Guide Request

[welcomegrace]

Hi Vince, can you please send me the questions.
Thank you, Lorraine

[vinceschubert]

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

2) Describe how the illusion of an independent, self came into being by giving examples from actual experience.
Then give some experiential examples of how life changed for you after seeing through this illusion.

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) Can you remember any specific inquiry that resulted in an epiphany? ..a before and after seeing the actuality of the Self. Was there a point when you ‘got it’?

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 these things happen and how they work.

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

6) Anything to add?

vince

[welcomegrace]

Hi Vince

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

Was there ever?

There isn’t a separate self anywhere – it seems to be a psychological phenomenon. No there was never a self – it just wasn’t known

2) Describe how the illusion of an independent, self came into being by giving examples from actual experience.

It was first sparked after reading the book Awake It's Your Turn.
And again after watching the Awakening Curriculum on YouTube and more realisations have come since then.
The first realisation was that any thought could be replaced with ‘I’m the Queen of Sheba’ … there was laughing and laughing and laughing at the absurdity of thoughts being real. This was the first shift.

Also – everything is only happening in the now. There was a realisation that both the future and the past are also thoughts ‘I’ was believing.

There was a realisation that all lists and plans were only an imagined future in the now—thoughts ‘I’ was believing. There was a lightness, a realisation there was nothing to do and no doer. There was much weeping at this point at the realisation of all the self-imposed suffering up until now.

There were initial thoughts and feelings of stupidity and embarrassment at the futility of goals and ego-driven behaviours.

When there was attachment to identity, I previously considered myself a personal development junky – always trying to fix and heal myself -overweight/headaches etc., and going on endless personal development courses. There was hysterical laughing about this identity when at the realisation there is no self!!! Goals and plans are thoughts and there is nothing and no one to improve. Another shift.


Then give some experiential examples of how life changed for you after seeing through this illusion.

How my life has changed in the past 3 months.

Previous achievements and the identity of a ‘superwoman’ has dropped. There is nothing to do except what presents.

There is a realisation that life as it is now is as it is now – nothing needs to change. There is no stressing about money or sales or outcomes.

There is no attachment to calorie counting or budgets or goal setting. Old conditioning is recognised through the day as thoughts arise e.g. I’m frustrated, I’m stressed, I’m busy. Again there is laughter – where is the busyness? Where is the frustration? Who is the I that is frustrated? Nowhere to be found.

There have been several huge emotional shifts – there were thoughts and beliefs around control and being a mum. There was full-body sobbing after the realisation (and help from Vince) that there was grasping. There are no parenting worries or fears of death.

There’s no grasping for ‘healings’ because there is ‘someone’ who needs healed. There is no searching for cures for headaches or thoughts/beliefs of who I perceive myself to be … only deeper and deeper enquiry.



3) How does it feel to see this?

It feels content and relaxed and free. Helplessness is welcome. Emotional shifts are sweet and the silence is peaceful. Experiencing the pervasive presence is enjoyable.

What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.

There is far less stress. There is more humour. It’s less serious, more playful. More emotional. The realisation that emotions and thoughts are not linked is calming. There has been more emotional release today after the realisation there was a belief of ‘a someone not wanting to be left behind’ and grasping – this allowed deep sadness to be released. Thoughts and beliefs are recognised quicker each day as not true/believed. There is more being in the now. There is a fundamental shift in identity and therefore attachments, perspectives and suffering drop.

Content


4) Can you remember any specific inquiry that resulted in an epiphany? ..a before and after seeing the actuality of the Self. Was there a point when you ‘got it’?

There were a few shifts mentioned above, but the initial ‘I got it’ was Reading Awake, It’s Your Turn (no self). Then, more and more deeper realisations have occurred through Vince’s Group (realisation there was no one to wake up) and Fetter's work via The Awakening Curriculum (realisation there can’t be personal development because there is no self). Deeper realisations and emotional shifts come almost daily.



5) a) Describe decision, intention, free will, choice and control. What makes things happen? How does it work?

Decision, intention, free will, choice and control all assume there is a self/I who has these abilities. Things just happen. I have no idea how it works. Choices are made – sometimes there is resistance, sometimes not.


Give examples from your own recent experiences to how these things happen and how they work.

Not sure how to answer this. What appears is what is appearing via the senses. Things appear in the sense fields and there is a response by the response (in writing this now there is a realisation that it is the response responding). Thoughts and sensations arise throughout the day – sounds and sights appear and disappear and there are responses/communication.


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

There is responsibility happening but not by a separate I. There is parenting happening, there is loving happening but it is happening by life. This is challenging to answer.



6) Anything to add?

This was interesting to communicate. It’s a slow unfolding of deeper realisations. Here is a poem written after the first shift in identity.

I am that I am, surely not

My goals are just thoughts
Of which the body knows not
How can that be? Surely not.
The drive, the doing, the knowing

Knowledge is an illusion?
Of which the body knows not?
How can that be? Surely not.
The judgements, the perceptions, the opinions

Emotions are labels? Of which the body knows not?
How can that be? Surely not.
The anguish, the aversion, the wants and needs

These words come through me? Of which the body knows not?
How can that be? Surely not.

Reactions reacting, reflections reflecting.

It is what it is. Surely not?

Thank you.