The Gate

This exercise with time was very helpful. It's true, in the present moment there is no time or a time line. just what is experiencing.

s there any actual or direct experience of one event following another?

That was a good question that made me notice that in the moment there is no linearity or past or future, or following event. It's just what is happening now. The past and future and memories are thoughts.

How fast is the ‘present moment’ actually moving?
Just look at 'this moment', can you find a point where it began?

these are really trigging questions, at te same time the linearity seems soo natural, it's not possible to observe it happening. because in now it's just what is happening now, everything else are thoughts about the time. So this really helped me to see what you're talking about. It's impossible to tel when the present moment starts or end, because it's just what is happening, it doesn't "accumulate experiences" than it creates a beginning and an end. The mind does that and call past. memory/ future.

Now about memory:

What is memory exactly?

I can see clearly that it's just a thought, it cannot be found in actual experience.

What is the memory ‘made of’?

memory are made of other thoughts

WHEN does the memory appear?

it appears spontaneously, but also when you asked me to do this exercise about memory, I had this intention to bring up a memory. But, as you pointed out with previous exercises about intentionality, I cannot tell who decided what memory to bring up, for how long, and I also noticed other thoughts coming along, so I couldn't even hold to the memory topic.

What is the exact difference between a ‘general’ thought and a ‘memory’ thought?

From actual experience I cannot tell the difference. However, there is another persistent thought that tells me that there is a difference. but again, just another thought.

How is it known EXACTLY that a ‘memory’ thought refers to something that has happened?

Gosh, this's a hard one. From direct experience, a memory is just another thought and I cannot know how it refers to something that has happened. But another very resistant thought pops in saying that it's absurd to think that the events from the memory didn't happened. thoughts like, so I didn't have a childhood? or the mark from a surgery in my ankle is not from a surgery that I had in the past? These thoughts are very loud and confuses me because the exercise about the present moment was very convincing that there is just now...Sorry, I'm going to thoughts explanations!! but just wanted to share what came up. And I know they're just thought too!
About the future:

What is the future thought ‘made of’?

just thoughts, based on patterns of thoughts that create another thought with predictions

WHEN does the future thought appear?

That's clear to see the future is just an idea, it never appears.

What is the exact difference between a ‘general’ thought and a ‘future’ thought?

again, it's just thoughts, but maybe patterns of thoughts that creates predictions, which are also thoughts, as I mentioned before.

How is it known EXACTLY that a ‘future’ thought refers to something that will happen?

I cannot tell (thoughts of confusion appeared, but as direct experience, they're just more thoughts.

Do we therefore conclude there is a little “storm-self” inside each cloud that owns the rain?

Tat was very helpful! I got your point. No, there is no boundaries nor owner of the experiences....

s “direct experience” a state? Or is it what is happening before thought calls it a state?

direct experience is always happening, what moves is attention, as you pointed . I cannot spot hearing, seeing, thinking....

Very very good Daniela.

From direct experience, a memory is just another thought and I cannot know how it refers to something that has happened. But another very resistant thought pops in saying that it's absurd to think that the events from the memory didn't happened. thoughts like, so I didn't have a childhood? or the mark from a surgery in my ankle is not from a surgery that I had in the past? These thoughts are very loud and confuses me because the exercise about the present moment was very convincing that there is just now...Sorry, I'm going to thoughts explanations!! but just wanted to share what came up. And I know they're just thought too!

Excellent. No need to apologize. What you’ve written shows you’re actually looking instead of trying to produce the “right” answer. I appreciate that greatly. :)

Now stay with the exact question.
How is it known that a memory thought refers to something that happened?

NOT Did those events happen?…

Those are different questions.:)

The first is about what is known now.
The second is about what is believed.

Right now, what is actually present?
>A thought-image of childhood.
>Perhaps sensations in the body.
>Perhaps the image of the scar.
>Thoughts saying, “Of course this happened!”
All of that is present.

Where is the actual childhood?
Can it be found anywhere except as present thoughts, images, and sensations?

That is not saying there was no childhood! It is saying that the childhood itself is not present now, only thoughts about it are.

The scar is present.
The thought “this scar came from surgery” is present.
Can you see the difference?

The scar can be seen and touched. The surgery cannot. The surgery is known through memory, testimony, photographs, records… all of which also appear now as present experience.

Notice what the resistant thought is doing:
“So are you saying my childhood never happened?!”

No one has said that. That thought is trying to force a conclusion. Stay with the investigation.

A simpler example would be suppose you remember eating breakfast yesterday. Can you produce yesterday’s breakfast? Or is there only a present memory of breakfast? The investigation isn’t denying breakfast. It’s asking what is actually available now.

These thoughts are very loud

Are they?
Take a Look.

Thank you for the clarification Becca!. While doing the exercise I could see that past is a thought, I cannot experience the past right now, I can experience sensations/emotions that this thoughts produce in my body, like a memory of joke can make me laugh. Or as thinking about the breakfast I had yesterday. Yes, I cannot reproduce the breakfast, but the memory of it is present.
I'm relief that I don't need to questioned that what happened (past) really happened. but this questions still unclear to me:

How is it known that a memory thought refers to something that happened?

. that is similar to the other question about the difference between a memory thought and other thoughts. I'm able to tell and see the diference between something that has happened and something that hasn't, but how I make this differentiation I cannot tell, and that still a bit confusing to me.
About the loud thoughts: looking behind the metaphor and though experience: there are thoughts that makes me agitated, tense, angry that are persistent or repetitive , and thoughts that relax me, makes me smile...They're just thoughts and thoughts about thoughts, but I can experience in reality how I feel with them, let's say a "good" thought makes me feel "good", a "tragic" thought, makes me feel "bad"...