Are there any other pointers you know of?
Well, they are all kind of related, the main pointer is "LOOK!!!!!"
so as well as looking at thought and actions, you look at senses
Close your eyes, listen to a sound. Is there a sound over there, and a self or me over here hearing the sound. Can you find the hearer of the sound? Is there a sound, an experience of the sound, and an experiencer of the sound?
How much effort do you have to put into hearing a sound? Isnt it effortless, you dont have to actually do anything?
The same for vision, touch, smell etc.
Do we continue until I "pass through the gate"?
Thats up to you. Youre the one who has to do the work, do the looking
Hi Neil,
I just wanted to post about my experience now. It's really interesting because now that I have the inquiry into no self playing in the back of my mind I find that after I perform an action I ask "where was the self during that process?"
Yes, that is a good question to ask. But remember, you still need to look to find the answer.
It might also be interesting to actually look at the thoughts that are playing in the back of your mind about the inquiry. Are these also automatic, arise and fade on their own?
It's like a slight jolt into the belief in a self. It's kind of disorienting but I've never experienced this before. The belief in a self and the attachment to the belief is still strong but I feel like the foundations of that belief have been shaken.
Who is it who has a belief in a self?
All we are doing is seeing that self is just a belief, a thought. If there is no self, then there is no self that just stops believing. The belief may still carry on for a while, because the belief is also automatic, habitual. The important thing is to see that it is just a belief, with no real entity behind it, and to keep noticing every instance where that belief comes into play.
It might be useful, for example, to observe what happens when someone says something hurtful to you.
