Hi Dave
On the plane, anger, worry, stress, all of these feelings are happening. Related to work. The story, "I will feel like this for days" brings another feeling - dread. More anger. Then the thought, "How can I invite anger in? How can "I" peek behind it if life is not ready for peeking to happen?" Breathing happens. Calming happens. A remembering of the scene from the Matrix where the Oracle gives Neo a cookie and tells him he'll feel right as rain once he walks out that door. :) The anger, stress, passes.
And was what noticed anger angry? In fact is what notices bothered by anything that happens or is experienced?
The taste, tasted, and taster - this seems almost absurd once you remove the ownership of "I am the taster" from the equation. Sipping water with lemon - the taste is there, the sound of ice clinking. All just one experience. Why separate?
Great! You jumped ahead! LOL You might want to look at smell too then!
There is only this moment. Past is past, stories are stories. Letting go happens once this becomes clear. This no-me is a "unique perspective". (Read this term in Gateless Gatecrashers in Peter's interview and WOW - that REALLY resonated.). No "I" story does not diminish the unique perspective or the unique conditioning or unique patterns this no-me has perceived, experienced, or grown up with. Sipping a water with lemon happens. A light wind blows through barely trembling leaves. At this moment, noticing less judgement, more watching. Much contentment.
And what if identification happens? Is that a problem? If so to who or what?
Does it matter what happens in this moment? If so to who or what?
OK – on to touch. This is quite a long one so take your time here!
Touch the table with your eyes shut (or open). Pretend like it’s the first time you have ever touched a table. Go straight to the raw sensation/perception. How do you know its there? What is your direct experience of this ‘table’? List your direct experience. Is it senses again? Is it thoughts again? Look very closely. Which comes first the senses or the thoughts?
Does the sensation of touching come with a shape, density, weight, size, colour, age or function? Does this sensation come with a ‘not me’ label or ‘other’ label? Is it one sensation/perception or two?
Look at how thoughts try and take over, try and explain, try and prove. Notice your memories or references with which you compare the experience.
Sit with these sensations. Look at them. Look at the labelling e.g. table, hand. Look at the thoughts or story that attach at the end of this list if any. What is your direct experience of these words? Do they exist? How do you know they are there? List your direct experience. Are they sensations again? Are they just thoughts again? Look very closely. Which comes first the sensation or the thoughts? Don’t pay attention to the thoughts just look at what they do, when they come in.
Sit on a chair with your eyes closed. Feel the Direct Experience of sitting there. Notice thoughts thinking, labelling and explaining. Notice memory too. Notice sensations experiencing. Notice the sensation of bottom on chair – what is that – a thought? Notice the ‘me’ ‘mine labels e.g. this is my bottom – but look closely at that sensation labelling – is it yours, or just coming and going along with thoughts, ever changing. Is it the thought that wants to own? How many sensations do you notice? 2? One bottom sensation, and one chair sensation? How is that possible? Where does one sensation end and another begin? Locate that line. Can you feel that line? Or is that thought? Can you sense that line – or is that thought explaining the sensation? Eyes closed. Turn your attention to your skin. Do you have Direct Experience of it being outside?
Do we experience sensations or do we experience sensing? For us to experience a sensation it would have to be independently walking around. Do you experience a sensation inside another sensation? Do you experience a perception inside another perception? A sensation inside a perception, a perception inside a sensation? Do you experience a body in the world and a mind in the body? How can a body be in the world and a mind in a body? Do you experience a thought inside a perception or a sensation? How can you experience a thought inside a body or inside the world? Experience has no inside or outside – it is just experience seamlessly experiencing.
Hugs Sarah xxx
If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.
