Vagabond

[manofsands]

Ok, great!

Thanks

[Anastacia42]

Great. When you post answers to Saturday's pointer, seem continue.

Much love,

[manofsands]

Seeing pizza toppings in front of nose = image/color
Smell of toppings = smell
Feel of chewing = sensation
Taste of the pizza = taste
Sound of chewing in my head = sound
Thought about eating = thought

Looking into cup= image/color
Smelling tea = smell
Feeling of coolness in throat = sensation
Tasting the tea = taste
Hearing the gulp = sound
Thought about drinking the tea = thought

Seeing the machinery = image/color
Smelling oil = smell
Feeling hard chair under seat = sensation
Hearing air blowing and the noise of the robot = sound
Thought about work = thought

Seeing greenery in patches of light = image/color
Smelling outdoors and diesel= smell
Feeling cool wind = sensation
Hearing crickets and machinery inside = sound
Thought about after work = thought

[manofsands]

Something I noticed during this exercise... I put thoughts about each activity... but while I was paying close attention in each instance, I really wasn't thinking much of anything. I realized thoughts come mostly when I'm distracted and not really paying attention to what I'm doing

[Anastacia42]

Good, now one step further...


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?

Loving,

[manofsands]

1st off... I haven't done the above exercise yet

I had an experience that I hesitate to mention because of the circumstances,.. but I'm going with the idea of 'no judgement here'... and that it might be significant

The circumstances are that I had a couple beers and a hit of my Delta8 vape before going to bed

I was thinking about the previous exercise and I opened up the post above about the next one. I read thru it and was thinking about it when something felt like it clicked

For some reason I was thinking about the word 'is'... and how it kind of bypasses preconceived ideas. It just points to what 'is'... and then I was kind of disassociated from my body

I had some visualization that went with the experience, but it may not be important (I can elaborate if desired)... but the experience was of 'me' being part of a whole. I kind of understood in that moment the thought that this life doesn't really matter (which always disturbed me). In the visualization I saw a very faded shell of my body beside me and I thought of it as insignificant. This lasted for awhile. The idea of my 'part ' of something else was also kind of insignificant, like a freckle on a larger body

After a bit thoughts started to come in and try to encapsulate the experience. When this happened, I would concentrate on the 'is' idea and the thoughts dissipated. I kind of connected the 'is' with Isis... and thought that was significant. And thoughts would creep in, and I would 'refocus ' with is-is. This only worked for a little while and then the experience faded

It may have just been chemically induced,.. but I felt like I had a glimpse of what this is intending toward

[manofsands]

To elaborate on this thought because it still feels insensitive...

I kind of understood in that moment the thought that this life doesn't really matter (which always disturbed me)

... what mattered was being part of the whole

The experience was very profound to me in the moment

Everything felt 'thick' as if I was in water, but feeling the whole ocean. It was almost heavy

[Anastacia42]

Sure... now do it with the exercise & without the drugs.

Much love,

[manofsands]

Good, now one step further...

Mind Labeling Experience

Here is an exercise...

I am sitting on my bed
I am hearing it creak as I move
I am hearing the fan
I am feeling the cool air blow
I am wincing at the bright light
I am paying attention to my breathing
I am hearing my stomach growl
I am seeing numbers change on the clock
I am itching my eye

Sitting on bed
Cool
Book cover moving because of fan
Crickets outside
AC clicks on
Dog barking
Clock changing
Hearing daughter in her room
Floor creaking

1) The second exercise seems truer just from simplicity. The extra words in the first exercise seem unneeded

2) An observer

3) The labels seem to tie it down. Box it. Limit it

4) The only difference in the body is I was less aware of it

[Anastacia42]

Okay.

We have 2 follow up exercises.

Labels do seem to limit but do they change anything? Try this:

Label-Reality Correlation

There is a belief that labels have a one-to-one correspondence with ‘reality’. But there isn’t. Just like it is a generally accepted belief that labels like ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are inherent characteristics of ‘things’. But actually, they are not.

When you look at the word label ‘GREEN' , what is the actual experience?

Is the color red ‘experienced’, or is the color green ‘experienced’ as the label suggests?

Does the label ‘GREEN’ have a one-to-one correspondence with ‘reality’? Or does the label suggest something else other than what is here now (red colour)?

Is 'green' associated in any way with the experience of the colour red; or is green just a label that overlays the actual experience of red?

If the label ‘GREEN’ is replaced with the label ‘GOOD’ or ‘BAD’ , is the redness affected in any way as the labels suggests?

Does redness become ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or do the labels have no affect whatsoever on ‘reality’?

Let me know what is SEEN.

Loving,

[manofsands]

Does redness become ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or do the labels have no affect whatsoever on ‘reality’?

Ya,.. I get that. All labels are like prepackaged experiences that we quickly stamp on things to make it 'easier '. It's like all similar experiences are put in this box. When something similar is encounter, we tag it with this previous judgments... rather than experience it in full in the present

[manofsands]

So at some point labels become an obstacle rather than a tool

[manofsands]

When you look at the word label ‘GREEN' , what is the actual experience?

At first, I identified with the label 'green' and considered the red, emphasis

Is the color red ‘experienced’, or is the color green ‘experienced’ as the label suggests?

Once this was pointed out, 'red' was my experience and 'green' was just the canvas

Does the label ‘GREEN’ have a one-to-one correspondence with ‘reality’? Or does the label suggest something else other than what is here now (red colour)?

'Green' definitely doesn't have a one-to-one correlation... even if it was colored green,... there are so many variations of green

Is 'green' associated in any way with the experience of the colour red; or is green just a label that overlays the actual experience of red?

In this sense, it is more a distraction than anything else

If the label ‘GREEN’ is replaced with the label ‘GOOD’ or ‘BAD’ , is the redness affected in any way as the labels suggests?


Does redness become ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or do the labels have no affect whatsoever on ‘reality’?

The redness itself isn't directly affected... but it did feel twisted somehow... as if two people are talking at once on the same subject

[Anastacia42]

Good to notice. And what is "self,"but a thought? A label.


Now let's look at how it FEELS to see. There's a reason we asked 3 times how it feels in the body.

Here is how to distinguish truth from lies.


We often lie every day & don't realize it.

For example, the grocery clerk asks, "How are you?" You reply, "I'm fine." While, yes. there is a sense in which we are always fine, even in the middle of suffering, at that moment, you were grieving the death of your dog, you had a slight sore throat & you had a headache, but you didn't feel like sharing all of that with the grocery clerk, so you lied, "I'm fine."

Also, it matters none at all how "distant" the remembered lie is. Besides the fact that time itself is fictional, a kind if lie, as we recall the lie it becomes present in this moment, as if it were happening now. This brings the body Sensation that accompanies lying.

Lies can be intentional or unintentional, conscious or unconscious, even so automatic that we ourselves are fooled.

The story of a separate "self" is a lie.

This is the lie you came here to see through. Therefore, it is helpful to notice the body Sensation of lying as one of the tools for finding the truth of no self.

You want to be in touch with body Sensations & able to clearly express them in words. This will help.

Lies are usually felt in the heart or solar plexus as a contraction that we may label as tight, heavy or tense.

In contrast, truth is usually expansive. We may call it loose, light or relaxed.

First, can you remember a time when you lied to someone you loved?

Here we count anything, lies we think of as "big" or "small" that "matter" or don't "matter."

How are you? I'm fine. No, your knee hurts, but you don't feel like discussing it with the grocery clerk.

It's a lie. A seemingly "bigger" one will work better for this exercise.

Find the lie. I don't need the whole story, just a few key words to refer to it.

Then scan your body for any Sensation (DE or Direct Experience), particularly in the gut or maybe the heart. Check very closely.

What is found?

If you think the memory you used wasn't clear enough, find another one or lie to yourself right now, make something up.

1 + 1 = 14 is a lie.

I love eating worms is (probably) a lie.

Or call up a video of a lying politician & notice what Sensations arise as you listen.

I will give you a clue: it is not that peaceful Sensation you felt before when you omitted "I." (refers to an exercise I gave before this one)

Please report back with what body Sensations (not interpretations) you feel. Bodies can feel hot or cold, heavy or light, contraction or expansion, etc.

"Peaceful" is an interpretation of a body Sensation, not the Sensation itself, for example.

Do you see that?

Loving,

[manofsands]

And what is "self,"but a thought? A label

.
I get this more now, in conjunction with what I said about putting experiences in a box and, in this case, saying 'this is me'... when, not having that box in the way, as a fall back,.. would be so much more free

We often lie every day & don't realize it.

For example, the grocery clerk asks, "How are you?"

It's funny.. I don't usually like small talk much because it's filled with these kinds of encounters.. and I noticed that long ago... and tend to be the guy who actually tells you how his day is going when you really don't care to know

Lies are usually felt in the heart or solar plexus as a contraction that we may label as tight, heavy or tense

.

As I put in one of my first posts, Truth is one of my guiding principles in life. When brought up as a lesson when I was younger, I gravitated toward it heavily.

For many years I've told people I believe we have a Truth Tuning Fork in our chest.. and you just need to listen to/ feel it. I know the feeling you're talking about. Keenly aware of it.

There have been a number of TV shows I've had to stop watching once I've realized the premise of the show revolved around telling a lie at the beginning and the rest of the show is the struggle to upkeep that lie. I just can't handle watching those kinds of shows. I get that awful feeling in my chest and gut

First, can you remember a time when you lied to someone you loved?

I have had issues with family, relationships and work because I default to telling the truth. Even as it causes issues, I always believe it is the right answer.

I'm not saying I never lie. Usually if I do, it's too spare someone feelings where I actually don't believe the truth will help. And I know I occasionally tell lies for self-serving reasons. But mostly I try to tell it as it is... because I believe it will have the best outcome whether there's conflict or not

Then scan your body for any Sensation (DE or Direct Experience), particularly in the gut or maybe the heart. Check very closely.

What is found?

A wrenching in the gut

Do you see that?

yes