was in a car accident and I was just dealing with all of that. (Everyone is totally fine thankfully).

Been looking at your last ...

There is a process of 'unlearning' by then using the skill of turning to the perception going on right now and 'testing' those conceptual ideas out against that to see if that idea stands up to scrutiny.
Thank you for this explanation. It is helpful and what has been noticed. A vigilance to ...

Now describe to me exactly what sensations in the body come up wth that.
Tension in the chest, buzzing, felt when breathing. Sensations that come up in the body with anger.


Now imagine someone neutral, maybe you see regularly whose name you know but they don't trigger off a lot of thoughts ...

It is seen just now clearly that when working on a project, there was a thought image of an "Alex" trying to connect to the situation when going over the To-dos. Like, a thought image of an Alex, a concept, and how it, or "I", would be affected by the outcome of this project. (Good or bad results ...

What exactly is the difference between a 'believed' thought and a neutral thought.
Well, a believed thought is one that isn't questioned by me? Like I need to question every single thought that appears to judge if it's true or not, and that's the only way to be certain all of them aren't true ...

Does it still feel ok to talk about I me and mine in everyday conversation?
Struggling this weekend. But yes. This is still ok when speaking to other people to reference I, me, and mine to get a point across. A useful label.

Sometimes this feels silly in the head, talking about me, but more often ...

No need to worry. The only moment that can be looked at is this one, so just stay curious about this moment, and the next one. Enjoy things being seen in a different light. It's a magical process.
A frustratingly magical process. ;) Advice taken. "I" will focus on the current moment (and the next ...

Where is the Alex in sensation? Describe the 'Alex' sensation(s) that are happening right now.
Anxiety "tingling in the chest, felt when breathing". Sensations of the eyebrows furrowing. Eyes squinting. Feeling of dry eyes from allergies. Thoughts about a story involving Alex. "Better not slack at ...

ok so the implication of that is there is even 1% that there really, truly is a separate self, Alex, an entity, existing right now, somewhere, in some form? Is that right?
That is the implication yes. But this sounds silly.

Where would that be?
In thought. In sensation. In experience. Alex is ...

As opposed to other situations where there is control over what is said and done? Check that.
Hmmm. No, this is an assumption. Assuming there is control over situations that have less emotion in them and that seem easier. I don't control anything. Not even what is written here.

Neuroscience is ...

Hello! Been mulling over your questions this weekend.

talk me through the experience of 'getting wrapped up in a strong emotion'.
questions like 'what is this experience made of?'
Experientially it is made up of body sensations (tension in chest, warm skin, tension in the head, buzzing in the ...

Retraction from pain/protective mechanisms- I am still looking at this 5 years' after lu :)
Hmm! I suppose seeing what is happening doesn't make it necessarily go away. Strong habits.


Loss of strong emotions- have a look at where you might have picked up the notion emotions will go away? What ...