The Gate

Yes. So you see there is no "self, " but

there are still old thinking patterns arising. But they become exposed as lies the moment, I become aware of them.

Can you say 100% there is no separate "self" now?

Loving,

Can you say 100% there is no separate "self" now?

I would like to take some more time to answer this question. I would like to investigate a bit more, and see if I really always manage to expose thoughts about the self. See if I start to realize the implications of it a bit more. Is that ok?

See if I start to realize the implications of it a bit more. Is that ok?

That is probably just thinking.

If you want more time, use it LOOKING.

Take all the time you want to LOOK.

Have I shared these? Be sure to listen to the Introduction.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ksba3zhi9uuz ... sk1a?dl=0

Loving
Loving

Have I shared these? Be sure to listen to the Introduction.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ksba3zhi9uuz ... sk1a?dl=0

Yes, I have listened to the introduction and I have done a couple of the meditations.

If you want more time, use it LOOKING.

Take all the time you want to LOOK.

A bit more time would be great.

I want to give you the most honest answer I can. And I want to make sure the answer is not influenced by what I think what you expect to hear from me.

Now, my next thought was, that the previous statement was just a thought, and if I were 100% sure that there is no separate self, would I even have thought it, or have paid any attention to it?

... it doesn't matter.

Can you say 100% there is no separate "self" now?

Yes, I can say 100% that there is no separate self.

I have one question, though. And this, again, comes back to expectations.

Is it possible to acknowledge that there is no separate self and, at the same time, do not SEE that there is no separation between the butt and the chair, or not experience any significant shift or change in psychological freedom?

Or to put it differently, there was the experience of a shift in perception, but it was temporary, like a glimpse, and has not occurred again ever since, can this be in line with the realization of no self?

Maybe. Have you seen these?

Watch these, please:

https://youtu.be/vJQcD588g2w

and

https://youtu.be/PUDzrCLlrj4

This is just a beginning.

L9vibg

Ok, thank you. I have seen the videos.

I can relate to Todd who said that he would prefer if your skin turns green, so that it's absolutely undeniable. Haha.

It's the veeery beginning, I guess, and thanks for reinforcing my trust in the process.

You're doing fine.

Yes. I'm the guide that led him through 30 pages here while he doubted. I had no doubt, so I didn't know how to help him back then.

Have you watched Pernille's doubt videos? Fetter 2?

https://youtu.be/a_8N331jpA4?si=wHE8KmhO7n9uwLPp

Loving,

Yes, I have watched Pernille's video.

There was a mismatch between my experience and what I expected the experience to be. Like mentioned above, I don't experience a permanent shift in perception, and I have never experienced the body and the chair as one e.g. So if you say this is possible and as it's said in Lisa's and Ilona's videos that this is the beginning of the old belief system falling apart very slowly and a back and forth between old and new, I trust that.

Permanent? No, not exactly.

It is more like finding out there is no Santa Claus and then later seeing a man in a red suit You never believe again that there is a Santa Claus, even though he appears to be Santa Claus.

Even when you're not seeing, you know.

The high the good feelings, those come and go.

Does that make sense?

Yes, absolutely, that makes sense.

Okay. We have some traditional checkpoint questions that other guides will review. They may have questions.

However, if you feel you have not seen, that there has not been any shift in perception, you can certainly keep looking.

If you'd like to answer those now, here they are. Please keep your answers simple and to the point.

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

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it 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) Describe decision & give examples from experience.

Describe intention & give examples from experience.

Describe free will & give examples from experience.

Describe choice & give examples from experience.

Describe control & give examples from experience.

What makes things happen? How does it work?

What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

6) Anything to add?

Loving,

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

No, there is no separate entity 'self', 'me', or 'I' at all. It does not exist and it never did.

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it now.

What we call 'self' is a concept, an idea created by the mind, and is the content of thought itself. It works like this, that there are thoughts arising, memories, feelings, emotions and the mind labels them with 'mine' which is in itself a thought. This thought is believed to be true. So we assume that we are what we think and feel, which is not possible. It's an illusion.

I don't know when this starts from my own experience, because there are no memories of it. It is said that it starts approximately at the age of 3 by conditioning through language. As children, we get told that we are a separate person by our parents and the people around us. We learn to use the labels 'I' and 'mine'. We learn that labels point to objects and exclude everything else, including what we think we are. Therefore, the concept of a separate self gets reinforced over and over.

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.

It does not feel so much different. The same thoughts arise. There are the same preferences, likes, dislikes, desires. Some unpleasant thoughts lost their unpleasantness. Many thoughts about problems that 'I' seem to have still arise, though. Sometimes they pass quickly, sometimes not.

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

It was the drink selection exercise. It made it very obvious how the mechanism that creates the illusion of control works.

5) Describe decision & give examples from experience.

Decision just happen. Before, and after the decision happens, thoughts arise that tell a story of how there is an entity called self that was in control and did the deciding.

Example: I experienced this when doing the drink exercise. A thought popped up saying "I am going to pick drink A". This thought just arose from nowhere. No one did actually decide to think this thought. Then the reaching for the drink just happened. Then a thought said, "I decided to take drink A". The reaching and the thought afterward also just happened without a manager being involved.

Describe intention & give examples from experience.

Here is a story, after reading the previous post in this thread I had the intention to write an answer. A few minutes ago, I opened my notebook and started writing, therefore following through with my intention and being in full control.

What actually happened, after reading the previous post, a thought arose about the intention to write an answer. Then, later writing just happened, no doer, no manager. Then a thought arose about 'me' following through on 'my' intention to write an answer.

Describe free will & give examples from experience.

Free will is the illusion of an existing manager who controls what we do or not do. But actually doing happens and then a thought arises claiming that we did control the doing, making us believe there is free will. If it was true that we are completely free to do anything, that would mean that we have infinite options to chose from in each moment. However, the possible options are only thoughts which we can't control. We can not ever think of all possible options. And the few possibilities that arise, we cannot even control which ones they are.

I do not recall a particular example. Maybe there was a thought after the drink exercise saying that I could have chosen the other drink or no drink at all after the choosing happened, and therefore creating the illusion that the drink was chosen with free will.

Describe choice & give examples from experience.

This works exactly like decision.

Describe control & give examples from experience.

I think, all has been said in the previous answers. The mechanism is always the same. If that's not enough, please let me know.

What makes things happen? How does it work?

Things just happen, naturally, for no reason. Nothing makes them happen. At least nothing that can be experienced. It's a mystery. I don't know how it works.

What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

Things just happen, and since there is no separate self, there is no one that can be made responsible.

For example, I am responsible for paying my taxes. However, this is a concept (definitely useful) but it is not the true nature of reality. In reality, things just happen. Most likely, I am going to pay my taxes. Why? It naturally is like that.

6) Anything to add?

It's true that once seen, it cannot be unseen. I expected this to lead to a bigger shift in perception of reality and more psychological freedom. However, I accepted it the way it is. I trust the process and that this is just the beginning, and after all these are just thoughts.

I am very grateful. Thank you so much <3

All good You're very welcome.

You wrote a while back:

This is the lightest feeling, almost like bliss.

Was that a shift in perception for you? We don't expect that to last forever, as you've seen in Ilona & Lisa's videos. But at the time did it feel & look like a shift?

Loving,

Was that a shift in perception for you? We don't expect that to last forever, as you've seen in Ilona & Lisa's videos. But at the time did it feel & look like a shift?

Hm, tough, if I remember correctly it was more the experience of a very quiet mind rather than SEEING no self.

There was another experience a while back, where there was a lot of clarity, do you remember? That felt like a brief shift for sure.