Simply start here.

[Elizabeth]

Well, you know, I observe the earth is rounded as I fly over it in an airplane. I don't have to believe it, and there is no feeling associated with it. Just perception. ''Look at that, the horizon is curved :-) Huh! Damned if the science isn't right, the place is round.'
This is much the same. Some of us have a big initial unity experience with fireworks, others simply observe that reality is different than we had thought. I know that for a day or so I went around feeling a bit stunned and going 'Huh!".
And then other things happened. No control over that, either, so in reality, the story of awakening, enlightenment, and Elizabeth, all thoughts. ABOUT.
Like everything else except the direct perception.
And in this direct looking, no you.
The only thing I would question, is the last couple of sentences. Please consider this beautiful expression and see what it has to tell you at this point:
The world is an illusion, Brahman alone is real, Brahman is the world.

Love, Elizabeth

[Seichi]

And in this direct looking, no you.

I try not to invent stories of I, me and my...
I try to look at things as they really are, i.e. before my labelling.
I try to let things be.
I try to let things go on, as they do all by themselves.
Not involving...

Or maybe I shoul not "try", but just letting be...?!

The only thing I would question, is the last couple of sentences. Please consider this beautiful expression and see what it has to tell you at this point:
The world is an illusion, Brahman alone is real, Brahman is the world.

Strictly speaking:
”Brahman is the world” + ”The world is an illusion” = ”Brahman is an illusion”, which contradicts the sentence no. 2: ”Brahman alone is real”.

But I know that this is too easy.
Because what is meant is:
”The world (AS I SEE IT) is an illusion, Brahman alone is real, Brahman is the world (AS IT REALLY IS)”.

And then there is no contradiction at all!

Brahman (God, Consciousnes, The Buddhanature) alone is real. What we perceive, what we label, what we think... - is every little moment going to change, disappear, vanish.

If Brahman alone is real, then the individual ”I” is also not real. It is going to vanish when sought for... - but still ”I” think, that ”I” this afternoon have to go to a very boring board meeting.

But maybe I ought to stop calling it boring (labelling) and just go for it and see what happens...

This was todays sermon :-)

Love, Leif

[Elizabeth]

Hi Leif,
I think you have it in your sights. Now let us go for it.
'The world is form.' Here we took it for granted that there is a separate self, and objects that are separate and distinct.
Then the world is seen to be transcendent of form, or, the formless is seen to be truth. It is still possible to hang onto a witness here. One who is seeing it, yet somehow distanced from it. Making an object of the concept.
I think you are here.
And lastly, there is seen to be no separation: form/formless/no difference. So at that point, there is witnessing, the witness-er disappears.
It's the simplest thing.
Turn around. What is looking?

Love, Elizabeth

[Seichi]

I think you are here.

I am always here ;-)

And lastly, there is seen to be no separation: form/formless/no difference. So at that point, there is witnessing, the witness-er disappears.

Yes, I think that form and formless are two sides of the same coin. The same ”thing” from two different viewpoints.
The one seen through the minds eye and the other seen directly.

But I don't see the witnesser disappear...

Things are happening in this socalled outer world (including my body and mind), but I still feel that ”something” is AWARE...

Not necessarily aware of an I or a me... - but aware of what is going on ”out there”.
Is there no awareness of an ”I”? Maybe not...?!

Right now I move the mouse, or rather: ”The mouse on this desktop is being moved”. It just happens, but something (someone?) knows that... - is aware of that.

Hm... - this is obvious not always the case. Sometimes (maybe most of the time?) movements are being done without any awareness, but there is some kind of awareness anyway some times.

Turn around. What is looking?

I really don't know what to answer... - Awareness is looking?!

Love, Leif

[Elizabeth]

Hello Leif, good, leads to some core questions:

Can the SENSE of self be in awareness, without a self to be found?

Is awareness a thing? or just another label for the whole spectrum of impermanent phenomena, including sense impressions?

So, to be clear, we are going beyond a self to the essential emptiness.

Love, Elizabeth

[Seichi]

Hi, Elizabeth

Can the SENSE of self be in awareness, without a self to be found?

Is awareness a thing? or just another label for the whole spectrum of impermanent phenomena, including sense impressions?

So, to be clear, we are going beyond a self to the essential emptiness.

If there is no self to be found, I cannot be aware of a self and I cannot have any sense of a self. I might - mistakenly - THINK that I sense an ”I”, but there is really nobody there...

Awareness is certainly not a thing. It is rather the ”sphere” in which things are perceived.
Or just another label?
Hm... - I do think there is more to awarenes than that.

E.g.: I KNOW that I am right now writing to you. Is this knowing nothing but another thought among thoughts, another thing among things?

The writing is just happening... - is it the same thing with the knowing of the writing, the awareness of the writing?

There is writing, there is knowing, there is awareness...

If that is the case then knowing - awareness - is nothing more than other thoughts and not different from other thoughts...

If awareness is nothing but another labelling, then there is no need for something/someone to be aware. There is no need for an I or a me... - interesting :-)

Love, Leif

[Elizabeth]

Hi Leif,
Yes, you can have a sense of a self. Like I have a sense of balance, a web of sensors (priopreceptors) that culmanate in a 'position'. The mind takes a cumulative, or summative position on a wealth of incoming sense information and associated experience.
It is interesting :-) And it changes continuously. The theatre of the mind, creating our concept of a world.

Is awareness a thing? Is awareness prior to thought? Is it beyond concept?
In awareness is there self?
Please go deeply into awareness. Without a thought, what is? Does everything disappear if we don't think about it?
No?
So, without thought, open to awareness. What is held in awareness?
Much love.

[Seichi]

Hi, Elizabeth

Yes, you can have a sense of a self. Like I have a sense of balance, a web of sensors (priopreceptors) that culmanate in a 'position'. The mind takes a cumulative, or summative position on a wealth of incoming sense information and associated experience.
It is interesting :-) And it changes continuously. The theatre of the mind, creating our concept of a world.
Is awareness a thing?

No, awareness is not a thing. I am aware of things. This awareness cannot itself be a thing. The things (as I perceive them) are IN the awareness.

Is awareness prior to thought?

Yes, awareness is so to speak the space in which the thoughts arise, unfold and vanish. Without awareness: No thoughts.
Without thoughts: Still awareness...

Is it beyond concept?

Yes, Also concepts arise, unfold and vanish IN the awareness. But awareness itself cannot be ”imprisonned” by concepts. Awareness is much greater than what can be labelled by words or concepts.

In awareness is there self?

This is tricky... - in awareness there is a sense of self in the same way as there in awareness is a sense of balance (to use your own comparison).
But this sense of self is the sense of a conglomerate of interdependant parts of which none can be labelled ”self”.
That is: In awareness there is no REAL self, only what we have thought AS a self...

Please go deeply into awareness. Without a thought, what is?

Without a thought there is stillness, peace... - awareness, but not awareness OF something. There is nothing but emptiness... - aware emptiness

Does everything disappear if we don't think about it?
So, without thought, open to awareness. What is held in awareness?

The world AS WE PERCEIVE IT disappears when not thought about. But there is still something there in my awareness to be awakened. The world so to say is there waiting for an opportunity to come into existance.
The world is there as a potential world waiting to be made alive, waiting to be created.

What is held in awareness is the unlabelled world - ”ready for use”...

Love, Leif

[Elizabeth]

Hi Leif.
So interesting.
If this is what you are seeing, experiencing, what is there to search for?
You are aware that there is no personal self. No personal will. All personal is thought content, not reality.
You are aware of form/formless.
Is there something missing from this experience that still is sought?
And if so, what might that be?
Please write very fully of this lack, if found.

Much love, Elizabeth

[Seichi]

Hallo again, Elizabeth

If this is what you are seeing, experiencing, what is there to search for?
You are aware that there is no personal self. No personal will. All personal is thought content, not reality.
You are aware of form/formless.
Is there something missing from this experience that still is sought?
And if so, what might that be?

What might be lacking is a certainty that I do not have to change anything i my daily practice. I am doing meditations, prostrations, supplications to Green Tara, joining retreats, being a vegetarian and so on and so forth...

All this has become a part of my life, and I do not want to skip it...

I think I am afraid of letting go... - what will happen then?

Will these occupations still have any importance to me... - or will they be nothing but a play?

Well: They IS in fact nothing but a play, a game, a dream like anything else... - maybe I can just continue with everything, but in a more relaxed way because of a change of perspective...?!

Is it possible to think BOTH that an act is important AND that it is nothing more than a part of a game?

Yes, maybe...: In - lets say chess - it is EXTREMELY important to watch out for the survivel of His Majesty the King, but at the same time you know for sure: This is absolutely nothing but a game...

Maybe I could say it this way:
There is 1) the ”real” world with no ”I” and no ”you”, with no labels, no past, no future, no here, no there... - the world that just IS... - and then there is 2) the world which is taking place in my mind, the dreamworld, the ”world of games” with all these wonderful things in it called family, spiritual practice, entertainment and so on...

And then most important: These worlds are not separate worlds, they are ONE, but this ONE world can be ”handled” in two different ways... - or maybe a better way to put it: Samsara will be much easier to handle when done from a ”nirvanic perspective” of life.

I think that I have developed while writing this answer. You might have noticed earlier that I often write as if having a kind of dialogue with myself. For me it is a profitable way to write.

Maybe with this in mind I better dare let go :-)

Love, Leif

[Elizabeth]

Well, you know I am enjoying being part of the conversation with your selves, Leif, LOL!
Truly.
It is obvious to both of us that you know everything (really, the knowledge is there) and yet you continue to try to find ground where you you can have nirvana and samsara AND a personal, separate self.
Dear Leif, no. You know about this also, it's just rearguard action. It's the little me wistfully asking if it can be believed to be real in some way, and taken through the Gate.
It tries on a spiritual identity so it will have the right clothes and lifestyle.
It's very appealing. And most gently, even that sweet ghost must be set aside and looked through.
There is nothing, and no ground to stand on.
Just this. And this. And this. Every moment.
Only this. And it is more than enough.

Love. Elizabeth

Hallo again, Elizabeth

If this is what you are seeing, experiencing, what is there to search for?
You are aware that there is no personal self. No personal will. All personal is thought content, not reality.
You are aware of form/formless.
Is there something missing from this experience that still is sought?
And if so, what might that be?

What might be lacking is a certainty that I do not have to change anything i my daily practice. I am doing meditations, prostrations, supplications to Green Tara, joining retreats, being a vegetarian and so on and so forth...

All this has become a part of my life, and I do not want to skip it...

I think I am afraid of letting go... - what will happen then?

Will these occupations still have any importance to me... - or will they be nothing but a play?

Well: They IS in fact nothing but a play, a game, a dream like anything else... - maybe I can just continue with everything, but in a more relaxed way because of a change of perspective...?!

Is it possible to think BOTH that an act is important AND that it is nothing more than a part of a game?

Yes, maybe...: In - lets say chess - it is EXTREMELY important to watch out for the survivel of His Majesty the King, but at the same time you know for sure: This is absolutely nothing but a game...

Maybe I could say it this way:
There is 1) the ”real” world with no ”I” and no ”you”, with no labels, no past, no future, no here, no there... - the world that just IS... - and then there is 2) the world which is taking place in my mind, the dreamworld, the ”world of games” with all these wonderful things in it called family, spiritual practice, entertainment and so on...

And then most important: These worlds are not separate worlds, they are ONE, but this ONE world can be ”handled” in two different ways... - or maybe a better way to put it: Samsara will be much easier to handle when done from a ”nirvanic perspective” of life.

I think that I have developed while writing this answer. You might have noticed earlier that I often write as if having a kind of dialogue with myself. For me it is a profitable way to write.

Maybe with this in mind I better dare let go :-)

Love, Leif

[Seichi]

Hi, Elizabeth
I need more time to ponder this...
See you :-)

[Elizabeth]

Yes, I understand.
And if thinking could have done it, both of us would have managed a long time ago, dear fellow old seeker.
So, it's simply moving forward into the real, which has always been here. Nothing changes but the perception. We take the self-filter off for a moment. And just look.
No belief required, honesty and a little more courage.
Much love, Elizabeth

Hi, Elizabeth
I need more time to ponder this...
See you :-)

[Seichi]

Hi Elizabeth,

A man cannot ride two horses at the same time.

I try to do BOTH this enquiry AND my buddhist practice at one and the same time.
It seems that it is not possible for me...

I get stressed, divided and broken up.

If I have to choose I will choose the buddhist practice, because I know what I have got and not what I might get...
Sorry if I disappoint you, but I have to be honest.

Maybe we better stop here, and I am alowed by myself to continue being a 100% dedicated buddhist practitioner ;-)
I appreciate VERY much your work here, but this might not be my way.

The way I have chosen is maybe a slower way, but still a way...

Love, Leif

[Elizabeth]

Ah, yes, this requires all of you. Literally.
I would suggest that you discuss this excursion with your spiritual teacher.
And why you stopped. I hope you have a teacher who has had an awakening, as this will be a good take off point for their pointing.
Much love. Come back if it is indicated, yes?
Elizabeth