Response to your latest post (part 2):

then there was indeed intention about “entering into” the proposed ways of experiencing, in the sense that the whole experiment was initiated by thoughts of wanting to explore what an “awake” meditation experience might feel like, and then the rest followed ...

Afternoon sit:

Started with “Do nothing” / “Stay out of the way.”
Then was playing with giving that a flavor of “already awake,” which seems like it enhances the sense of nothing to do and also lends a flavor of enjoyment of what is.
But then that quicky morphed into something I was playing with ...

Response to your latest post (part 1):

But thoughts feel more like they’re produced or controlled by “me”
So what!
Have been trying to get more of a direct sense that thoughts simply appear
Isn't it obvious?
But "just appear" is shorthand for saying that conditions trigger them. Something you ...

Afternoon sit and afterward:
Have been noticing that what is seen, what is heard, and what is felt don’t feel like they’re produced or controlled by “me.”
They just appear.
It is evident that, likewise, thoughts are not produced or controlled by “me.”
They also just appear.
But thoughts feel ...

On noticing defensive reactions to correction or criticism:

What are the sensations of protection? Of ownership? What does it feel like to be seen in that way?
Will try to notice.
No trying necessary. It will happen or not. (but good intention - that happened)

Hmm. From the no-self ...

Re: K's experiments with “awake” experiencing:

I was able to kind of enter into the above
Good, although to be pedantic did you intentionally “enter into it” of did it just (seem to) happen?
Well, let’s see . . . What actually happened was that the idea arose to imagine what my meditation time ...

Don't hesitate. The more the better...
OK, if you say so . . . :-)

Afternoon and evening meditation periods:
Played around with this: What if I thought I was awake?
(Of course, then I probably wouldn’t think of it quite like “I am awake” but more like “It’s clear that the awakeness has always ...

Hesitant to post yet again, but, well, here I go:

Mood less crappy than yesterday. Got some work done with less resistance and a clearer mind. Need to not be so hard on myself when I’m having a particularly hard time, and need to recognize that it will pass. I think I’m still in the habit of ...

“The explanation Tess didn’t need” hit home in an uncomfortable way.

My husband long ago made it clear how much it bothers him how I get defensive when criticized, but I’ve never entirely understood why that’s so upsetting to him. These days, I can usually see when I’m doing it, sometimes while I ...

Happy birthday, vince!

Having a crappy day.
Was feeling very resistant to getting any work done and feeling oppressed by a couple of “life administration” chores hanging over my head.
Tried “practicing it away.” I’m kinda making fun of myself there, but I did hope that things like examining what’s actually here and ...

So, bottom line is that the illusion of self (called the sense of self) will probably stay around until the reframing takes effect.
Yeah, OK.

Got any more self-inquiry-type questions to keep K occupied? Is there any point to that anymore?

One thing from the meeting:

There could be a little ...

P.S.
In present experiencing, where exactly is the border separating the one who is looking from what is seen?

Realized during late-night sit (pre-TV time) that I was probably getting tangled up in this question because I was accepting the premise that, at least in the imagination, there could be ...

With eyes open, let the scene remain completely ordinary. Don’t inventory everything, redirect attention or try to become spacious.
Vision has perspective. Facial and head sensations appear. The rims of the glasses are visible. Inner speech may seem to occur somewhere near the throat or head ...

This is a long one . . .
Sometimes dawn arrives so gradually that no one can identify the moment night became morning.
I will admit that this sounds disappointing.
But I’m having trouble saying why.
Early on in Zen practice, I ran across the idea that koan practice is like getting caught in a ...