Guidance greatly appreciated

[GoldenBoy]

LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' - what do you understand by this?
I understand this to be about experientially understanding that there is not a core aspect of a person that is consistent across time and can by identified as the architect of their actions or the owner of their body, thoughts etc. This has implications for experiences like doubt or worry.

What are you looking for at LU?
Simply support to see through self in a meaningful way. I am otherwise engaged in Buddhist practice - primarily focussed on early Buddhism and the teachings of Ayya Khema, although I understand that exclusive focus is required for LU. This mainly consists of a daily meditation practice. I am hopeful that this process would then feed back into that wider practice.

What do you expect from a guided conversation?
Guidance on where it would be most beneficial to look. I am in a good rhythm with cultivating a calm mind through meditation. But I have some uncertainty about where to look with my calm mind. I.e. what kind of insight practices would be beneficial. I think a pointer from a guide would help with this.

What is your experience in terms of spiritual practices, seeking and inquiry?
I have had a daily meditation practice for two years. I have read a lot in the Early Buddhist and Theravada Buddhist traditions. I am also part of a Buddhist discussion group although this is mainly chatting about applying Buddhist practice to daily life. I have also been looking at the Awakening currriculum/ fetter work in the last 6 months.

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

[Elad]

Hi! I am a guide here, we can work together. Are you ready to start? What may I call you?

[GoldenBoy]

Thank you, Elad!

I am ready and keen to start.

You can call me Amo.

[Elad]

Great Amo! Every process here is unique and "ours" will be taking off in its own unique way now... That said, here is a standard message that just sets the scene a bit and clarifies a few things, like a bit of foundation setting:


"The basics of how this works is that I’ll give you questions and exercises to help you investigate whether there is a separate self. Your task is to look directly at your alive experience in the here and now and report on your experience without resorting to belief (yours, mine or anybody elses), analysis and imagination. Try to approach these exercises with “beginner’s mind,” setting aside everything you know about spiritual teachings, science and philosophy. Use all questions and exercises as a door to LOOK AT what is actually there and what is not. Also, it is not about creating any special experience or dissolving any part of normal experience - including "selfing" or "ego". Rather, the questions and exercises will help you to see what is already there in normal experience and what is not, and what is the nature of what is there and what is not. It's all about looking closely at ordinary experience.

Please read through “Liberation Unleashed is not …” in the FAQs of LU.

http://liberationunleashed.com/about/faq/#faq-1041

Importantly, the FAQ points out not to expect this process to be cure for or replacement for ordinary life challenges, mental health issues, everything that has to do with "cleaning up" and "growing up" and healing, beside "waking up", in other words learning to love and function wholesomely in normal life...

When you reply to a questions, please use the quote function to highlight the question being answered. This will make our dialogue easier to follow. Please watch the video below to learn how to use the quote function.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fAToDNh9hQ


The website goes down at times. To avoid losing your work, you may find it helpful to copy and paste questions asked into Word, answer them there, and then copy and paste them to your thread.

Let’s try to post daily, if we can. Of course, life happens, so if you need more time, just let me know. I’ll do so as well. If I don't seem to answer for more then 2 days, write to eladexplore1111@gmail.com - maybe there is some system error.

Let me know if you have any questions, something to share about your reaction, expectation or experience with regards to the FAQ, or anything else coming up wanting attention, in relation to this message and the FAQ!"

[GoldenBoy]

Hi Elad,

Thank you for this. I have had another read through the FAQ. The only thing that surprised me was

This is not a way to make the story of you disappear.

because I had a perception that the process might make a story disappear in the sense of the story that I have been telling myself about my self.

Other than that, I just want to thank you for your generosity in volunteering to guide me.

Best wishes,
Amo

[Elad]

Beautiful Amo. Yeah let go of the expectation that any story will disappear... And, be curious about how the relationship with (the) stor(y/ies) might change...

So, tell me, when you read the sentence "there is no separate self", what happens?

Do it several times, attend to what actually happens, and share your observations.

[GoldenBoy]

When you read the sentence "there is no separate self", what happens?

I feel a sense of spaciousness in my body, particularly focused around my chest. It feels like quiet or calm, even though I can hear incidental sounds in the environment around me.

At the same time, there is a bit of tension at the top of my head and it feels like there is a temptation to jump in and try to theorise or map out the possible meanings/implications of separateness.

My emotional reaction is to feel comforted by the idea of the lack of a separate self, rather than to resist the statement.

[Elad]

Great attending!

Now do the same with this sentence:

"There is no self, no doer, no controller. There never was and never will be"

Continue like you did, just describing what is seen, felt, what transpires, without adding interpretation or evaluation.

[GoldenBoy]

Now do the same with this sentence:

"There is no self, no doer, no controller. There never was and never will be"

There's a sense of space again, but this time heavier, like something hanging down behind my sternum. It's similarly calm, but there is a sense of resisting the weight.

I tried again to see what would happen if I tried to do less of the resisting. Then it felt more similar to the buoyant space I experienced in the previous exercise. Almost blissful.

I didn't feel particularly inclined to start trying to conceptualise or work through a logical response to the sentences.