Would like someone to help me double check

[dreamer]

Yes.
Can you find any separation between you and any objects?

How about others? Are they separate from what you are?
If yes, how?
If no, what are they?

[dreamer]

Right!

Here are some more 'Final' questions:

6) When you say "I", what are you referring to?

7) Is there an experiencer experiencing, or is there only experience?

Actually look. Does experience belong to the body, or does the body belong to experience?

9) What did you experience at the moment you awoke?

10) Describe your experience in the hours and days following awakening.

[benpaton]

Hi Vivi,

No I can't find any separation with objects in direct experience. Others I struggle to see where their thoughts must come from.

6) When you say "I", what are you referring to?

When I say 'I' I am referring to the direct experience which is "Ben", I is a pointer for the convention of language only. There is no more belief in the self existing.

7) Is there an experiencer experiencing, or is there only experience?

There is only experience. No experiencer. I don't see how experience could belong to a body; the body can't own anything it is just a body.

9) What did you experience at the moment you awoke?

The moment I awoke from the illusion of the self I felt freer, relaxed and happy. I felt my life was on autopilot and that the self no longer needed to create stories to understand to justify and label life. I looked in the mirror and had a strange experience. Instead of a self looking back it was just my reflection without any identification stories.

10) Describe your experience in the hours and days following awakening.

I believe I had my first awakening a few years back or at least my first glimpse when I realised in meditation that I was not my mind. This happened in a car park at work, I was meditating before I went in. Afterwards I stopped listening to my thoughts and I felt elated and slightly disconnected from the world. I felt like I was one step removed and felt really happy and a deep sense of empathy with my colleagues. This lasted for about two days.

Following the awakening from the self there was a feeling of being free and calm. Moments of happiness mixed with everyday life. There is no self anymore to start arguments with my girlfriend. I see her embedded in the self and I give her only compassion back. I have felt joy in hearing beautiful music flow.

Kind regards, Ben

[dreamer]

Thank you very much Ben

I will bring your answers to other guides for further questions or confirmation.

Meanwhile we look at where others thoughts come from, if you want.

Do you experience that others have thoughts or do you believe that they have?

Greetings
Vivi

[dreamer]

Hello Ben

A question:

What is that "self" you see your girlfriend embedded in?

:)
Vivi

[dreamer]

And yet another q:

What is an 'I' thought and who exactly is aware of it being such?

:) Vivi

[benpaton]

Hi Vivi,

In answer to the latest questions:

Do you experience that others have thoughts or do you believe that they have?

I don’t experience that others have thoughts. I experience movement in perceived others which could lead to the belief that they have thoughts. For example I can experience how someone reacts to information. There isn’t an I to believe they have thoughts.

What is that "self" you see your girlfriend embedded in?

As with my above answer I experience my girlfriend’s movements in terms of mood, body language and voice. These movements appear as a thought of “self” although I can’t believe that this is separate from experience.

What is an 'I' thought and who exactly is aware of it being such?

An ‘I’ thought is an idea which surfaces from no where, labels an experience, then disappears into nowhere. Thoughts present themselves to awareness.

I hope these answers help?

Kind regards, Ben

[dreamer]

Thanks Ben

Here is an exercise that we would like you to do and report please what is experienced :)

Move around your home! Jump, move your arms and legs.
And LOOK! Who's jumping? Who's moving the arms? Who's moving the legs?

[benpaton]

Hi Vivi,

Well I took a break to walk around the office building where I work. I’m not at home at the moment. Where I work is s a big corporate office building with lots of corridors and stairwells which you could easily get lost in.

Moving around is automatic, no one is moving the arms or legs. It’s hard to explain in words. It’s like witnessing of moving is being experienced whilst being removed from the actual action happening. There is no claim on being in control of the movement. I liken it to how a pianist is moving their fingers when a beautiful but fast piece of music is flowing out. I’m sure if you asked a pianist how in detail they were moving their fingers they would not really be able to explain, if they thought about moving each finger the music would sound terrible.

Kind regards, Ben

[dreamer]

Nice :)

[dreamer]

Hi Ben

Just double-checking ;)

Please, descripe your present experience of being awake

:D
Vivi

[benpaton]

Hi Vivi,

I would describe my present experience as same but different. Life is the same, I’ve just done a full day at work. There is a feeling that something has dropped away and a slight disconnection feeling. There was a time at work today when I wrote an earlier reply on this forum and I was looking around at my colleagues when I just started smiling and couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t explain to my colleagues what was making me laugh it was just spontaneous. Thoughts have dropped away or have become tuned out, it feels like things are being directly experienced rather than filtered.

Kind regards, Ben

[dreamer]

Thanks :D

[dreamer]

Do think you think there is anything else to be double checked ?

[dreamer]

Any doubts left?