6) Do you decide, intend, choose, control events in Life? Do you make anything happen? Give examples from your experience.
Please, don’t start me on that! The number of times I’ve butted up against life, ‘choosing’ a direction, only to have it go in a direction it was always going to go in. In a ...

4) How would you describe it to somebody who has never heard about this illusion but is curious about it?
“Do you feel like a distinct, separate human individual; maybe never really feeling as if you belong, always something more to do, never being truly fulfilled? Well, this illusion of a ...

3) How does it feel to see this? What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.
It feels just like looking, like seeing, like hearing, like sensing, feeling, touching, smelling. It’s not as if there’s looking out at something, looking at ...

2) 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.
The use of ‘I’ in language and representation was learned at an early age. That understanding existed in the context of a greater whole of life ...

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?

The ‘self’ or ‘I’ has and does exist within the mind as a thought amongst other thoughts. It remains as a useful linguistic convention pointing to a temporary location and ownership of a ...

Hi Paulo,

Yes. The illusion of an ‘I’ thought attempting to separate out from experiencing to control a fictitious outcome is seen as an empty vessel occasionally flickering on the surface. The so called ‘self’ is a flavour of thought amongst other thoughts.
It’s not as if I’ve worked it out ...

Hi Paulo,

Is there anything that exists outside the present moment?
No, absolutely nothing. Everything courses through the present moment. I find thinking happening and sensations and emotions, even the ‘I’ thought, but it’s all happening in the present moment, and the ‘I’ thought is just seen as ...

Hi Paulo,

I'm back, or just back, as the case may be.

Here goes, good luck, :-)
Direct observation exercise ...

Feeling the left knee, sore, looking at the body in front of me, feeling the right arm pressing against the right side of the chair, noticing the green carpet in the room, eh, noticed ...

Hi Paulo,

I started into the direct experiencing process, using terms like looking, sensing, hearing, feeling etc. I immediately noticed when I used the ‘my’ term and rapid reflex of thoughts berating myself for doing the exercise ‘incorrectly’. ‘I’m no good; I’m useless’ etc. Automatic spinning ...

Hi Paulo,

I'm far more interested in what Alastair has to say
Same here... :-) Thanks for honouring my expression.

tell me about your experience of the here and now
Here's my experience recorded on a voice memo -

I can feel my left hand, scratching my right elbow, some thoughts, some thinking ...

Hi Paulo,

Consider if the 'I' thought, like all thoughts, is just being triggered by certain sensations and scenarios where there was previously an 'I' associated with those sensations and scenarios.
Yes, I noticed thinking and sensations looping around feeling a little anxiety and worrying about ...

Hi Paulo,

I’m looking and inquiring into my experience moment to moment. Funnily enough, I can’t find any ‘I’ when I go looking for it. Thoughts and feelings popping up and another thought – ‘Is there an ‘I’ thinking that thought, or feeling that feeling?’ – and the answer comes back as no, its ...

Hi Paulo,

I feel I need to take a step back in this process.
There was a significant spiritual opening; central identity shifted from the 'self' to the Ground of Awareness, to life living seamlessly as a whole. The mind-body relaxed deeply to an unparalleled ease of being.
After approximately two ...

Hi Paulo,

Still here!
There’s a lot of disturbance going on the last day or so. Lack of ability to suppress any emotional stuff anymore. It’s beginning to settle down now, in its own time.
I’ll write again tomorrow.

Thanks,

Alastair.

Hi Paulo,

Perhaps, ‘mirrored’ thoughts also fits the bill.
As in, ‘Others’ in direct experience are mirrored thoughts, mirrored feelings and emotions, etc...

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?
There is NO separate entity ...