Hi Sarah,
Here are the responses to the questions. Please let me know if there is anything that needs to be added or looked at further.
1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?
There is not a separate entity, ‘self’, ‘me’, or ‘I’ at all in any way shape or form?
There was never one. Repeated thoughts have come up over the years suggesting that there is a separate self, but looking at direct experience has shown that there is no separate self.
2) 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.
The illusion of separate self is in thoughts and in language. This illusion is seen as happening(arising) just as other things happen like walking, breathing, seeing, eating, speaking, etc. “I-thoughts” and “I-stories” arise periodically throughout the day, and these thoughts are all part of the experience as well. But they are not and never were the whole experience! In the past, these thoughts were actually believed to encompass and 'own' the whole experience!! But that is just not true.
3) How does it feel to see this? What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.
It is like a wide open space, fresh air, an open meadow full of flowers, the vast ocean, or the vast sky. It’s beautiful and freeing when it is seen.
Beautiful and freeing are labels that are given to this experience after the experience and not during it.
When I started this dialogue, I was afraid. Well, thoughts arose that said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”, “I am afraid”. There were also concerns (thoughts) about anger.
Anger and various strong emotions (or thoughts labeled as such) have begun to fall away naturally when looking happens. The “complaining” of thoughts has greatly reduced.
4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?
Throughout this process looking was happening and then not happening, over and over again, and thoughts continued to grumble and complain. And other thoughts said, “You are supposed to be liberated by now!” , “You are not supposed to be having these kinds of (negative) thoughts.”, “You need to do something about this!!” Sarah asked “What is it that ‘you’ can ‘do’? This question led to the realization that there is nothing that actually can be done. But when looking happens it happens, and things change, and that happens naturally, and that’s absolutely amazing!
5) Do you decide, intend, choose, control events in Life? Do you make anything happen? Give examples from your experience.
No, I don’t. But this was never questioned before starting to work with Sarah. All these thoughts in the head were assumed to have so much power and to direct decisions, intentions, choices, and events.
For example, thoughts said, “Go ahead and do the final questions tomorrow(Saturday morning), you don’t need to do them tonight!” But here are the fingers typing on the keyboard on Friday night, here are the eyes on the screen, not knowing what the next sentence typed will be.
Here is another example:
My student gave “me” a box of cookies as a present. Two cookies were eaten. And then thoughts said, “Okay, that’s enough cookies! Only two cookies for you!” . It doesn’t matter what thoughts said, because the hand reached for a third cookie, and then a fourth and then a fifth. There were no thoughts saying "Eat a third cookie! Eat a third cookie!" It just happened. That is a simple example but it is now seen that there’s no control whatsoever in anything that happens.
It is now seen how thoughts comment on things that happen, on “decisions” that have been made after the fact. Thoughts do not decide!
6) Anything to add?
Sarah is a fantastic guide and it was a truly life-changing experience! I know that fantastic is a label but it is accurate in this case. I think maybe this will be read by other guides so I wanted to say that.
When thoughts and stories have the attention, they really consume the attention!! That still happens – a LOT! But it always comes back to this being seen through.
Thank you for everything. Love, Jessica xxx