Is it possible?

[Anastacia42]

Yes. That's what practice helps you to unlearn.


Mind Labeling Experience

Here is an exercise which examines the way in which the mind labels experience - it takes about 20 minutes and you will need a pen a paper.

This exercise is broken into 10 minute lots. For each 10 minute period pay attention to any bodily sensation i.e. is there any tightening, or any relaxing?

For the first ten minutes write down what you are experiencing right now using the word “I”.

For example:

I am sitting on a chair,
I am hearing a clock ticking,
I am looking at a computer screen,
I am feeling hungry.

Get right to the point, no past or future fantasy, just a plain description of your experience right here and now.

Then for the next ten minutes continue writing down what you are experiencing but this time without using the word “I”. Just describe the experience as it is happening using verbs.

For example:

Sitting on a chair,
typing,
breathing,
blinking,
hearing the clock.

(Again, watch what is happening in the body.)

At the end of the twenty minutes compare the two ways in which the experience was labelled and answer the following four questions:

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

2. What is here without labels?

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

4. Did you notice any differences in the body?ook. They are there.

Loving ,

[Maryann]

Thank you Stacy. I will be doing the exercise tomorrow. I've ordered the Awake book again.

[Anastacia42]

Ok

[Maryann]

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

The second one is more true. The first one feels like it's me initiating what is happening but the second one notices what is already happening.

2. What is here without labels?

I don't quite understand the question. But what I think that it means is - just what is seen, heard, felt, smelt, and sensations

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

Just describe it.

4. Did you notice any differences in the body?look. They are there.

This one is difficult for me because there is always tension in my body because of physical discomfort because of a pain problem. I more noticed that there was less mental stress in the second way of looking. I didn't need to wonder what to do because it was already happening.

[Anastacia42]

You understood just fine. That's right. Here's a bit more about that.

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,

[Maryann]

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

tight, constricted shoulders, shallow breathing. I can see that peaceful and tense are descriptions.

[Anastacia42]

Good.

Can you see that you're tense when there's a lie & relaxed when there's truth? You seemed to see that in the previous pointer.

Loving

[Maryann]

Can you see that you're tense when there's a lie & relaxed when there's truth?

This one is difficult for me because my body is constantly tense because of a physical problem. It's in a state of constantly guarding. But I am going to put more attention on the body state and see if it can relax.

[Anastacia42]

I understand. I also live in constant pain, but I can find a separate sensation in my gut.

Please look a little more and let me know what you find.

Loving,

[Maryann]

I couldn't remember a lie so I've been telling myself lies just now and I do find that there's a sense of loosening tension. Muscles relaxing a bit. But that's all.

[Anastacia42]

The loosening happens with truth. What are you finding?

Loving

[Maryann]

The loosening happens with truth. What are you finding?[/quote
I'm noticing that there is effort and strain in telling a lie and none in being truthful.

[Anastacia42]

Yes. Good. Now this:


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.

Loving

[Maryann]

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

The actual experience is red

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

Red is experienced

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)?

The label does not correspond with reality and suggests something other than what is here now.

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 isn't associated with the color red and green is 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?

Redness isn't affected in any way.

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

The label has no affect on the reality.

Let me know what is SEEN.

What is seen is red letters and a label giving incorrect information that has no correspondence with the actual colour.

[Anastacia42]

Perfect.

Actual/Direct Experience - Apple

Have a look at an apple (or any fruit you like.) If you have a ‘real’ apple, you can use it for this exercise. Google for a picture of an apple.



When looking at an apple, there's color; a thought saying ‘apple’; and maybe a thought saying, "I'm looking at an apple."

What is known for sure? Color is known and thoughts are known.

What about the content of thoughts, what they describe?

Actual experience does not refer to thoughts ABOUT something…because that is only just more thought.

Actual experience is sound, thought, color, smell, taste, sensation and the fact of thought arising, but not its content.

Is there really an ‘apple’ here, or only color and a thought ABOUT ‘apple’?

Can ‘apple’ be found in actual experience?

While these thoughts are known, what they talk ABOUT can't be found in actual experience.

This is what is meant by "looking in actual experience." What you know for sure, and, is always here.

Taste labeled ‘apple’ is known
Color labeled ‘apple’ is known
Sensation labeled ‘apple’ is known (when apple is touched)
Smell labeled ‘apple’ is known
Thought about/of an ‘apple’ is known

However, is an apple actually known?

Have fun and let me know what you find out.

Loving