Hi Skye, My last name is Hawley. I don't have a Facebook account presently but that can be fixed quickly. I think I would like to communicate with some of the groups you mentioned.
Thanks for everything. It was very very helpful.
Peace and Love,
Rick

Hi Skye,
What "I" is there to force the mind? Can you find that one?
No. Its the same imaginary character that says "I'm seeing, I'm hearing, I'm thinking, I'm in control."

If we rely on direct experience, how exactly does knowledge (in this realm of unlearning and seeing through) do some good ...

Hi Skye,
It seems to me that I answered your question clearly in paragraph three above. Am I missing something? I'm open to more suggestions.

I could add that I believe I am right in the middle of a big shift on this control issue. On one hand I can clearly see that this "egoic I" is utterly ...

Do you decide, intend, choose, control events in Life? Do you make anything happen? Give examples from your experience.
--from your direct experience right now. (not from what other people say about it) Do you have personal control?

Deciding, intending, choosing, controlling events:
For physical ...

Hi Skye, I could talk about this some more, but I guess we can stop with the current phase.
The dialog was very helpful - never had much opportunity to discuss this before.
If you or anyone else wants to discuss any more of this, I believe you can get my email address from the site admin.

Thanks ...

Hi Skye,

Do you decide, intend, choose, control events in Life? Do you make anything happen? Give examples from your experience.

It certainly seems like I decide, intend, choose and control, but apparently thats how the whole ego sham works. There is the appearance of an independent body/mind ...

Hi Skye,

Bloviate: To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner. I actually know people who do this! (not me of course, but a guy I know)


What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?
Overall it was a cummulative effect of just going back over the same things again and ...

Hi Skye,
How does it feel to see this?
Feels like a good dose of freedom! Some heavy chains have been removed. I'm no longer at the complete mercy of the mind's shenanigans. It is of course still on auto-pilot bloviating its usual garbage but its weaker now. I can feel it getting reved up, ready ...

Hi Skye,
Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it now.
To get at the absolute start of the notion of a separate self there is that basic thought of "I" that was planted in all of us at ...

Hi Skye,
Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?
The only "I" that can be found is that lead character in all the mind's stories. He is the star there. Almost every thought (except simple practical thinking) is about him - his ...

Hi Skye,
I didn't answer this? Hmmm.
The delay in the response seems to be timed perfectly. It is taking me several days to inch along but some significant progress is being made. Although I've intellectually understood most of this stuff for quite a while, actually seeing the reality of it and ...

Hi Skye, For the last several days I have been focusing on the simple awareness and how everything arises in it - all thoughts, feelings, moods, sensations etc... The key word for me is "all". Some thoughts are easily allowed to come and go while others are seemingly more powerful and sticky. Some ...

OK, I'll just look for a while.
Thanks,
Rick

OK, I'm starting to see a pattern that I'm doing that is a waste of time. Everyone says its very very simple, and that caught my attention way back when I first got into this. After all this studying and analyzing and writing that I've done over the last 2 years, I've come to the conclusion there ...

This is about as far as I can get with this currently. I see how the ego system works to some extent. I can see that what I really am is the underlying aliveness. The problem seems to be that the egoic identity remains strong and the awareness is weak. You say "just look". I assume you mean look at ...