No, there is/was only a thought about a separate self.1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form?
Was there ever?
The illusion of self is only a habit of thinking, based on the belief that there is a person at the center of life. A certain event or action takes place, and a thought comes up about "me" doing it, but it's only a thought, other than what is seen there is no true self being perceived outside of thought.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.
It feels like liberation from a lie that I've been telling myself for too long, and it feels very normal, like it was always obvious but overlooked.How does it feel to see this?
What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.
"We are not searching for a better explanation of the self, we are looking for an experience of self", This is what made me stop and look, and seeing that mental confusion I realized that there was just that and nothing more to it, nothing more than thoughts.What was the last bit that pushed you over; made you look?
Decision is a thought coming after an action telling that someone ("myself") has done it, just a chain of thoughts.a) Describe decision, intention, free will, choice and control. What makes things happen? How does it work? Give examples from your own recent experiences to how things happen and how things work.
Intention is the same, a thought about a future action with other thoughts coming on top.
Free will is an idea about a self being able to decide what actions to take, but that is still a thought based on the existence of this "self", which I cannot find or see.
Choice/Control are the same as every other concept, they are actions which I believe I can act upon, but when I look I don't see such concepts, they are present only in imagination, if I am somebody and I have control, I should at least be able to control my senses, but I don't, I don't control anything because I'm not something separate from the rest of my experience.
I'm not even deciding what words to type, words are just coming out, and it is the same with everything, when the belief of control disappears, it can be seen that life is unfolding on it's own.
I'm either responsible for everything, or responsible for nothing, it depends on the persective, but to be responsible there must be something which causes things to happen.What are you responsible for? Give examples from your own recent experiences to how this works.
I'm responsible for my own inquiry, but the realization did not happen because I wanted it to happen or because I was there to decide, it just happened.
Thank you for the guidance.Anything to add?
