Requesting a Guide

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

Well if you can see this post the board is working better. It is still very slow for me.

The mind was a particularly enjoyable section for me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I came across some tidbits in some of my notes I've taken over time in anticipation of guiding one day. If you've already come across it somewhere else, then just ignore it.

It seems "the mind" constructs a conceptual overlay to reality. This is likened unto a map. It is as if when you look out into nature, you don't really see nature as it actually is. You see the conceptual overlay. An example might be watching a sunset. The thought process might be something like,"Oh the sun is setting, so pretty. It'll be getting dark soon. I hope the sky stays clear so I can see the stars. I always liked these Colorado sunsets. They're so much more colorful than the ones in Michigan." Were you really seeing the sunset?

Look at this the next time you walk. Are you actually looking at nature as it is, or are you looking at the map of nature that acts as a filter or a boundary between you and nature?

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,
Your previous post really spoke to me and I'm sure there has been a lot of overlay happening. Even now looking out on fresh snow with clear skies and sunshine the mind wants to compare to yesterday's snowstorm seeing the contrast and commenting or making commentary on all sorts of things. Even when it feels like pure experience there seems to be an overlay. My sense is that just bringing that into awareness is enough for that to shift...though not sure...

I am noticing behavioral changes in my life though...more just being with the moment and less looking for something to keep busy or distract myself. There is much more content in just being...

I'm waiting for the temperatures to lift out of the deep freeze before getting out on the path again, however I do something called Earthing which helps with staying connected to the earth energies.

Many a thank you for support on this journey!
Jane

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

I'm glad to see you feel progress is being made. Let's look a little more closely at the notion of mapping, and awareness being in a body.
What I want you to do as soon as is practical is just to sit somewhere outside. Look in one direction, and hold the gaze slightly upward, above just level. Try to fill in the space between you and whatever it is you're looking at. See if witnessing awareness can actually "touch" whatever is gazed at. There should be a sense of "fullness" about it and the sense of separation-if any-should diminish, at least temporarily.

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,

Actually, that no separation fullness has been happening a lot lately. I did spend just a couple of minutes(it is hovering close to zero here) gazing at a tree and found that the tree and the space between myself and the tree became one feeling within awareness and there was a feeling of no separation. I have also experienced that while gazing at my fireplace lately. It's very nice!!

Also good news here! Just got back from seeing my Network Chiropractor and she said that there has been a huge shift in my nervous system! I would give the credit to both LU and Earthing! This has occurred in the last week!!

With continued deep appreciation for your support!
Jane

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

O.K. Good for you on all those things. I'm not sure how a chiropractor measures those changes, but if you feel better then that's worth all the effort here, even if nothing else changes much.

Well, I'll just let you sit with what you're doing for the moment. I'm reading a book written by a guy who has a non-dual group on the internet, and it has some good pointing tips in it to help maintain focus on naked awareness. Maybe we'll look at some of them soon.

As always, write what comes up.

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,
The Direct Path reading has taken me into the section on awareness which has been amazing as well! I am really seeing that patterns and decision as well as mental structures such as attention are only tools that are used not unlike the tool of language to help us talk about experience. None of it holds up to direct experience. I spent years playing with Law of Attraction which was just a teaching tool not unlike numerous teaching tools that I used in my profession as a teacher. All of these concepts hold no water as things.

Yesterday while driving I had an experience of nearly meeting another car head on. The car just seemed to appear in an instant in my awareness. Then just as swiftly reactions happened and both cars swerved and missed each other. This was followed by huge feelings of relief and gratitude. In that instant snapshot I clearly remember the man's face which was not even looking my way and being aware he was not going to change his trajectory because he was looking another direction. At that moment action just came through my system as if not even happening by me. Not sure why I'm relating this except it felt just like experience dropping in in the moment...no cause and effect.

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

Glad to see you get to the awareness part. Things really popped in that section for me. You'll recognize some of the stuff I've already introduced you to earlier in the thread. It'll be a good refresher to read it again. Just a reminder, if it has been over a couple of weeks since you re-read the thread, try to find time to do so. You'll always find something new in the thread as you see through various beliefs. Do we actually talk about experience though? That'll be a little thought puzzle for you.

Wow. That last part is scary. That's a hard but effective way of learning how everything just happens though. Let's hope we can stay with the tamer methods in the future though, God willing.

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,

I wanted to ask you about bodily sensations that are seemingly the result of eating something that disagrees with my system. I have dietary restrictions due to what is thought to be a particular condition. When "I" go against the diet and eat something either by mistake or knowingly and have physical reactions, it is difficult to get out of the habit of connecting that with cause and effect thinking. I did "this" so "that" happens as a result. It sometimes helps to come from what nourishes the body the best rather than what I need to stay away from. So I'm sitting with "what is known here?" What is known is that there is no "me" having these symptoms...there are just sensations happening. Anything else is just coincidental happenings...nothing causes anything...can't quite believe it though...this is a repeated belief or thought just repeating itself and experience just matches it???...help!

Jane

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

O.K. Let's look at your post with "fresh eyes" here, and see some hidden "assumptions" that the fictional "Jane" is still hiding in, and hopefully seeing will happen as to why the cause and effect paradox is a "problem."



You said, "...eat something by mistake or knowingly....".

Who or what is making a "choice"?



You said, "It sometimes helps to come from what nourishes the body the best rather than what I need to stay away from."

Who or what is making a "choice"?



You said, "What is known is that there is no "me" having these symptoms...there are just sensations happening. Anything else is just coincidental happenings." (I assume you mean that there are no "choices" being made by a me which causes these symptoms.)

Who or what is judging that happenings are "coincidence" or not? Are there two things happening simultaneously? Are two sequential events "connected" somehow? Who "connects" them? Isn't life just one continuous seamless event with no apparent inherent meaning?



You said, "...nothing causes anything...can't quite believe it though."

This is about dropping beliefs, not acquiring new ones. And who is there to believe it? Seeing through the belief in causation comes from looking in experience and seeing that causation does not exist.
"Jane" tries to turn it around and "believe" that "causation doesn't exist." It is impossible to prove the negative. Prove that a unicorn "doesn't exist." Look at that. How could it be done?

Direct experience is about the burden of proof.(Even though there is no one to prove anything, nor anyone to prove it to.) If it can't be sensed, it doesn't exist as anything other than an empty thought.

It is exactly the same with "no self." It is not a case of "Jane" "acquiring the belief" that there is "no self." It is simply looking and seeing that "self" doesn't appear. There is no one to acquire any belief.

There is no Jane. There never was. Just thoughts coming and going in life.

Direct experience inquiry is not about de-constructing anything, although it can seem to appear that way. It is only about seeing that some things simply do not exist at all, so there is nothing to be de-constructed.



You said, "...this is a repeated belief or thought just repeating itself and experience just matches it?

Who or what is saying that this is a repeating thought? That is a judgement. Life doesn't make judgements. Again, where is the authority here that says that this thought has come up "before"?



As to cause and effect, look at the following:

"I have a fruit juice that causes heartburn." There! That is a thought arising in life.

But there is NO ONE having that thought or believing the content of it. It just seems to come and go in experience. But there is no judging going on that says that the fruit juice ACTUALLY CAUSES a sensation labeled as heartburn.

Juice is drunk. Heartburn occurs. Who is there to care if one caused the other? Baking soda and water will happen. Who made those choices? Events just happened. Cause and effect could only be a "problem" for a person existing in "time" "making "choices."


Thoughts coming and going are part of experience.

Leaves falling to the ground are part of experience.

Neither is "more important."

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,

Ah, there are quite a few hidden assumptions that the fictional "Jane" is still operating in. A few other assumptions are starting to come to light also. The "chooser" and creating/attracting are just a couple. I will be sitting with these for awhile and will write more of what comes up. Your post was very helpful and I am still sitting with it and rereading it...

With gratitude!
Jane

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,

I see how I have been taking everything personally from the "Jane" perspective from choice to judgement to evaluation of experiences. Your comments about Direct Experience not going for a new belief but to examine what is really there were very helpful. Again the "I" having to get something just doesn't hold up to direct experience exploration. I've spent several times rereading your last comments and when things have come up today it has been easier to look directly into experiences and see there is no self there. I am continuing to use the inquiry when there is recognition of something "going on" and reading the thread and the Book. All of it is REALLy helpful and there is increased realization how often the "self" comes sneaking in.

Jane

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

Good. Stay with it. The post is a mirror for you. Look at it until there is no reflection. Try to remember that there is nothing "out there" in some "future time" to be realized. It is always right in front of you now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now.

[4connection]

Morning Hopefulness,

Things seem to be going well. Have continued to reread the thread and have just finished the Opaque Witness section of the book which has been very helpful as well in seeing the importance of your last post about now, now, now etc. So continuing to work with the mantra which seems to be changing with a renewed sense of relaxation around it. All seems well here...

Will continue to check in every day or so as things develop.

Jane

[Hopefulness]

Hi again,

Just a reminder.

From the Uttara Tantra: "There is nothing in this that needs to be removed. There is nothing that needs to be added to this. When you look at that which is genuine in a genuine way, and you genuinely see it, you will be liberated"

This is the complete basis of the Dzogchen and Essence Mahamudra view; as both systems grew out of this teaching.

[4connection]

Hi Hopefulness,

Although things around me have been rather huge in nature, my experience has continued to be fairly "in the moment"! The high school shooting that happened here Friday happened a block away from where I live causing a great deal of emergency equipment to converge on the area. The magnitude of impact on the area was huge but throughout the incident I was able to be with what was arising in me and remain fairly present in the moment. I have noticed some documentary going on from time to time in my head but that has really calmed down. Your post yesterday really helps me to add an element to the mantra that really drops me into the moment and helps with the documentary. Then yesterday I was at another competition for my granddaughter's cheerleading which can also be a challenging time. It all seemed to be less challenging as I continued to work with the mantra and remain present in the moment. I felt light and just fine afterwards which has not been the case in the past.

I continue reading and working with the mantra...all very helpful!!
With appreciation,
Jane