Is there any such thing as a 'thinker' in DE? Any more than there's an 'I?'
No, there is no actual 'thinker' to be found in DE. I just took a drink of coffee, just now, and the picking up of the cup, the feel of the warmth, the taste of the coffee, all happens without thoughts. And even if there are thoughts labeling the taste of the coffee as good, there is no 'thinker' that premeditates these responses. The thoughts just come. There is no 'thinker' just likethere is no 'I'.
There are definitely thoughts, just like there are smells, textures, feelings, colors, shapes, flavors, and sounds. These aren't going away without seeing through the false belief of a separate 'I'. 'I'm' understanding that all labels are just thoughts and these labels are not reality. Through direct experience when I pet 'my' dog and I think how soft her fur is, the labeling of how soft her fur is is not the Direct Experience, but the contact of the hand on the fur and the sensations before the labels come are Direct Experience.
All right. Is there anyone in actual reality to be too analytical or is it all thoughts happening?
It's all thoughts. Labels are thoughts. Concepts are thoughts. Agreements are thoughts. Ideas are thoughts. 'I' is just just a thought. 'My' is just a thought. Beyond the false reality of the 'I', even calling a stick a cane, or a a tree branch a walking stick, is just a thought and not reality. The stick exists before and without any label of what it is.
I can feel a feeling of fear emotionally when I think of 'my' daughter without that label, but in reality I know that 'my daughter' is just a label. She exists without any labels and that love that I have for her that I feel, the feeling and emotion of love, exists without calling her 'my daughter'. It's absurd to me that I felt fear when I first thought about this. It was a feeling of anxiety. Almost like "I don't want to lose her!". There is no 'I' to lose. She exists without this label of ownership.