Hi Paulo

Thank you and the other guides for the further questioning which is helping me to get greater clarity on what no-self can be.

Please describe the difference, including effects, between identification with “no-self” as a mental concept and the recognition or realization of it ...

Hi Paulo

Look in the moment - is there control over anything at all?

There is thought that can think it has control, eg. ability to direct the body-mind along a particular course of action out of several that it thinks are possible, but thought does not seem to be able to choose what thoughts ...

Hi Paulo

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

Through looking in the moment a self has not been found to exist. Thought and sensation continue to happen as they did before seeing that a self is not actually associated with ...

Hi Paulo

Thank you very much for your further help over the last week. I have a couple of relatively busy days/evenings ahead and expect to post after that once I have given the questions the appropriate attention.

Paul

Hi Paulo

What, in your experience in the moment, is the difference between 'separate self' and 'self'?

You are asking me to describe the difference between one apparently non-existent thing and another. I don't seem to be able to do that.

I believe that I have seen that what I previously took ...

Hi Paulo,

I would perhaps call 'self' a label for the experience that there is something that is experiencing that is more/other than the sum of thoughts and sensations or more/other than experience.


And what exactly is that something?

Seems to be just more thoughts and sensations or another ...

Hi Paulo

There can be perspective on previous experience that happens within experience, but there is no experience of standing outside of experience.


Is there an entity called 'self' that experiences, or is 'self' just a label for the experience of experiencing?

I have not found an entity ...

Hi Paulo

So, I seem to mean a bit of both. Bit confused here!


And which one of those scenarios do you find to be valid in actuality/Direct Experience?


Okay. So the question is: do I find sense of self as thought and sensation or that which has thought and sensation?

Trouble with answering ...

Hi Paulo

Thanks for your post. Bit of a busy day today so I look forward to responding tomorrow.

Paul

I've just read through the entire discussion. Took ages! My fault!

Just wanted to quickly revisit this AT/FROM thing.

Where I do agree is in the sense that when we take the me to actually exist, we take ourselves to be the thoughts and sensations and/or the one they are happening to (looking FROM ...

Hi Paulo,

Thank you for replying so promptly. Good to have you back on board as it were.

To pick up from my last post:

Still experience myself as a separate self much as before but probably best described as being generally a little more diffuse in that regard.


What is the self in this ...

Hi Paulo,

We'll take a quick look at where you are at the moment before moving on, you've had a week to 'fly solo', so how has it been? Were you able to differentiate between DE and imagination? Do you have any examples you wish to share from your daily life?

It's been roughly as I outlined in ...

Hi Paulo

Hope you're well.

It's been a week since my last post. Nothing unusually dramatic has been happening. Benefits seem to be that I am generally markedly more relaxed with other people and in good spirits more of the time. There is a slight sense of frustration creeping in as there are still ...

Hi Paulo

Thank you for your message.

I will leave the choice on how to proceed to what feels right for you. You could even take some time out to have a think about it, or just let your current understanding settle, and then come back with a decision.

I think I will take it day by day at the ...

Hi Paulo

So, in a word - have you seen through the illusion of a separate self?

I think that it needs a little more time, as before when I have felt as though I have made significant breakthroughs in terms of a change in perspective, in many ways the changes were not found to be lasting.

Why ...