The Gate

Good morning

Great observations, waiting for the other answers

Best for you

Warissem

Good evening,

7. Sit quietly and pay close attention to your thoughts for 20 minutes. Notice that thoughts seem to pop out of nowhere and have no obvious cause. They are a total surprise and you can find no cause or reason for their appearance. It should be obvious you were not involved in any way in the creation of these thoughts.

Ha, even reading that for the first time it brings me laughter.
Nowhere and no obvious cause - when this is looked at yeah it just pops out from nowhere, and with no cause, it always points to different things like let's say thought "tent" - but looked at that thought itself its no obvious cause, its like causeless. No reason either and that seems very clear now when looked at.

Thoughts just appear, is there effort not really,
even the though like "i made it happen" - its just a thought- and there is no involvement, and its hillarious, noticing it in the thoughts that there is no involvement happening. Even when writing this there is a sense there is no involvement.

8. Do you have unpleasant thoughts? Do you want to have them? If you had any control over thoughts, don’t you think you would choose not to think such thoughts at all? Wouldn’t you be able to choose never to have thoughts that seem to make you unhappy?

Yeah, in the past I see that. But now if I look now, the answer is no.
Do you want to have them - absolutely not
If you had control over thoughts - yeah I would choose to make that
If I had control - it would be probably logical choice.

9. When we look very closely and precisely we come to see that “me” thoughts only refer to other “me” thoughts, not to an actual abiding “me.” Observe thoughts with precision; can you ever find a ‘me’ within the “me” thoughts and feelings, or just a sense of me?

Thoughs me and abiding me - when I say in the mind I - it seems it it reffering to the idea of me instead of the actual abiding. Even if I think "I need to stand up" - it is the idea of me that it is pointing to - the abiding me just is - a.k.a. just direct experience

Can I find a 'me' within thoughts or just a sense of me - anytime I try to find that, it is not found in the thoughts and feelings, but what it does it makes me present to the sense of being aware to the kind of abiding me.

all the best,

morning tea

Good morning

Great observations. You have done two exercises : one is an investigation of the body, the other was about thoughts.

What is arising when you read this :

There is no you, no separate self which was investigating the body nor knowing thoughts. It is not and it will never be.

Kind regards

Warissem

Hi, good evening,

10. Pay attention to mental activity – to thoughts and images in the mind. Where are they arising? Are they inside something? Are they central to you, or are they peripheral? Do they leave any trace when they have gone?

Where are they arising - don't know, looking at it where they arise, it’s a not-knowing place
Just Its not like it’s a specific place, its like nowhere, and here - and not even here because when I say here - 'there' is created.
So its like not really inside or outside. Arises in the direct experience. Also not really central or peripheral,
And there is no trace when they are gone.

There is no you, no separate self which was investigating the body nor knowing thoughts. It is not and it will never be.

What is arising
Just laughter and love, kind of a light feeling, and no one who claims that feeling. Next thing is just quietness arising, and then thought 'does the quietness has the I' - then investigating the thought itself for the for the separate self.

There is no you, no separate self which was investigating the body nor knowing thoughts. - now investigating or looking kind of relaxes, and there is a sense of not looking for anything, just direct experience noticing, sensing.
hope it makes sense.

all the best,
morningtea

Good evening

Great observations, thank you.

Are you still seeking ?
Is there something missing ?

Anyway, feel free to expose any lasting doubt here.

Best for you

Warissem

Hey,

Are you still seeking ?

yeah I was seeking actually, until I've seen this question
and If I listen to the seeking there is a thought of kind of loneliness
like 'I don't want to be alone"
So these questions really help to expose something.
there is no technique that is being done, is just meeting
this direct experience, kind of embrace

Is there something missing ?

when I am with the direct experience,
its kind of full so even the 'loneliness' feeling
the direct experience of it, there is no missing something,
or wishing for something else at least in this moment

that's so far,
beautiful questions btw,
best,

morningtea

Good evening

There is no you to be alone. There is life expressing itself.

These are questions which are usually asked here :elaborate on each of them.

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form?
Was there ever?

2) Give in your own words what the illusion of separate self is and how it shows up in experience. Also, through your inquiry, what is different now?

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.

4) What was the last bit that pushed you over; made you look?

5) a) Describe :

- decision,
- intention,
- free will, choice
and control.
What makes things happen? How does it work?
Give examples from your own recent experiences to how things happen and how things work.

b) What are you responsible for? Give examples from your own recent experiences to how this works.

6) Anything to add?

Kind regards

Warissem

Hi warissem,
thank you for the questions,

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form?
Was there ever?

In my experience only thought refer to the I, to the separate self,
When looked into thoughts for the I,looking for the separate self or identity,
it showed that its just an idea, nothing real, just a fog that I took as solid entity,
Just looking there, its just thinking or cognition.. It kinda just happens.

Was there ever - it appeared that way, definitely. just looking there into the I thought or that idea of self, reveals what is there.

other questions coming later today,
best,
morningtea

Hello,

2) Give in your own words what the illusion of separate self is and how it shows up in experience. Also, through your inquiry, what is different now?

Separate self is a sense of identity a 'me' that is thought based and is the main cause of creating separation from experience where there is no separation. It shows up also as projection to others, that others too have a 'self'.

What is different now, is through these inquiries I looked into the though and kept looking at the "I" thought or a memory thought in a sense more closely to find any identity, or self, any substance that could be found.

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.

How does it feel, it feels to be more in touch with the direct experience, more like abiding in the presence. Difference from before and now - as stated before the looking into thoughts and seeing more clearly that thoughts just appear to have self. To be myself. But looking at them even when they say it and looking for identity which then immediately reveals that its just a thought. Thought that just happened and the identity or the self is not there, while thought is there.

4) What was the last bit that pushed you over; made you look?

Question number one,
This question I had to be rested to look into, and the looking kind of not intensified efforts, but just kept looking more curiously, more in detail.
1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form?
Was there ever?

as always hope it makes sense,
best,
morningtea

Good morning

It sounds good for the moment. I am waiting for the other answers (questions 5 and 6).

Best wishes

Warissem

Hi warissem,
sorry it takes me so long I had a longer session,
here is a part of the question

5) a) Describe :

- decision,
- intention,

Decision
- Thought appears spontaneously in the moment, looking at this there is a feeling of laughter coming from the 'chest area'
- meaning there is not a solid separate self that was expected there to be for some reason, therefore the element of surprise.

Intention
A thought that points to orientation to take towards future actions, but in itself it’s a thought. Appears from this nowhere, not knowing spontaneously.

full observations tomorrow
best,
morningtea

Hi morning tea

I am glad to hear your laughter. Yes, there is no solid separate self : is there any subtle separate self ?
Take your time to answer all the questions.

Best for you

Warissem

Free will,

- Looked into the direct experience, it looks all spontaneous, things happen choice happens, decision happens on its own,
- Body moves on its own, there is no I am telling the heart to beat, or to breathe, or to do all bodily functions, looking into thoughts it appears on its own, cannot know what the next thought is going to be
- It is just what is, and there is no free will and destiny, cause they are thoughts as I write them,

Control

- Now control to make it specific way? The moment or the situation, or I in a certain way? Because in direct experience control just is regulates itself, lets say breathing, but looking for I in that there was none. And looking for the looker there is just looking.
- It feels like a thought process to make it a certain way, like a 'layer of thought' but that also appears, and when looked at it is seen and released on its own, or it stays,

What makes things happen?
How does it work?

- They just appear, what makes them happen I don’t know, its like a spontaneous appearing, effortless to come into attention. From this not knowing its a possibility, that comes from nothing to appear as something.
- When looked for the separate self in this- , in the how does the things appear, what makes them happen, even the thought processes that were reflecting - Looking into those for the separate self - are they just thinking processes, thoughts or is there an identity there? And there kinda was no identity just appearing as so. Like an old thought - o yeah this is thinking it is my thinking process

b) What are you responsible for? Give examples from your own recent experiences to how this works.

I am responsible for the reactions to things when they already arise, like thoughts - I can investigate, look at them, or believe them for example.

Responsibility It is like a response,
So I am responsible for my reactions, responses that happen.

example
So when my mother asked me to vacuum clean the apartment,
After that question,
There was a small gap of silence, then was a response I made to her, that yes I will clean no problem.

Hmm is there something I am not seeing?

Anyway hope it makes sense,
That’s so far, looking forward to your response

Best,
morningtea

hi,

just to answer myself i guess :D , because it kept being on my mind like what is it about it that is not exact

Hmm is there something I am not seeing?

as the responsibility,
it just is. like its spontaneous as well, like even if i look for the I, there is nothing,

my previous response felt like there is a some1 that has to do something, like an obligation, which does not comply to the experience somehow,
its like happening, but without someone, its more effortless happening,

hope it makes sense,
best,
morningtea

Good evening

Are you 100% certain that there is no you, no separate self in any shape or form ?

You are reading these words : is it true ?
If you say ;
YES : describe this "you"
NO : what is reading these words ?

Are you still seeking ?

Best wishes

Warissem