The Gate

1. Is one truer than the other, and If so, which one?

The exercise not using I was truer for me and I noticed my mind was calmer while writing.

2. What is here without labels?

Actions, feelings, thoughts are here.

3. Do labels affect the experience or just describe it?

Yes, labels definitely affect the experience. There was a very different experience when I wrote the word dog verses my dogs actual name.

4. Did you notice any differences in the body?

I did not notice any difference in my body, but my mind was calmer when I dropped the word I.

Good.

1. Correct

2. Direct Experience is here. Your list has a couple of those.

3. No. That's affecting only your thinking. I'll give you a pointer to show this.

4. Close. There's a truth/lie pointer I'll share shortly.


Label-Reality Correlation

There is a belief that labels have a one-to-one correspondence with ‘reality’. But there isn’t. Just like it is a generally accepted belief that labels like ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are inherent characteristics of ‘things’. But actually, they are not.

When you look at the word label ‘GREEN' , what is the actual experience?

Is the color red ‘experienced’, or is the color green ‘experienced’ as the label suggests?

Does the label ‘GREEN’ have a one-to-one correspondence with ‘reality’? Or does the label suggest something else other than what is here now (red colour)?

Is 'green' associated in any way with the experience of the colour red; or is green just a label that overlays the actual experience of red?

If the label ‘GREEN’ is replaced with the label ‘GOOD’ or ‘BAD’ , is the redness affected in any way as the labels suggests?

Does redness become ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or do the labels have no affect whatsoever on ‘reality’?

Let me know what is SEEN.o[

Loving,

When you look at the word label ‘GREEN' , what is the actual experience?

The actual experience is the color red.

Is the color red ‘experienced’, or is the color green ‘experienced’ as the label suggests?

The color red.

Does the label ‘GREEN’ have a one-to-one correspondence with ‘reality’? Or does the label suggest something else other than what is here now (red colour)?

No, the label does not have a one-to-one correspondence, the reality of experience is red, but the thought of the meaning leads to something different.

Is 'green' associated in any way with the experience of the colour red; or is green just a label that overlays the actual experience of red?

Green is a concept that is confusing the actual experience of red.

If the label ‘GREEN’ is replaced with the label ‘GOOD’ or ‘BAD’ , is the redness affected in any way as the labels suggests?

The redness is not affected at all, there is still red.

Does redness become ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or do the labels have no affect whatsoever on ‘reality’?

I see red, that is the visual experience. The meaning of the words and them being in a red color is also an experience of a thought. The thought has no affect on the actual color, but changes the simple experience of seeing the color red. If it was a red blob, it would be a more direct exerience for me.

Mostly good.

The thought has no affect on the actual color, but changes the simple experience of seeing the color red. If it was a red blob, it would be a more direct exerience for me.

Changes the experience or changes the *thought* ?

Loving,

Changes the experience or changes the *thought* ?

Yes, I get it!! The experience is only red no matter what my thoughts around it say to confuse the situation.

Good, yes. The same is true of the illusion of "self."

Here's the other piece.

Here is how to distinguish truth from lies.


We often lie every day & don't realize it.

For example, the grocery clerk asks, "How are you?" You reply, "I'm fine." While, yes. there is a sense in which we are always fine, even in the middle of suffering, at that moment, you were grieving the death of your dog, you had a slight sore throat & you had a headache, but you didn't feel like sharing all of that with the grocery clerk, so you lied, "I'm fine."

Also, it matters none at all how "distant" the remembered lie is. Besides the fact that time itself is fictional, a kind if lie, as we recall the lie it becomes present in this moment, as if it were happening now. This brings the body Sensation that accompanies lying.

Lies can be intentional or unintentional, conscious or unconscious, even so automatic that we ourselves are fooled.

The story of a separate "self" is a lie.

This is the lie you came here to see through. Therefore, it is helpful to notice the body Sensation of lying as one of the tools for finding the truth of no self.

You want to be in touch with body Sensations & able to clearly express them in words. This will help.

Lies are usually felt in the heart or solar plexus as a contraction that we may label as tight, heavy or tense.

In contrast, truth is usually expansive. We may call it loose, light or relaxed.

First, can you remember a time when you lied to someone you loved?

Here we count anything, lies we think of as "big" or "small" that "matter" or don't "matter."

How are you? I'm fine. No, your knee hurts, but you don't feel like discussing it with the grocery clerk.

It's a lie. A seemingly "bigger" one will work better for this exercise.

Find the lie. I don't need the whole story, just a few key words to refer to it.

Then scan your body for any Sensation (DE or Direct Experience), particularly in the gut or maybe the heart. Check very closely.

What is found?

If you think the memory you used wasn't clear enough, find another one or lie to yourself right now, make something up.

1 + 1 = 14 is a lie.

I love eating worms is (probably) a lie.

Or call up a video of a lying politician & notice what Sensations arise as you listen.

I will give you a clue: it is not that peaceful Sensation you felt before when you omitted "I." (refers to an exercise I gave before this one)

Please report back with what body Sensations (not interpretations) you feel. Bodies can feel hot or cold, heavy or light, contraction or expansion, etc.

"Peaceful" is an interpretation of a body Sensation, not the Sensation itself, for example.

Do you see that?

Loving,

Hi,

Ilona does a monthly meeting & she's also starting an 8-week class, if you're inetested.. You can do both this guiding & her class, if you like.

Hello Friend,

Here is a quick reminder about the upcoming meeting.

We come together each month to connect, to support one another, and to explore direct experience - looking at how the sense of a separate self shows up in everyday life.

You are here because something in you is already looking.

Even if it’s not fully clear yet.

In the upcoming meeting, I will speak about the 8-week experience - how it is structured, what we will be exploring, and what it offers.

This is not something to think about.

It’s something to look at directly.

If you feel a quiet yes, or even a maybe, you are welcome to come.
If there are questions, doubts, or hesitation, bring them.

We can look at it together.

If you can not make it, you can email your questions to me directly, just hit reply.  

Seeing Through The Self Illusion

16th of April

90 min long

4 pm London
5 pm Paris
8 am San Francisco
11 am New York

Link to all monthly Zoom Meetings

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9143364592?pw ... VEMHg2Zz09

Monthly group meetings are free. Just come.

If you would like to donate, I would appreciate it. You can do that through PayPal here.

With love,

Ilona

admin@ilonaciunaite.com

Find the lie. Then scan your body for any Sensation.
What is found?

I told a friend that I couldn’t go to her event because the weather was bad, but that was an excuse, I really didn’t want to go.

There is a tightening in the heart.
Breathing comes in short burst.
My entire body is in a contracted state.
My eyes are held open wide.
My neck/shoulders are tingling.

"Peaceful" is an interpretation of a body Sensation, not the Sensation itself, for example.
Do you see that?

Yes, it is a story about the actual sensation.

Thank you for giving me the information about Ilona’s meeting/class. I have been responding to her emails and am thinking very seriously of joining the class!

You're welcome.

All very good.

Now this:

Palm Flipping Exercise

1. Hold a hand in front of you; palm turned down.

2. Now turn the palm up. And down...and up and so on.

Watch like a hawk.

Don't go to thoughts – examine your direct experience.

Do this as many times as you like, and each time inquire:

How is the movement controlled?

Does a thought control it?

Can a ‘controller’ of any description be located?

How is the decision made to turn the hand over?

Track any decision point when a thought MADE THE DECISION to turn the hand over and the hand turns over immediately.

Who or what ​ chose which hand - the left or right hand for the exercise?

Can you find a separate individual or anything that is choosing when to turn the palm up or down?

Loving,

How is the movement controlled?

I have the intention to flip the hand, then it flips.

Does a thought control it?

The more I do it, I realize thoughts really have nothing to do with it. The intention is to flip, so then it flips.

Can a ‘controller’ of any description be located?

No

How is the decision made to turn the hand over?

It is almost like the hand is making the decision.

Who or what chose which hand - the left or right hand for the exercise?

It was an automatic choice.

Can you find a separate individual or anything that is choosing when to turn the palm up or down?

I can’t find anything separate; it is like one event. Intend/Flip

Are you saying that intention, which is a thought, controls it?

Loving

Are you saying that intention, which is a thought, controls it?

Yes, I guess that is what I am saying. When I look at my hand, the urge to flip it wires from my brain to my hand so that it flips. If otherwise, my hand would be doing all sorts of motions that make no sense in my world.

Wires from your brain to your hand. .. If otherwise, my hand would be doing all sorts of motions that make no sense in my world.

Exactly how does it do that?

Slow it down. Look very closely.

Which comes first? The movement or this "intention?" (thought)

Your hand IS doing other things. Check.

Loving,

Exactly how does it do that?

I don’t know the science, but that is what seems to happen.

Which comes first? The movement or this "intention?" (thought)

I am having a hard time with this. When I think “flip”, then I flip my hand, so thought comes first. Then when I watch my hand with no intentions, sometimes it flips on its own, moves to touch the coffee cup, makes little micro movements without any thought involved. It seems as if sometimes it is the thought that is creating the movement and sometimes it is just a natural impulse for the hand to move.

Good morning,

Let me help you out.

Thought has no power or mechanism to create any movement - or anything else. You will need to see this for yourself.

The frustration & confusion is the result of believing the untrue thought (another thought! ) that it can. Reality does not reconcile with that idea.

Remember, we're not believing thought. Content of thought has no "reality." It is not Actual Experience.

Direct or Actual Experience is

Seeing
Hearing
Feeling (Sensation, not emotion. Emotion is Sensation plus made-up thoughts & labels)
Tasting
Smelling
Thoughts Arising (but not their content)

Keep LOOKING until this is clear to you. It's very important.


Let's look very closely at thoughts.

Observing Thoughts

Here is a thought exercise. Sit quietly for about 30 minutes and notice the arising thoughts.

Just let them appear as they appear. Try your best to COMPLETELY ignore what they are saying and just notice how they appear without you doing anything at all.

Where are they coming from and going to?

Did you do anything to make a particular thought or thoughts appear?

Could you have done anything to make a different thought appear at that exact moment instead?

Can you predict your next thought?

Can you select from a range of thoughts to have only pleasant thoughts?

Can you choose not to have painful, negative or fearful thoughts?

Can you pick and choose any kind of thought?

Is it possible to prevent a thought from appearing?

It seems that thought has some logical ordered appearance, but look carefully and just notice if there is an organised sequence? Or is that just another thought that says ‘these thoughts are in sequence’ or “they take content from previous thought”, or that ‘one thought follows another thought’?

Can you find an inherent self anywhere, outside of thought?

Can thought experience thought?

Loving