Almost there...

[pearthebear]

Hi Sarah,

I had a difficult few days with some health stuff, but I'll be back in here tomorrow or the next day. Thank you so much! xoxo

-Perry

[Sarah7]

No worries Perry. Hope you are ok.
Hugs Sarah xxx

[pearthebear]

Hi Sarah,

Yes I'm okay, just dealing with some stuff. Can I have another day or two? I've been noticing touch and keeping everything you mentioned in mind and I look forward to jumping back in soon.

Have a wonderful day. xoxo

[Sarah7]

No rush. Hugs S xxx

[pearthebear]

Thank you for sticking with me this week, it has been difficult but incredible how all of this has helped with how the situations are handled. All of the thoughts, emotions, and feelings this week have been "triggers" to remind myself there is no one here to claim the experience, just the experience itself. Considering what is going on, things have been relatively easy. So thank you for that! Without going into too much detail I'm dealing with an old medical issue, nothing life threatening, but still difficult. I am in great spirits and back to feeling pretty good.

Regarding out last topic:

There is a single sensation. It is made up of a little bit of coolness and solidity with a vague blob of vibration. I can sense two elements making up the single sensation, but they are relative to each other. Coolness of the table relative to the heat in my hand. Solidity of the table relative to the softness of my hand. And a vibration between the two. But it it all one single sensation in experience. The hand needs the table for the sensation. One doesn’t exist without the other. No thoughts. Same with the chair a single sensation, and while I was doing this exercise I notice that all of this is a single sensation that is composed of two elements (bottom/chair, hand/table, skin/air, feet/floor, etc…) that depend on each other and relate to each other to create a sphere of sensation with no separation. Fantastic.

[Sarah7]

Hey Perry

and feelings this week have been "triggers"

Without prying or being personal - any identification you want to look at due to recurring issue?

that depend on each other and relate to each other to create a sphere of sensation with no separation.

Can you find any concept that isn't based on comparison?

Eyes closed. Turn your attention to your skin. Do you have Direct Experience of it being outside?

Stand in front of a bigger mirror.
First, close the eyes and feel the sensations in the body.
Then open the eyes and look into the mirror, while still pay attention to the bodily sensations.
Is there any connection between the felt sensations in the body and the sight in the mirror?
Or just thoughts (and/or mental images) suggest that there is any?
While still paying attention to the bodily sensations move one of the hands and observe the movement from the mirror.
Is there any connection between the felt sensations (in the hand) and sight of movement in the mirror?
Now do the same movement with the hand, but this time look at the hand directly, not from the mirror.
Is there any connection between the felt sensations (in the hand) and sight of movement?
Or only thoughts suggest it?
Now, pay attention only to the sight in the mirror.
Does the sight by itself suggest in any way that what is seen is ‘you’ or ‘your body’?
Does the sight itself suggest in any way that what is seen is a body at all?
Or there are only colours and shapes?
Where the mirror ends, some parts of the body (probably legs) cannot be seen.
Just by the sight, is there any ‘knowledge’ that there must be legs, or only thoughts and mental images suggest it?
Now turn away from the mirror and look forward (don’t look directly to any body parts).
Is there a body anywhere when all mental concepts and images are ignored, or there are only sensations?
Start to walk slowly.
Is there a body walking anywhere, or there are only sensations?
Hugs Sarah xxx

[pearthebear]

Thank you Sarah. I'll be checking back in tomorrow. Peace and love! :*

[Sarah7]

Ok! S xxx

[pearthebear]

That was very interesting!

No, there is no connection in the bodily sensations and what I see in the mirror. The mirror holds the shapes and colors of my body, but that is viewed in my head on the flat screen anyway. The only connection I could find is that my hand (the shapes moving) does change the bodily sensations in that I can feel the air moving above and below, but again there is no separation in those, just the simultaneous feeling of it. I noticed that thoughts/images were trying to make an outline of my arm and hand as I was moving it up and down but that does not connect to the feeling of the movement of my hand. I am feeling the bodily sensations more as a sphere of sensations (womb like almost) and there there is no definitive edge to my bodily sensations. Also when moving my hand up and down I felt more like the space between where my hand was traveling than feeling like my hand. Incredible. Although this exercise has been more subtle than the others I think I am really understanding it. In terms of feeling, we are a edge-less sphere of sensation that we’ve mistakenly imagined to be a "body" and its parts, but when you remove the sight and imagination of the body there is nothing to suggest we are anything like our body!

[Sarah7]

Hey Inger!

In terms of feeling, we are a edge-less sphere of sensation that we’ve mistakenly imagined to be a "body" and its parts, but when you remove the sight and imagination of the body there is nothing to suggest we are anything like our body!

What is our direct experience of the body? Is it the same as the idea we have about it? Do you see the whole or fragments that are collected together from memory to make a whole? And does that thought give us the impression of solidity, permanence and reality?
Are the fragments ever seen without an aspect of the world – e.g. I am writing this in bed and I see my hands writing surrounded by duvet? As with the seeing exercise the total visual field – one seamless whole, made only of seeing. Is it thought that artificially divides? Is it as the TV screen, one seamless whole? From the point of view of the object – all items are separate, but what about from the point of view of the screen? Is anything separate or independent or is there just the screen?
Hugs Sarah xxx

[pearthebear]

Our direct experience of the body is the sensations that we have in relation to our environment as one non-separate experience. All of my memories or thoughts about my body come from the viewpoint of the flat screen inside my head, and so I imagine my arms and hands from the perspective of “me” inside my head. BUT as you mentioned all of those images are of one seamless whole. Just the screen, and just the non-separate sensations. Damn! Awesome.

[Sarah7]

Hey Perry
Glad you liked that!
Anymore questions? Anything you want to look at?
Any doubt?
Has seeking ceased?
Do you feel the illusion of self has been clearly revealed?
Hugs Sarah xxx

[pearthebear]

Hi Sarah!

I will be taking the weekend to sit with it all and see if any questions come. Have a wonderful day! xoxo

-Perry

[Sarah7]

That's fine Perry! ;)
Hugs S xxx

[pearthebear]

Hi Sarah,

I don't believe I have any questions.

Things have been quiet and peaceful, with the occasional selfing... :) Thank you so much for everything. xoxo

-Perry