The Gate

Hi Adam
I’m away from home with friends so I’ll get back to you in a few days. Hope that’s ok.

Thanks

Declan


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Hi Declan,
All good. Enjoy your holidays.

Best,
Adam

Hi Adam

There was a space so I did I the exercise. Here are the writings.




Questions

1. One doesn’t seem truer, they both seem like a description of experience from a personal perspective but one has more of an I label.

2. Without labels there is just senses, seeing etc - but even these are labels for an experi nice which is a label as well. All language requires labels.

3. Labels describe the experience but I think they affect it as well because they separate the experience into ‘units’ which emphasises the separation rather than just experience.

4. I don’t think I noticed any difference in the body but I had done a morning non mindfulness meditation just before so I felt in a very relaxed state.

Thanks Adam,

Declan


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Hi Declan,
Great work.

3. Labels describe the experience but I think they affect it as well because they separate the experience into ‘units’ which emphasises the separation rather than just experience.

Do they actually separate the experience?
How would they do that? Describe how they do it.

It’s just a label after all as you said. Does a sticky note on a whiteboard with a word “whiteboard” do anything at all in reality?

Dig deep into that. See it clearly. Is a label a magic wand that can somehow distort experience or is it just a story that is arising and vanishing it the moment? The story of separating experience or borders between apparent things or experiences?

Can a label do any of that or is it just a story?
What is the actual experience of label in the moment?
Is narrator in any way shaping the experience or is it just describing it?

See it in your day to day moment to moment life. Is there an actual real commentator or is it just labeling happening?

Let’s keep going with labeling exercise still.
Experience and label as before different situations and what is actually happening.

Best
Adam

Hey Adam,


It’s a story that’s just arising and vanishing but I think the fact of language, the fact of labels, serves to emphasise the story of separation, the story of different ‘things’.

A label is just a story.

The actual experience of label is a thought, it’s not ‘sensed’ in DE.

Narrator is just describing.

There’s no actual commentator, just labelling happening.

Labelling

Watching people go by - simply seeing
Hearing voices and the call to prayer- simply hearing
Feeling the sole of my foot on the concrete - simply sensation
Tasting tea in my mouth - simply tasting
Smelling cigarette smoke - simply smelling

Best,

Declan


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Hey Adam,


It’s a story that’s just arising and vanishing but I think the fact of language, the fact of labels, serves to emphasise the story of separation, the story of different ‘things’.

A label is just a story.

The actual experience of label is a thought, it’s not ‘sensed’ in DE.

Narrator is just describing.

There’s no actual commentator, just labelling happening.

Labelling

Watching people go by - simply seeing
Hearing voices and the call to prayer- simply hearing
Feeling the sole of my foot on the concrete - simply sensation
Tasting tea in my mouth - simply tasting
Smelling cigarette smoke - simply smelling

Best,

Declan


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Hey Adam,


It’s a story that’s just arising and vanishing but I think the fact of language, the fact of labels, serves to emphasise the story of separation, the story of different ‘things’.

A label is just a story.

The actual experience of label is a thought, it’s not ‘sensed’ in DE.

Narrator is just describing.

There’s no actual commentator, just labelling happening.

Labelling

Watching people go by - simply seeing
Hearing voices and the call to prayer- simply hearing
Feeling the sole of my foot on the concrete - simply sensation
Tasting tea in my mouth - simply tasting
Smelling cigarette smoke - simply smelling

Best,

Declan


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Declan,

“It’s a story that’s just arising and vanishing but I think the fact of language, the fact of labels, serves to emphasise the story of separation, the story of different ‘things’.”

But is the story an actual reality?
Is the story the actual experience?
Is the story what is really going on? Look right now as you read this - pause and LOOK at what is really happening.

Sure language is separating but it’s just for communication - it’s just w make believe, isn’t?
You must believe in certain word to mean certain thing but that doesn’t give this thing an identity at all. It doesn’t make it actually separate at all. Is language a “fact” indeed? Is language or labels factual or are they completely fabricated?

Can language actually physically separate different pieces of experience? Does language change experience at all?
Is the story real? (Any story!)
Is the story of Declan real? Was it ever?
Can the story of separation ever actually exist?

Best
Adam

Hey Adam,



I thought that’s what I was saying . Language is just labels that emphasise separation within the story, but the story is not reality. The story of Declan or the story of anything.

Labelling

Sitting in the park

Feeling the warm sun on my feet - sensation
Hearing traffic from the dual carriageway- hearing
Seeing a child in a blue tea shirt against the green grass - seeing
Tasting tea in my mouth - tasting
Smelling the faint odour of soap - smelling

Best,

Declan


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Declan,
If that's clear then it's all good.
Please actually look and answer - even if it sounds repetitive. A simple yes or no will suffice.
Drilling to make sure you actually look instead of intellectualizing, or answering from memory.

Please answer a couple of more questions:

• Are YOU the thinker of thoughts?

• Can YOU think and choose a thought?

• In direct experience, can you find an “I” that experiences experience?

• Is there a seer separate from the seen?

• Is there a hearer that hears?

Next:
Take two objects/possibilities, of which you might ordinarily choose either e.g., coffee or tea, blue
pen or black pen, salt and pepper, then sit and see if you can find the choice point where you could go
either way. Describe how choosing happens.

Best,
Adam

Hi Adam,

Sorry I wasn’t sure if the whole thing needed answering or you wanted me to answer every question you posed. Maybe if you could put a question on a separate line if that’s not too much trouble.

You said you were posing a few more questions but I just got blank dots this end - here’s a screenshot:



I’ll answer the “Next” part in bold.

It “seems” or “feels like” there’s a thought process of weighing up pros and cons or preferences and then a point of choosing happens - but this is thought.

In DE there is no choice, I use the blue pen or drink the coffee - it just happens. There is no point of choice, one happens or the other happens.

Best,

Declan


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Hi Declan,
Yes. Each question separately. Each question serves as a pointer. Don’t bulk answers.

But is the story an actual reality?
Is the story the actual experience?
Is the story what is really going on? Look right now as you read this - pause and LOOK at what is really happening.

Is language a “fact” indeed? Is language or labels factual or are they completely fabricated?

Can language actually physically separate different pieces of experience? Does language change experience at all?
Is the story real? (Any story!)
Is the story of Declan real? Was it ever?
Can the story of separation ever actually exist?

Vanished questions: 😊
Are YOU the thinker of thoughts?
Can YOU think and choose a thought?
In direct experience, can you find an “I” that experiences experience?
Is there a seer separate from the seen?
Is there a hearer that hears?

Best,
Adam

Hi Adam


No

No

No


Completely fabricated


No, it can’t. No, it doesn’t.

No

No, it never was.

No it can’t.


No

No

No

No

No

I know they’re brief answers, but I think that’s all I need to say for now?

Best,

Declan


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Hi Declan,
As long as you are reporting on your direct experience right now then yes, it's enough.

Ok, next:

Get up… walk slowly…is there a controller that controls walking, or is there just walking?

Does the body experience sensations and thoughts?

Is the ‘body’ just another thought label for sensations (namely tactile & kinesthetic)?

Is there still seeking happening?

Is there anything that's problematic?

Are there any doubts at all about seeing through the illusion of the separate self?

Best,
Adam

Hi Adam


There is just walking

No. Sensations and thoughts are just experienced.

Yes, the body is just another label for the sensations.

Sometimes seeking is happening.

Sometimes thoughts arise that seem to demand attention, I don’t know if this is problematic.

There are always doubts but I can see that the self is an illusion, a construct.

Best,

Declan


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