Truth

[amrita]

Brilliant! There are just sensations in the broadest sense of seeing, feeling, hearing etc and lots of thoughts that seem attached to sensations. When we look deeply we see that is all there is, lots of everchanging sensations. There is no self that exists outside of thinking. The aim of this inquiry is to "see' there is no self at the centre of experience that is controlling, interpreting or influencing life. There is simply experience (sensations, thoughts, images, sounds etc) occuring within the field of awareness. There is no self necessary to hold it all together. It/life/the universe just simply is. There is no self that can control or change anything. There is just open-ended experience.

Lets look at thinking next

Sit quietly, relax, and watch one thought after the other come up. Look at each question for about 5 minutes. You don't need to do the exercise in one piece.

Do you bring thoughts? If so from where and how?
Do you send them away?
Do you know what you're going to think before you think it? Sit quietly for a moment and try to predict your next thought. Does it work?
Do you plan what you are going to think before you think it?
Can you know your next thought before it arises and stop it from arising if you don't like it?
Is there is a thought that you can control?
What can a thought do – what power does it have?
Did any of these thoughts come on purpose?
You experience thoughts, but do you experience the content? Is the content real?

Love

amrita

[Truth]

Brilliant! There are just sensations in the broadest sense of seeing, feeling, hearing etc and lots of thoughts that seem attached to sensations. When we look deeply we see that is all there is, lots of everchanging sensations. There is no self that exists outside of thinking. The aim of this inquiry is to "see' there is no self at the centre of experience that is controlling, interpreting or influencing life. There is simply experience (sensations, thoughts, images, sounds etc) occuring within the field of awareness. There is no self necessary to hold it all together. It/life/the universe just simply is. There is no self that can control or change anything. There is just open-ended experience.

Lets look at thinking next

Sit quietly, relax, and watch one thought after the other come up. Look at each question for about 5 minutes. You don't need to do the exercise in one piece.

Do you bring thoughts? If so from where and how?
Do you send them away?
Do you know what you're going to think before you think it? Sit quietly for a moment and try to predict your next thought. Does it work?
Do you plan what you are going to think before you think it?
Can you know your next thought before it arises and stop it from arising if you don't like it?
Is there is a thought that you can control?
What can a thought do – what power does it have?
Did any of these thoughts come on purpose?
You experience thoughts, but do you experience the content? Is the content real?

Love

amrita

Hi Amrita,

Do you bring thoughts? If so from where and how?

I don't bring thoughts, they arise as a result of stimulation, memories, sounds, etc.
They can be quite random.

Do you send them away?

I do not send them away, they can seem to dissipate as a result of being more in touch with present moment sensations, in the body and bring in touch with the world, fully and directly.

Do you know what you're going to think before you think it? Sit quietly for a moment and try to predict your next thought.
Does it work?

I don't know what the next thought will be, there can be a 'train' of thought in 'reflection' mode, but not the next thought.

Do you plan what you are going to think before you think it?

No, there is no one to plan the next thought, just openness and receptivity to a 'subject' of contemplation, but the next thought is often a surprise..

Can you know your next thought before it arises and stop it from arising if you don't like it?

No, but if a thought arises that is not helpful , it is possible to stop the 'train' of thoughts, the 'story' and realize the impact of 'dwelling' on a particular thought.

Is there is a thought that you can control?

No, they come and they go, ever changing and flowing.

What can a thought do – what power does it have?

A thought can have huge impact, joy, anticipation, sadness, grief etc
It can return us to the past, or forward a future
If one 'believes' a thought it can course immense pain and suffering, but thoughts are not 'real', and have no power.

Did any of these thoughts come on purpose?

They have no purpose, unless you are using thought to work out a problem, ie working out how to get from A to B.
Bur most of the time they are a flow of consciousness.

You experience thoughts, but do you experience the content? Is the content real?

The content is not real, it is an 'idea' a 'dream' about something, not 'real'.

This has been quite a challenge, thank you for your patience.

Best wishes,
Truth

[Truth]

I haven't quite got the idea of the quotes yet.../quote]

[amrita]

I appreciate that was a challenging exercise so well done for sticking with it.

Some questions now:

Does the self exist in particular thoughts? Does the self exist in any thought? Is the self the thinker of the thoughts or is the watcher of thoughts? Is there any sign of self or I in the function of thinking?

Love

[Truth]

I appreciate that was a challenging exercise so well done for sticking with it.

Some questions now:

Does the self exist in particular thoughts? Does the self exist in any thought? Is the self the thinker of the thoughts or is the watcher of thoughts? Is there any sign of self or I in the function of thinking?

Love

Hi Amrita,

The self does not exist in any thoughts, particular or otherwise.
The self is not the 'thinker' of the thoughts or the 'watcher' of the thoughts, there is no one to 'create', as thoughts arise in awareness, like clouds in the sky, as open ended experience.

There is no sense of self within the flow of experience, thinking 'happens' like breathing, like sensations arising and falling away.
'Thinking arises' in response to stimulation, through the senses.

Thanks,
Truth

[amrita]

HI Truth,

Yes thoughts seem to arise without a self that creates them or perceives them.

It sounds from what you write that you can find no self anywhere in experience. Is that right?

Lets look at the confirmation questions and see if there is anymore work to be done here.

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

Best

Amrita

[Truth]

HI Truth,

Yes thoughts seem to arise without a self that creates them or perceives them.

It sounds from what you write that you can find no self anywhere in experience. Is that right?

Lets look at the confirmation questions and see if there is anymore work to be done here.

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

Best

Amrita

Hi Amrita,

I can find no self anywhere in experience, there are just sensations arising, thoughts arising, within a field of awareness,

like ripples in a stream of consciousness, responding to stimulation through the senses.

1) There is no separate entity 'self', 'me', 'I', at all anywhere, in any shape or form.

Conditions arose, and out of those conditions, the conditions that expresses itself as 'me' arose, when the conditions cease to be, then this expression of 'me' will cease...

There has never been a 'me', only a flow of consciousness, arising and falling in response to stimulation of the senses.

Ultimately there is not even that..

With best wishes,
Truth

[amrita]

Apologies for delay.

It sounds like you no longer experience or believe in a self? is that true?

if so, here are two more questions.

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.

Love

Amrita

[Truth]

Hi Amrita,

It sounds like you no longer experience or believe in a self? is that true?

I no longer believe in a 'self', that is in control or 'driving'...there is just sensation, thoughts, process, a flow of life energy without any one 'in charge'.


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.

The illusion of a separate self is that there is: 'someone' in charge, directing everything.
I imagine it starts in young childhood, as we are encouraged to notice that we are a 'separate' being away from mother...and that is continually encouraged by parents and school, that is encouraged by all the 'self help' books and society in general.

Then I guess we spent the rest of our lives trying to 'become' more and more that 'self', more and more trying to be in control and 'fix' our lives... to 'become' a 'better' person, to 'take control', to rise to the 'top'...to sort it all out, what ever that means.

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.

But in fact, there is just flow, and connection, intimacy and love, appreciation of this tender fragility of all life, a flowing dance of sensation and thoughts, breath and energy, coming and going, with a pulse of true wonder.

There is a sense of relief and appreciation that all the hard tightness of: 'trying to become more and more perfect' is not the truth of the way things are.

A feeling of letting go, trusting into the interconnection of all of life, just as it is.
Knowing that pulse of sensation, thought and flow is so simple, and is absolutely perfect.

That, if there is trust in the truth of this, then actions of body, speech and mind, will take on more and more the qualities of interconnection, intimacy and love.

Relaxation, quietness of mind, not believing thoughts as 'true', letting go into the flow of beingness, nothing to do, nowhere to go and no one to be.

Love
Truth

[amrita]

Hey Truth, I have been having some problems posting to this site. Lets hope this time we get through.

I like what you say about letting go. When i went through this process there was a strong experience of letting something go and consequently I have felt much lighter and more spacious since.

Here are some more questions:

Have you noticed any shifts or changes since you started this inquiry? Can you find any sign of self, even the most subtlest, tiny sign of it?

Describe decision, intention, free will, choice and control. What makes things happen? How does it work? What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Amrita x

[Truth]

Hey Truth, I have been having some problems posting to this site. Lets hope this time we get through.

I like what you say about letting go. When i went through this process there was a strong experience of letting something go and consequently I have felt much lighter and more spacious since.

Here are some more questions:

Have you noticed any shifts or changes since you started this inquiry? Can you find any sign of self, even the most subtlest, tiny sign of it?

Describe decision, intention, free will, choice and control. What makes things happen? How does it work? What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Amrita x

Hi Amrita,

Yes I have a real sense of letting go, an experience of unraveling, looseness and far more spaciousness.
I feel I have been holding on tightly for a very long time, trying to 'make something fit, to fit in..'

Now there is the experience of not having to try at all, a sense of an embodied , interconnected non conceptual space, that is rest and ease, and a huge relief.

Contentedness and relaxation, resting in awareness, just as it is, no need to struggle and strive.

Have you noticed any shifts or changes since you started this inquiry? Can you find any sign of self, even the most subtlest, tiny sign of it?

There is no sense of 'self' at all, the idea seems ridiculous, I want to laugh out loud, but also, seeing the suffering that holding onto this self brings, and compassion arises.

Describe decision, intention, free will, choice and control. What makes things happen? How does it work? What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

From this sense of open awareness and compassion arises the 'heart response', responding in the moment to just 'what is needed'.
For example, spending time with a friend who is suffering, washing the dishes, having rest and relaxation when the body is tired.

Trusting in life, trusting in the natural flow of energy, and not trying to fix or drive the 'situation' but relaxing into what is.

The body knows, falling back into the body, and the senses, open like flowers, can just receive, then things happen as they will, there is a sense of resting back into awareness and trusting that is enough.

The spaciousness and ease that is arising in experience will have an effect on everything else, things will happen as they may as a result of letting go.
Responsibility is simply trusting life, process, connection, compassion and spaciousness...letting go.

There is no self to fix, control, drive or make something happen, there is just a multilayered 'response to life'.
Vibration to vibration, connection and ease in being alive and fully responsive to everything.

Love Truth

[amrita]

Wonderful! I will post your answer to other guides to look at but it looks (to me) you are through the gate. My advice is to relax and enjoy the new perspective it brings.

Do you have any other questions?

Amrita x

[Truth]

Wonderful! I will post your answer to other guides to look at but it looks (to me) you are through the gate. My advice is to relax and enjoy the new perspective it brings.

Do you have any other questions?

Amrita x

Hi Amrita

No questions...

Love Truth