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[Ceylan]

LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' - what do you understand by this? I understand that the self, I, Me are just concepts and thoughts and do not actually exist. They can not be found anywhere other than in thought. LU supports those who wish to step into reality by guiding and pointing, helping us to look and see for ourselves.

What are you looking for at LU? I am looking for a guide to support me in reaching the gateless gate! I am ready to lay down the ‘seeker’ and step into truth. To see reality as it is not as I am perceiving it with these learned labels. I am looking for support in releasing old beliefs and structures that prevent me from seeing. I am looking for clarity and humility.

What do you expect from a guided conversation? I am expecting guidance and support to meet me where I am at and point to where I need to look so that I can move past this seeming barrier of only understanding that the self does not exist conceptually. I am expecting that the guide can help me to know this in my direct experience, without doubt and allow the shift, however subtle it may be, into truth.

What is your experience in terms of spiritual practices, seeking and inquiry? I embarked on this journey around 10 years ago, beginning with books and discourses from teachers such as OSHO and Ram Dass and some Buddhist teachers which initially sparked something deep within. My seeking then intensified after the death of my brother, I began experimenting with some plant medicines and psychedelics which loosened my sense of self, but none of them provided much more than glimpses or ‘experiences’ and though there were definitely realisations nothing really stuck or shifted. In 2020 I was initiated into transcendental meditation which I practised for about a year before sitting a 10 day vipassana retreat. I then switched to practising vipassana meditation for about a year, and sat another 3 day vipassana course. In the last two years I have become more involved in non duality teachings and stepped away from meditation as I had a baby (which has also made everything feel very real and personal again). I find I spend a lot of time reading or listening to non duality teachers but have a hard time actually conducting my own inquiry. My mind seems to go blank or extremely hazy. I am aware of some beliefs I have about awakening being extremely difficult or unobtainable in this lifetime and feel almost audacious reaching out for guidance as I feel it's not within my reach. I feel I may have gone too much into storylines there but I wanted to provide a clear view of where ‘i’ am coming from.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how willing are you to question any currently held beliefs about 'self? 11