Dear Art,

Thank you for your help in this process. You have been very helpful to me in this endeavor.

I feel as though I have lost some of focus and enthusiasm. It has been difficult to find the time to think about Liberation and topics discussed. Perhaps I will com back to it at another time ...

Sorry. I'm back.

That was a lot of questions and I answered them over the course of several days.

[quote1) Is there a 'me', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever? how about self, is there anything that is separate from everything else?][/quote]

No. There is no "me". Never ...

Art,

Thank you for the guidance and the re-assurance.

Keep looking throughout the day. See where the "I/me/my/self" crop up and label experience, and then claims ownership.
Yep. I can see specific instances when self crops up--especially whenever I feel a little insecure; I start thinking "what ...

Art,

Thank you for the follow-up. I am in a good place with this stuff this evening.

When you read THIS sentence. Who is it that's reading it? Are they just words being seen in direct experience filtered by thought?

Great question. Good. Reading just happened. There was not a "me". Just the ...

Art,

Can you tell me if you are your thoughts?

I'm not sure. Am I my thoughts? Maybe, because there is nothing else. Well maybe "I" am a combination of my thoughts, and my body and my conditioning. Maybe "I" is just a collection of things, like hands and heart and thoughts and sensations and ...

Art,

Great stuff. Great exercises.
Close your eyes....
Watch thoughts come and go....


Where do thoughts arise from? Where do thoughts go to?
Thoughts arise from I DON'T KNOW WHERE. A thought occurs sometimes in response to a sensation--perhaps a sight or a sound. A thought occurs sometimes in ...

Art,

How's it going?

What do they float across?

"What do my thoughts float across...?" Wow, I think my brain quits working there. I don't sense anything physical, any location or anything like that. It still "seems" like the thinking is taking place inside my head, but when I really look at ...

Art:

I am here. I will post everyday this week.
Take a look at thoughts.

How do they come to be? And are they your thoughts? Can a thought be aware of a thought?

If yes are you in control of thoughts? Do you know the next thought, can you stop a thought? Can you decide NOT to think of an Apple ...

Art,
I am out of town for a couple days and have very limited Internet access. Having a wonderful time looking at thoughts as they appear--no control, no controller more Sunday night.

Jim

Hello Art,

I would like a little more time--one more day--with this exercise. I am having a hard time finding blocks of time to do this and I would like to spend more time with it.

Is that cool?

Jim

Hi, Art:
When there are no thoughts do you still exist?
I think I do still exist. When there are no thoughts, there will be thoughts again. There may not be thoughts, or at least conscious thoughts at a given time, but then a sound or some other sensation will trigger a new thought. And there I am ...

Art,

. Is there a watcher of thoughts + thoughts? look closely and see if there is someone/something that watches thoughts.
When I try to find that "watcher" of thoughts, I just create it with more thoughts. "I am aware of thinking about my dog" is just another thought. I think I may get a bit ...

Hi, Art -
Tell me the difference between thinking and awareness?
Embarrassed to say, but I don't know what "awareness" is. What I find when I try to experience awareness is some thoughts that say "I am aware of this or that" or "I am aware of thinking". But they are just thoughts. Which is all I ...

Art,

I am well. You?

Does Awareness ever go away?
Confirm for me if Awareness ever leaves, as well as thoughts and feelings.
I can't find "Awareness" when I look for it. It is like looking for "self". There are just thoughts there saying: "I am aware of this or that", but I don't find a separate ...

Art,
Tell me how it's known that 'it' doesn't last longer?

What is always here?

Are you always here?

Those are hard questions.

I guess the "it" that doesn't last is the awareness that there is no self. I recognize that there is no self when I investigate, but the feeling fades when I stop ...