Hi Stacey

I've been really struggling with the headaches - I got a bad one on retreat - and it's limiting what practice I can do. Labelling things seems to be okay, but a lot of other stuff is out of bounds.

Can I see how things shape up over the next week or two? I might need to stop doing this ...

1. Is one truer than the other, and If so, which one?

I'm not sure. With the label "I" there's this agent introduced that's not really there. But if I just say "sitting" without "I" then it's not clear who is sitting: e.g. my kids are in the room and if I just say "Sitting", it could be one of ...

Hi

So, I wasn't exactly sure how this practice should go: do I try and label sense impressions as spontaneously they occur, as in "noting" meditation? Or do I deliberately direct my attention to different senses, and label what I perceive? I did it both ways. Below are some examples.

While doing ...

Sorry for not having written yesterday - I'm doing the practice but I've had a headache and so need to minimise screen time. I will probably be able to reply properly tomorrow, which I hope is okay.

All best

Hi

I can't think of any very consequential lies I've told, but I've been making an effort to tell a few inconsequential ones.

It's hard to pin down the feeling of lying but I seem to possibly notice a sense of contraction or pulling down across my torso, where the diaphragm is. It feels kind of ...

I am clear about what it means to look, and what is direct experience.

Does the sense of self have a location?

It seems to be located at the center of the field of experience, mostly inside the chest and throat area, and also in the head behind the eyes.

Does the sense of self have a shape or ...

Yes, I've read Gateless Gatecrashers, which has shaped some of my expectations.

Now what comes up when reading that there is no separate self, never has been, and never will be? That the whole thing was a made up story that we believed.

Not much comes up - I am familiar with this idea and ...

Hi

Thanks very much. I’m excited to start working together.

My name is Michael, and I’m in the UK.

How will life change?
I’m not sure that my daily activities will change that much – though I guess they could, if I stopped being driven by the need to protect and aggrandise “me”. Or they could ...

Hi Stacy

I'm so sorry for not replying sooner - I tried to subscribe to the thread so that I would get an email when someone replied to me, but for some reason that didn't work.

Are you still available to offer guidance (no worries of course if not)?

I should also mention that I've been having ...

1. LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' -what do you understand by this?

That there is no entity inside me that thinks thoughts, directs attention, and has experiences. Rather, it’s all just happening, without there being a separate “me” that it happens to, and/or that ...

1. LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' -what do you understand by this?

That there is no entity inside me that thinks thoughts, directs attention, and has experiences. Rather, it’s all just happening, without there being a separate “me” that it happens to and that ...

Hi Vivien

I hope you are well.

I wondered whether I could resume my inquiry with you. I wasn't ready before, but think I am readier now.

I should mention some other practice I am doing, to check whether it is okay to do this alongside it. I'm doing Qi Gong to try and resolve a headache issue (I ...

So I’m going to give you only one pointer this time. And look at least HUNDRED times a day, again and again.
Always look AFRESH.

Is there a thinker in reality, here now? Or thoughts without expectation just happen automatically?

Thanks. Shall I just keep on checking, and then let you know if and ...

So just look closely, can you OBSERVE an actual link between an intention and the act that follows it?
Is there an actual link between them? Or it’s just assumed to be there by thoughts?

No, I can't seen any such link, and yes, "cause and effect" is just a thought.

Can you see that this is a ...

Is ‘being touched with the present moment’ is controlled by someone? Is there someone making it happen? Or it happens automatically?

It happens automatically, but it's influenced by intention. So if there's an intention to stay in touch with the present (e.g. in meditation) then I "wake up" from ...