The Gate

Hi Steve,

Excellent, this is Direct Experience, we look without thought labelling to see whats actually there

Reading this really made me see what you were talking about.

Oh that's good, it's very important that we get direct experience, it's important in seeing through the illusion of self.
Just so we can make sure you are 100% clear can we do the exercise again, with this new clarity, please.

Lets try again and see if we can get closer to the direct experience.
it may help to use the format given in the examples below.

Seeing a cup, simply= image/colour
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

Just break down daily activities into these categories (which are all Actual/Direct Experience) and report back with lists exactly like the one above.

Now Notice what comes up in your direct experience when you read that we need to repeat the exercise.

Now what comes up when reading that there is no separate self, never has been and never will be? It was all a made up story.

Honestly, what comes up is humor which is odd because maybe I should be pissed off but I’m not, that would be a waste of time. I just want to laugh my ass off or at the very least smile which I’m doing now.

This is all thought and labeling.

Now what comes up when reading that there is no separate self, never has been and never will be? It was all a made up story.
Now we are clearer on DE, lets Look with direct experience and notice what comes up when you read this statement.

As we move through the guiding there will always be opportunities to just LOOK and notice what comes up, there is no right or wrong answer, the clarity comes from Looking with DE. If it seems repetitive, that's because it can be, you will notice that each time we repeat an exercise or a pointing, you get clearer and deeper.

Hi Steve,
Once you have completed the last exercise we can move into the next.

Something fresh to Look at, please complete the exercise below. The Direct experience of thought is also very important in the seeing through the self illusion. Take your time and really work through this exercise, it can be helpful to get a piece of paper and write it as it comes and in the flow of questioning and looking, clarity comes.

Thought exercise:

Sit quietly for about 15 minutes and notice the arising thoughts.
Just let them appear as they appear. Try your best to COMPLETELY ignore what they are saying and just notice how they appear without you doing anything at all.

Where are thoughts coming from and going to?

Did you do anything to make a particular thought or thoughts appear?

Could you have done anything to make a different thought appear at that exact moment instead?

Can you predict your next thought?

Can you select from a range of thoughts to have only pleasant thoughts?

Can you choose not to have painful, negative, or fearful thoughts?

Can you pick and choose any kind of thought?

Is it possible to prevent a thought from appearing?

What is a thought made off?

What can a thought do?

Can a thought think?


Please answer ALL the questions.
Look as many times as it is possible during the day even for a few seconds.

Lets try again and see if we can get closer to the direct experience.

Seeing a salad, simply= shapes, colours, light, dark - simply vision
Smelling lettuce, simply = smell
Feeling the food in my mouth, simply = textures
Tasting the salad, simply = tastes
Hearing the crunch of salad between my teeth, simply = sounds
Thought about eating salad, simply = nothing

All other activities during the day mimic these results

Now Notice what comes up in your direct experience when you read that we need to repeat the exercise.

Irritation with my ‘not getting it’ comes up….this manifests as a dull discomfort behind my eyes.

Now what comes up when reading that there is no separate self, never has been and never will be? It was all a made up story. Now we are clearer on DE, lets Look with direct experience and notice what comes up when you read this statement.

What comes up when I re-read that statement is not a lot now….numbness maybe. I don’t care about that anymore. I looked with awareness into my physical being and found nothing. I’ve moved past that now, I see it…it registers non conceptually and that’s it. Thoughts do not come into awareness about it. I just see it, accept it.

Where are thoughts coming from and going to?

I am aware of a thought…I see the thought, then I am unaware of the thought. They don’t come or go anywhere. They become form and then formless in my awareness.

Did you do anything to make a particular thought or thoughts appear?

No

Could you have done anything to make a different thought appear at that exact moment instead?

No

Can you predict your next thought?

No

Can you select from a range of thoughts to have only pleasant thoughts?

Np

Can you choose not to have painful, negative, or fearful thoughts?

No

Can you pick and choose any kind of thought?

No

Is it possible to prevent a thought from appearing?

No

What is a thought made off?

I don’’t know

What can a thought do?

Without collaborating thoughts, it can do nothing but pass

Can a thought think?

No



Thank you Paul.

Hi Steve,
Some really deep looking here, excellent.
we can start to notice the experience directly now.

Now Notice what comes up in your direct experience when you read that we need to repeat the exercise.

irritation with my ‘not getting it’ comes up….this manifests as a dull discomfort behind my eyes.

Lets look, something is very subtle here. "Irritation with not getting it comes up" is this a though?

"dull discomfort behind my eyes" is this a thought (labeling a sensation)?

Is thought made of story or content, perceived through images or self talk (audio)?

Is the dull discomfort just a sensation and which comes first the Thought about the sensation or the sensation and then a thought about the sensation?



Now with our DE we can look to see what a thought is made of.

What is a thought made off?

I don’’t know

What is thought made of?

Once you have looked at these questions, we can do the next exercise below. :)

The “I” labeling

Get a sheet of paper and draw a line that divides that sheet in half. Label one half 'self' and the other side 'other'. Sit down and start a timer for 5 minutes. Every time you have a thought make a mark on the sheet.
If that thought is about the self, put a mark on the self side, if it’s about something else, mark the other side. If a thought about food occurs due to feeling hungry, mark that on the self side. Any thought that refers back to a self should go on the self side. (I'm bored, I'm tired, is the door locked (my safety) that video was funny (I was amused), my back hurts, I am frightened) get it?

Let me know how you go and what you notice.

Lets look, something is very subtle here. "Irritation with not getting it comes up" is this a thought?

Yes, this is a thought

dull discomfort behind my eyes" is this a thought (labeling a sensation)?

At first I kind of thought that body sensations even without conscious labeling are direct experience but I suppose that they are also thoughts.

Is thought made of story or content, perceived through images or self talk (audio)?

Is story and content not the same thing?

Is the dull discomfort just a sensation and which comes first the Thought about the sensation or the sensation and then a thought about the sensation

The sensation comes first then the thought.

What is thought made of?

Energy

The “I” labeling

Get a sheet of paper and draw a line that divides that sheet in half. Label one half 'self' and the other side 'other'. Sit down and start a timer for 5 minutes…...

27 thoughts in the self column and 3 thoughts in the other column. On the self side the thoughts were all about me in relation to this exercise, they were ‘I’ thoughts. Three thoughts on the ‘other’ side were me observing the noise of the tumble dryer.

Hi Steve,
A good effort in Looking here.
We are moving along nicely.
Lets sit with these questions before we answer them, see what comes up.

Is thought made of story or content, perceived through images or self talk (audio)?

Is story and content not the same thing?

Yes they are Steve

dull discomfort behind my eyes" is this a thought (labeling a sensation)?

At first I kind of thought that body sensations even without conscious labeling are direct experience but I suppose that they are also thoughts.

The description of the sensation is a thought (this is called labeling), the sensation behind the eyes is a sensation.

What is thought made of?

Energy

Thoughts are made of story lines, it is the content of the thought. Have a Look at your next thought, look at a piece of furniture and see if a story is told by an image or words.

27 thoughts in the self column and 3 thoughts in the other column. On the self side the thoughts were all about me in relation to this exercise, they were ‘I’ thoughts. Three thoughts on the ‘other’ side were me observing the noise of the tumble dryer.

A very good Looking - 27 thoughts in self column and 3 in other column/
Can you notice that the 3 in the other column were about you(self) observing the noise in the dryer.? if they were about you wouldn't they need to go on the self side?

All thoughts are about the "I" or "Self" either in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd person.

And if all thoughts are made up of stories, and all the stories are an illusion/made up, is there something to Notice when you read this?

Where are thoughts coming from and going to?

I am aware of a thought…I see the thought, then I am unaware of the thought. They don’t come or go anywhere. They become form and then formless in my awareness.

And if all thoughts just come from no where and go no where, (thoughts arise and they pass away) is there any truth/reality in thought?

At the bottom of the page there is a very apt quote.

Once you have completed these questions please do the next 2 exercises.

Let's take a look at the next 2 exercises

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?



Word “I” exercise

Let’s look at thought and the content of thought a little more:

Write the word "I" on a piece of paper. Look at the word, is that YOU?

Speak the word “I” silently; be aware of any sensations or responses to this word. Are any of these reactions in your body or mind by themselves YOU?

Now say the word “I” aloud. Is that sound YOU?

Is the combination of any of these, the word, the sound, the thought YOU?” Is the thought, "I exist" you?

Is the thought "I" you?


Have a good weekend Steve

Hi Steve,

Now that you have completed the exercises, Lets Look into this reply below, and sit with the question before answering.

what comes up when I re-read that statement is not a lot now….numbness maybe. I don’t care about that anymore. I looked with awareness into my physical being and found nothing. I’ve moved past that now, I see it…it registers non conceptually and that’s it. Thoughts do not come into awareness about it. I just see it, accept it.

With Direct Experience let's look into awareness, is there a separate autonomous awareness prior to the senses?

Can you notice that the 3 in the other column were about you(self) observing the noise in the dryer.? if they were about you wouldn't they need to go on the self side?

Yes, actually I see that now. It’s so simple but so obvious.

And if all thoughts are made up of stories, and all the stories are an illusion/made up, is there something to Notice when you read this?
Where are thoughts coming from and going to?
I am aware of a thought…I see the thought, then I am unaware of the thought. They don’t come or go anywhere. They become form and then formless in my awareness.

I notice that awareness and thought are two different things. It would only matter to the illusion of me where thoughts come and go to. There is only awareness and made up stories.

And if all thoughts just come from no where and go no where, (thoughts arise and they pass away) is there any truth/reality in thought?

A mirage pretends to be something it is not, there is no truth in it. It occurs to me that thoughts create a mirage of the self and therefore holds no truth, wow!

Mind labeling experience

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

Neither is true. Both are just stories, thought content

2. What is here without labels?

Silence, awareness

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

They interfere with experience, they contaminate it.

4. Did you notice any differences in the body?

No

Word “I” exercise

Let’s look at thought and the content of thought a little more:

Write the word "I" on a piece of paper. Look at the word, is that YOU?

No, it’s not me it’s just a word on paper. There is no ‘I’ there never was, it was just a made up thought.

Speak the word “I” silently; be aware of any sensations or responses to this word. Are any of these reactions in your body or mind by themselves YOU?

I sense irritation in my body….annoyance

Now say the word “I” aloud. Is that sound YOU?

No

Is the combination of any of these, the word, the sound, the thought YOU?” Is the thought, "I exist" you?

Is the thought "I" you?

No

Hi Steve,
a good effort, a lot of work here, excellent.

I noticed the "wow" moment, its beautiful, you have opened something up here.
We will come back to that and your answers, in a bit.

I would like you to sit with this question, and answer when you are 100% clear.

what comes up when I re-read that statement is not a lot now….numbness maybe. I don’t care about that anymore. I looked with awareness into my physical being and found nothing. I’ve moved past that now, I see it…it registers non conceptually and that’s it. Thoughts do not come into awareness about it. I just see it, accept it.

With Direct Experience let's look into awareness, is there a separate autonomous awareness prior to the senses?

Excellent, this is Direct Experience, we look without thought labelling to see whats actually there

what comes up when I re-read that statement is not a lot now….numbness maybe. I don’t care about that anymore. I looked with awareness into my physical being and found nothing. I’ve moved past that now, I see it…it registers non conceptually and that’s it. Thoughts do not come into awareness about it. I just see it, accept it.

With Direct Experience let's look into awareness, is there a separate autonomous awareness prior to the senses?

I am aware. Sometimes there is a story that accompanies awareness although less now of a story, less labeling. I am aware and sometimes my attention hijacks my awareness and a temporary veil casts a shadow over awareness while I focus on story. When i am fully aware there is just sensory input without story, without labels, there is stillness however fleeting. I feel like my senses are my awareness and not separate. I close my eyes…..blackness. If the rest of my senses were shutdown one by one I think there would be pure awareness, stillness, peace, now. Are my senses then just providing me with more story even in the absence of conceptual labels?