The Gate

Dearest Harry,

Have you SEEn through the illusion of a separate self? Have you observed how "I" is created?

love
Nona

Dear Nona,
This morning, in meditation, 'I' looked again at the nature of 'I'. As memory delivered up images, and thoughts assembled around them, there was a flickering of the delusion of 'I'. It was clear that these gatherings of impressions were fleeting and insubstantial. It was clear that they were the root of the illusion of a seperate self. I watched 'I' flicker for a moment and then pass away to be replaced by other flickerings of the illusion.
The illusion of seperate self was seen through.
love
Harry

Hi Harry,

From your words I cannot tell whether you have SEEn it experientially or only mentally. Your answers to the following should clarify this.

Please answer from your direct experience of this present moment, with complete honesty.

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) Do you decide, intend, choose, control events in Life? Do you make anything happen? Give examples from your experience.

6) Anything to add?

Looking forward to your reply,
love
Nona

Dear Nona,
There is much to reflect upon. I hope to respond tomorrow.
love
Harry

Dear Harry,

Thanks so much for letting me know.

No need to reflect much—your answers from your direct experience in the present moment is all that is required.

love
Nona

Hello Nona,
I've been busy being artistic - in the absence of an artist.
My responses to your lines are in italics:

Hi Harry,

From your words I cannot tell whether you have SEEn it experientially or only mentally. Your answers to the following should clarify this.

Please answer from your direct experience of this present moment, with complete honesty.

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

I don't find a seperate entity, or a self that has substance in my present experience. Whenever a form of self has manifested, it has always proved to be an illusion.

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.

.In my experience the illusory self accumulates around the idea of ownership. Sometimes (not always), when the sense of property is strong - property in the sense of ownership of possessions, and particularly opinions - if these are threatened there arises an urge to cling to and defend that ownership. That defensiveness comes from the illusion of self.

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.

.When the illusion is seen through, a sense of lightness and relaxation follows - there is a feeling of happiness and, particularly valuable, I know contentment as pride and envy fade away.
As a Buddhist I've been working on this for twenty years and have had some success - and failure. This LU system though, has kept the matter at the front of conciousness. I bring it to mind whenever I have an adverse emotional or mental reaction to something - even an adverse reaction to the LU .programme itself. Bringing awareness of non-self to bear on the issue causes the reaction to dissolve away. Further to that, the effort made helps me see or sense situations building - coming 'over the horizon' - where the illusion of self might manifest - recall of the true situation (no 'I') helps me avoid a negative response.

4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?
The recent deaths of two old friends, on consecutive days, encouraged me to look more deeply into the nature of things.


5) Do you decide, intend, choose, control events in Life? Do you make anything happen? Give examples from your experience.

As there is no 'me' there is no 'controller', but there is watching without a watcher, knowing without a knower. But life continues even richer than before. This morning I cleaned up my studio and then got down to some art; all the while watching my experience, watching the flow of ideas. Now I sit here dealing with these questions. Afterwards I'll again work through chapter 1 of the novel I'm writing. It's amazing how all this happens in the absence of a 'ship's master' - but I feel the creativity is, if anything, enhanced when the self illusion is not hovering at the elbow.

6) Anything to add?

Just my thanks to you, Nona. This programme can only be of benefit to the world.

Looking forward to your reply,
love
Nona

Love from
Harry

Thank you Harry.

Just one question: You write "I don't find a seperate entity, or a self that has substance in my present experience. Whenever a form of self has manifested, it has always proved to be an illusion", but you fail to state whether there is, or ever was, in fact, an entity "self" in your direct experience.

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

Please address this again.

love
Nona

Thank you Harry.

Just one question: You write "I don't find a seperate entity, or a self that has substance in my present experience. Whenever a form of self has manifested, it has always proved to be an illusion", but you fail to state whether there is, or ever was, in fact, an entity "self" in your direct experience.

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

Please address this again.

love
Nona

Sorry for my vagueness, Nona.
I'll try to be specific: I find no seperate entity 'self', 'me', or 'I' in my experience. Nor do I find an entity of any other description - all is in flux, without an island of stability or substance anywhere. As far as I can see, this also holds true for the entire universe.

Was there ever? There never was such a seperate entity as self. Any experience of self entity that I ever had, was illusory.

Where that illusion came from is probably outside our brief - but I suspect it is a product of evolution; it may have got us here as a species, but now it's time to let go.

Thanks Harry!! I'm going to ask other guides to have a look and see if they have any questions for you.

Love
Nona

Hi Harry,

The guides would like to have you answer this one again:
4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?

What is being asked here is not 'why did you come to LU or engage in a conversation here', but 'what was it in your direct experience that had you stop Thinking and really LOOK'? 'What were the conditions under which the illusion was seen through'?

With much love
Nona

Hi Harry,

The guides would like to have you answer this one again:
4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?

What is being asked here is not 'why did you come to LU or engage in a conversation here', but 'what was it in your direct experience that had you stop Thinking and really LOOK'? 'What were the conditions under which the illusion was seen through'?

With much love
Nona

Dear Nona,

I can't say that I have experienced a 'pushing over'. Nothing as dramatic as that.

I already understood, at least intellectually, the emptiness of the self.

I regularly meditate on sense experience. In this I simply focus on the consciousness of the organs: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind (mental events), in turn and then collectively. This can be a fruitful way of investigating the nature of self but I generally use the method as an awareness practice. So I have investigated and seen through the illusion if self before I became involved with LU. I've been doing this 'Looking' in meditation for some years.

However, the questions posed by LU have caused me to carry the question of the nature of self-illusion beyond meditative investigation and cognition, and into my mundane daily activities. So over the weeks with LU I have consolidated my certainty, and experience, that 'self' is illusory. Whenever there has been the need to clarify things with you, I sensed that any lack of clarity from me was mostly due to the dualistic nature of language.

I really cannot say much more than that.

It would not be true to claim that I have had a sudden and profound breakthrough during the LU process. But the LU probing has been a great help. It has restored the matter of the self illusion firmly to the centre of my awareness and I see through the illusion repeatedly as I progress through the day. Also, it brings a good measure of equinimity to my experience of life.

I don't know what I can add to the above. Perhaps we had best let the matter rest where it stands.

I have benefited from your guidance, Nona.

love from Harry