Hi Sarah
Are you clear here? Are you the body? Do you experience a sensation inside another sensation? Do you experience a perception inside another perception? A sensation inside a perception, a perception inside a sensation? Do you experience a body in the world and a mind in the body? How can a body be in the world and a mind in a body? Do you experience a thought inside a perception or a sensation? How can you experience a thought inside a body or inside the world? Does experience have an inside or outside or is it just experience seamless experiencing?
The body is what it is, physical form would be the best description but so is all this physical form that is present in the only state presently where it can all be. Ownership is a thought construct and thinking will happen as it does but what the thoughts are about are not true life. Sensation is just experienced such as seeing and or hearing for example and thought comments on or explains it after it takes place if this is what you meant by the question. A body is here, now as it always is and ever could be as long is life continues. directly experiencing sensations along with what is being directly experienced and thoughts are apart of this process. The mind is a thought concept, there is no direct experiences of some thought manufacturer. Thoughts just arise and where they come from can only be speculated about(more thoughts). Thoughts are its own experience it would seem not directly related to other automatic sensation and often take place after sense takes place and while sensing is taking place. It seems useless to resist thoughts, it would be like resisting seeing, its a natural process like any experience.
Inside and outside are thoughts, it is becoming more apparent that this all seems to just be happening together. Calling it anything at all seems to not do it justice, even when like yesterday it was recognized by sight that a portion of the body was with the big picture of seeing. The couch and the floor could be felt with the body and all that was seen. Hearing, and yes thinking were all taking place and everything seemed like one thing, like being life and sucked right into the middle of it. Later there was separation of feelings of attachment to what was arose and after that it was understood that life is in a state of constant change, this includes, sight, hearing, feelings physical and emotional, thoughts, and at times separation and oneness.
So again does hearing happen regardless of where attention is?
Absolutely then thoughts arise after attending to the sound explaining it.
But do you see where there may be a feeling of unease or identification with thought, or whatever – it is thought that wants something other than what is?
Has wanting ceased? Has seeking ceased?
Thoughts do not truly want, they just are, and it appears now that the concept about their own nature as changed and they are registered more as a natural process. Understanding is not totally complete, thought checks in on itself and out into real life to verify the past few days, thoughts are quieter and they should not be resisted, let them be. Seeking of what is now and understanding it fully is still a process taking place but it is knowingly all here, there is only the total acceptance of "this" that is what is left.
So on to touch. Touch the table with your eyes shut (or open). Pretend like it’s the first time you have ever touched a table. Go straight to the raw sensation/perception. What is your direct experience of this ‘table’? List your direct experience. Is it senses again? Is it thoughts again? Look very closely. Which comes first the senses or the thoughts?
Does the sensation of touching come with a shape, density, weight, size, colour, age or function? Does this sensation come with a ‘not me’ label or ‘other’ label? Is it one sensation/perception or two? Look at how thoughts try and take over, try and explain, try and prove. Notice your memories or references with which you compare the experience.
There is the feelings, it can be called whatever we want to label it but without the hand and the laptop keyboard there is no experience to be had. Thoughts can label "hand" "keyboard" but the experience would be nonexistent without both... the body sitting, the couch under it, and the floor holding up the couch, the walls holding the entire room all together. All of these things need to be, together as one for anything this to happen.
No, the sensation is just what it is, words are not true to the experience thoughts come after. The labels are fewer and fewer and not even given much attention to but there are still there. The sensation of touch is what it is just one sensation.
Sit with these sensations. Look at them. Look at the labelling e.g. table, hand. Look at the thoughts or story that attach at the end of this list if any. What is your direct experience of these words? Do they exist? List your direct experience. Are they sensations again? Are they just thoughts again? Look very closely. Which comes first the sensation or the thoughts? Don’t pay attention to the thoughts just look at what they do, when they come in.
The experience which words do not accurately depict comes first then thought labels explaining the experience come after. The thoughts are experienced while the act of hand making contact with the keyboard are taking place but what they are about are fiction.
Sit on a chair with your eyes closed. Feel the Direct Experience of sitting there. Notice thoughts thinking, labelling and explaining. Notice memory too. Notice sensations experiencing. Notice the sensation of bottom on chair – what is that – a thought? Notice the ‘me’ ‘mine labels e.g. this is my bottom – but look closely at that sensation labelling – is it yours, or just coming and going along with thoughts, ever changing. Is it the thought that wants to own? How many sensations do you notice? 2? One bottom sensation, and one chair sensation? How is that possible? Where does one sensation end and another begin? Locate that line. Can you feel that line? Or is that thought? Can you sense that line – or is that thought explaining the sensation?
The sensation of the sitting on the couch is one thing as are feet on floor, thoughts label these things after. Its just the process of thinking which trying to stop is futile since who is stopping this? More thoughts? Yes.
The lines are assumptions(thoughts) this became apparent much more clearly yesterday where seeing the body and everything else in the line of sight as "it" is then feeling what was seen was experienced.
Do we experience sensations or do we experience sensing? For us to experience a sensation it would have to be independently walking around. Eyes closed. Turn your attention to your skin. Do you have Direct Experience of it being outside?
Sensing is being experienced not really a "we" experiencing this. The outside is a thought construct and sensation is just apart of what is happening, it doesn't need some "inner me" to happen, that me is an assumption like all thoughts coming and going, this is way it was not possible to find. Looking at what thoughts label the bedroom there is no doubt that seeing is happening and that everything including the body is in it not separated.