I’m not sure

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

I want to go back to something you wrote a few posts ago.

fear is trying to protect itself from dissolving

Is fear trying to protect fear from dissolving?
Is fear (a sensation) trying to protect fear (a sensation) from dissolving?
Can a sensation protect another sensation?

A thought may well arise from the sensation labeled "fear." A sort of one-two punch: sensation, thought.
Can a thought protect another thought?
Can a thought protect a sensation?

I would say Fear is trying to protect the EGO (a.k.a the "I") from dissolving.

How does that statement feel to you? Accurate? Not quite on target? A total miss?

How would you say it?

Love
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

Can a sensation protect another sensation?

No impossible

Can a thought protect another thought?
Can a thought protect a sensation?

This is also impossible

How does that statement feel to you?

yes I believe fear is definitely trying to protect the ego from dissolving

How would you say it?

Yes I think the ego has built itself to protect itself and will do anything to keep itself being heard,

Kind regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

In LU, we use language in a particular way, called Direct Experience.

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 do 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.

Love,
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

I’ve used a real apple

What about the content of thoughts, what do they describe?

Ideas about a apple

Is there really an ‘apple’ here, or only color and a thought ABOUT ‘apple’?
Can ‘apple’ be found in actual experience?

Yes there is a real apple here in my hand through touch sight and smell

However, is an apple actually known?

yes it is

Kind regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

I asked: ]Is there really an ‘apple’ here, or only color and a thought ABOUT ‘apple’?
Can ‘apple’ be found in actual experience?

You responded:

Yes there is a real apple here in my hand through touch sight and smell

Slow down the process of perception by taking one step at a time. For instance, touch/sensation, seeing, smelling. Then thought. Thought says "apple." Apple is a concept. Is there really an "apple" here?

Actually, seeing = color and only color.
Shapes are concepts.

Here's a blog post from Goran Backlund, which describes seeing = color.

http://www.uncoveringlife.com/shift-enl ... /#more-879

Looking at this so-called lemon slice, what is really seen?

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/half-le ... 287679.jpg

Just to ensure that you are crystal clear about DE and labels related to it...here's an exercise that you can try as many times throughout the day as you can. Label daily activities, objects and emotions simply as colour/image, sound, smell, taste, sensation, thought as per the apple example.
For example, when having coffee in the morning, become aware of:
Seeing a cup, simply= image/color
Smelling coffee, simply = smell
Feeling the warmth of the coffee cup, simply = sensation
Tasting the coffee, simply = taste
Hearing the spoon stirring the coffee, simply = sound
Thought about drinking the coffee, simply = thought

Break down daily activities into these categories (which are all Actual/Direct Experience) and report back with lists EXACTLY like the one above. Please write a few examples from your daily life.

Love,
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

Slow down the process of perception by taking one step at a time. For instance, touch/sensation, seeing, smelling. Then thought. Thought says "apple." Apple is a concept.

Is there really an "apple" here?

This is a little confusing to me maybe it’s not a apple but just a thing that is being held in my hand realised by the senses but mind has labled it a apple from previous experience/learning.

Looking at this so-called lemon slice,

what is really seen?

A yellow semi circle or I could even say just a screen of a phone

Break down daily activities into these categories (which are all Actual/Direct Experience) and report back with lists EXACTLY like the one above. Please write a few examples from your daily life.
Hearing tv, simply=sound
Laying on couch, simply=sensation
Thinking about work, simply=thought
Hearing fridge, simply=sound
Looking at phone, simply=sight
Noticing breathing, simply=sensation
Thinking about food, simply=thought
Cold air on bare skin, simply=sensation

Kind regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

Let's take another look at the perception of a so-called apple.

seeing the apple = colors and only colors. There aren't really any shapes, just gradients of apple-ish colors.

Soften your gaze on apple. Let the eyes de-focus on and around the apple for at least a minute or two or three.

"Apple" is a concept we have learned to apply to these colors and this sort of shape.

Is there an apple there?

Recall that we are using only 6 labels:
sensation
seeing
hearing
smelling
tasting
thought

Can a thought know?
Or is a thought a thought? Period.

Love,
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

Is there an apple there?

Still abit confused about this apple exercise but i guess you could say that there isn’t a apple instead your just seeing.

Can a thought know?
Or is a thought a thought?

A thought cannot know for sure, but it can throw alot of ideas at you.

Kind regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

You said

there isn’t a apple

Yes! Apple is a concept we learned back when we were one or two years old, and our parents were teaching us categories. Ball. Dog. Cat. Apple. Santa. Those concepts were very helpful to bring us this far along in our lives. However, these concepts are also binding us to an unreality.

your just seeing

For the purposes of our exercise, let's cut out the word "you" and say "just seeing." Just seeing is all there is. "You" is an assumption that has been helpful in getting us this far along in our lives, but since "you" have embarked on this journey of awakening, we are going to kick the tires on this assumption of "you" (or "I" or "me" or "mine" or "we" :) and find that they are flat.

A thought cannot know

correct.

it [a thought] can throw alot of ideas at you

It might be more accurate to speak of a blizzard of thoughts (since i live in snow country) or a typhoon of thoughts or a hailstorm of thoughts.

Can a thought think an idea?
Can a thought think another thought?


Here are some difficult questions to ponder. I don't expect an answer--unless you have one.
Where do thoughts come from?
Where do thoughts go?


Do you have more questions about "apple"?

Love,
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

Can a thought think an idea?
Can a thought think another thought?

No thoughts just happen spontaneously

Do you have more questions about "apple"?

there is no more questions about apple

Kind regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

Congratulations on seeing the colors that we usually call apple.

Now, let's review thoughts about that so-called apple.

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.

When you listed Direct Experience you said, accurately:

Hearing tv, simply=sound
Laying on couch, simply=sensation
Thinking about work, simply=thought
Hearing fridge, simply=sound
Looking at phone, simply=sight
Noticing breathing, simply=sensation
Thinking about food, simply=thought
Cold air on bare skin, simply=sensation

Looking at the so-called lemon slice, i asked what is really seen?

You responded:

A yellow semi circle or I could even say just a screen of a phone

Since shapes such as semi-circle are labels and "screen of a phone" is a concept,
What is really seen in this so-called lemon slice?



Love,
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

What is really seen in this so-called lemon slice?

Image

Colour, simply=seeing

Kind regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

Hopefully you would agree that you can only be 100% certain by looking.

One of the things that veils DE is the phenomena of labeling

Here is something Ilona wrote about labeling
https://markedeternal.blogspot.com/search?q=labels

Let’s use DE with seeing and hearing for a start

As you are sitting responding to this post describe……
What are you are seeing? (without labels.)


What are you are hearing? (without labels.)


Love,
Cheryl

[Aussie]

Dear Cheryl

What are you are seeing? (without labels.)

Colours

What are you are hearing? (without labels.)

Sounds

Kindest regards Aussie

[CherylVT]

Dear Aussie,

Yes. Colors and sounds. That is all.

When i say "Get in touch with the real," I mean that which is actually here, that does not disappear if you stop believing in it.

Imagine that you are holding a spoon. Imagine form, size, weight, temperature, keep it there, close your eyes, and feel the imaginary spoon.
Open your eyes; is there a spoon here, in real life?
So how did you see that there is no spoon?
What happened to the spoon?
Did it disappear or did it never exist?

Notice, that there was no boom and no bright light flashes in the eyes when the imaginary spoon was no longer imagined. Remember this, a shift is not going to be more than this, it’s just a drop of belief- the glue that holds the illusion together.

Love,
Cheryl