Hi Silvia,

Thanks again for your message. Sorry I've taken a few days to respond. If you don't mind I would quite like to leave the process. It has been fascinating, challenging and changing. I have really appreciated your guidance. It feels like things have shifted. I'm happy. I'm good. I think I ...

Hi Silvia,

By separateness I'm trying to put across that whereas before there was the notion that 'I', 'Simon' and 'me' were intrinsically linked to who I thought I was, now it's not the case. There is no I, me or Simon anymore. I'll still use the terms and people will still use them when they ...

Hi Silvia,

Hope your course goes well. I like studying. It's been a while since I was at Uni and I do miss it from time to time.

It feels quite refreshing. Kind of like there is a separateness? I can identify with that. Understanding that there is no choice because there is no 'I' that makes it ...

Hi Silvia,

Thanks for your message, hope things are okay.

But are, what we call, actions the result of a self making those things happen?

I tried the exercise you described. Thank you. I wish you were a fly on the wall. It was fun but I probably looked a little silly. I had in front of me two ...

Hi Silvia

Thanks for your questions. Here goes:

Can you remember when the choice to pay attention to direct experience happened?

I don't think a choice to pay attention was made. Paying attention just seemed to happen. The weather was good, the landscape was beautiful and the company was just ...

Hi Silvia

I hope this posts finds you well.

I have returned from my break. It would be great to resume whenever you have the time.

Things are good. I have been trying to soak up as much direct experience as poss! My wife and I went on a few beautiful walks. The weather was good most of the time ...

I, self and Simon are words or labels. They can be brought into awareness at my choosing.

Ok, I'm experiencing a little disappointment with myself! It's clear I'm just getting half of the idea. So, there is no self, therefore there is no me or I to choose when this very concept comes in or goes ...

Hi Silvia,

I, self and Simon are words or labels. They can be brought into awareness at my choosing. They carry the same apparent existence as past and future. As long as they remain in awareness they have a true feel to them but they are simply not real. When I break it down and go with direct ...

Hello Silvia

So is past and future anything more than a bunch of thoughts happening NOW?

No! If I use direct experience, when I stop thinking about the past or the future they cease to exist. So therefore the past and the future are just cognitive processes: thoughts, ideas, images, judgments ...

Hi Silvia,

The past is an experience that no longer exists. If the past consisted of some kind of significant event, a moment of learning or perhaps a moment where a particularly strong emotion existed, it has left an imprint. This imprint occurs on a neurobiological level. It has conditioned Simon ...

Hi Silvia,

Thanks for your post. I can confirm that I'm not doing any reading or working with another guide.

In terms of how I understand the idea of no self on an intellectual level, I understand the self to be fiction. I was struck by how shaky the concept is when you start to challenge it. It ...

Hi Silvia,

Thank you very much for your offer. I'd be interested to know if you think I've passed through the gate. You may have read the previous posts shared between Metta and me. I definitely feel different. They way in which I relate to the idea of the self has changed. I believe in a here and ...

Hi Metta,

I'm sorry to here you are leaving. Thank you very much for your guidance. I have appreciated your encouragement and knowledge. Good luck to you too.

Simon.

X

Hi Metta,

Is awareness confined to a body? Or is awareness all there is?

Awareness is all there is? Ok, I might need an extra push here, please. I understand there is no self. I'm now mindful of the way language and neurobiological imprints distort the perception of reality. All that really ...

Hey Metta,

So knowing that the brain alters experience is it possible that things are seen through a filter?

Yes, yes it is. I understand this (or should I say, 'there is understanding'). Memories of past experience influence perception. These memories have constantly impacted the way I have ...