Thank you Luisa, for all of your guidance, patience, and understanding. You were a tremendous help and I hope you know how valuable what you're doing here is - thank you!

With love,
Dan

Hi Luisa,

Can you give an example from life where it is obvious no one was there making a decision?
Sure. Last week while in a meeting at work, a question came up which I thought I might have the answer to, but wasn't sure. As no one else in the room was speaking up, a decision emerged to be ...

Hi Luisa,
Ok, let's see:

Is there an experience that the ’now’ is moving along the line of time?
Any experience of one ‘moment’ giving way to the next?
Any actual experience of one event following another?
No, not any actual experience of it. Again, when not paying attention it feels as though ...

Hi Luisa,
I am committed to working with this though, because on balance the feeling is good.
This sounds to me as if you'd decided to quit sugar because, even though you will miss the taste, it will be good for your health!!
Your responses are mostly clear but it seems that you are dealing with ...

Hi Luisa,
Sorry for my delayed response, I wanted to give these questions adequate time.

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." There is only experience. Anything that one could possibly ...

Hi Luisa,
I'm feeling good, confident. I think I am ready for the final questions, whenever you are.

Thank you,
Dan

Hi Luisa,
"Stop hiding behind thoughts" is great advice. "I" is just a cloud of thoughts whirling around. It feels comfortable sometimes to hide behind that cloud because it's what has always been there. But that's all it is - a cloud of thoughts.

"Who" is there to know "it" deeply enough?
The ...

Hi Luisa,
I only have one last question for you, one last remaining sign of doubt. It's about the irreversibility of the illusion, the knowing of it as an illusion. Since we have done a lot of direct looking by this point, permit me to make an analogy please :)

Suppose you show me an optical ...

Look closer Dan. What is that 'I" that really pays attention? What is that "I" that don't direct the tension and is not in control?
Are you assuming you are an observer? What is it that is knowing where there is tension and where is the attention going?

The 'I' is nothing. It's not there. It only ...

Hi Luisa,

So what is Dan? How would you describe it fully, stating only the obvious in AE?

There is merely experience. Experience just happens, there are the experiences we categorize as "sight," "sound," etc.; there are thoughts that drift up out of nowhere, are "heard" or "seen" in a way, and ...

The knowing itself seems to be the only thing that exists.

Trust the experience Dan. "It seems" or is what you actually see?
It's what I actually see. There is nothing else there but the phenomena. There is no other thing that experiences the phenomena. I can't even say, "There is the phenomena ...

That was amazing - I would like to try this experiment myself!

Looking forward to your responses.

Thank you,
Dan

Hi Luisa,
Ok, let's see:

Look at something in front of you, say a cup. Seeing is happening there, right? What knows that seeing is actually happening? With sounds, what is knowing that hearing is happening; with thoughts, what knows that thoughts are happening?

I am looking here- I really am ...

Hi Luisa,
Ok, here is what I got.

but what about sensations which do not come from the five senses?
Does this sentence make any sense to you?

I know it sounds nonsensical, but what I mean is "internal" sensations- like the pleasure that arises while meditating, or let's say hunger. I'm just ...

Yes, no expectations. I understand. When I say "breakthrough," I mean more of a breakthrough in my understanding of your questions, not some sort of transformative breakthrough in consciousness. I will report back as soon as I am done with work.

Thank you,
Dan