The Gate

Hi,

Hope all is well with the baby. It would be good if you could continue to practice everyday and report here daily or at least every other day.


Here is another exercise that makes it even clearer that labels are not the things they refer to. They are merely the content of thought that we made up.

Label-Reality Correlation

There is a belief that labels have a one-to-one correspondence with something called "reality." But there isn’t. Just like it is a generally accepted belief that labels like "good" and "bad" are inherent characteristics of "things." But actually, they are not.

When you look at the word label ‘GREEN’, what is the actual experience?

The actual experience of color is the color red, although I see the word green, the experience is red.

Is the red color "experienced" or is color green "experienced" as the label suggests?

Red is experienced

Do the labels have a one-to-one correspondence with "reality?"

No, they're just made up concepts

Or do the labels suggest something else other than what is here now (red color)?

The label suggests green, but the color experienced in direct experience is the color red.

Is green-ness an inherent attribute of the "experience" of the red color; or is green just a word label on the experience of the red color?

It's just a word label on the experience of the red color.

If the label ‘GREEN’ is replaced with the label ‘GOOD’ or ‘BAD’, is the redness affected in any way as the labels suggests?

No, the experience is still of the color red.

Does redness become "good" or "bad," or do the labels have no effect whatsoever on ‘reality’?

No, it's still just merely the color.
Loving,

What did you find when doing this exercise? Is the commentary on the soccer game a necessity for the play to happen?

And in the same way, is the inner narration of thought a necessity for the play of life to happen?

1) In 'hearing' can anything be found other than 'what can be heard'?

2) Can what is doing the hearing be found? Or is there only 'what can be heard'?

3) An 'I'? a 'body'? a 'person'? a brain? a pair of ears? Can these be found doing the hearing? Or is there just 'what can be heard'? What do you find?

Can an INHERENT HEARER be found?

Would anything that is suggested as the hearer, be anything other than a concept/idea/thought?

How does it FEEL to notice this?

How is the movement controlled?

Does a thought control it?

Can a ‘controller’ of any description be located?

How is the decision made to turn the hand over? Track any decision point when a thought MADE THE DECISION to turn the hand over and the hand turns over immediately.

Who or what chose which hand - the left or right hand for the exercise?

Can you find a separate individual or anything that is choosing when to turn the palm up or down?

This exercise took an added layer of relation to my current life, as recently our baby has been staring with a look of fascination at his hand while it's turning left and right, like he doesn't understand how it's happening, it's just happening! 😆 He's already demonstrating this exercise to me, the synchronicity of this is something else!

Can you find any separate "self" anywhere? Can you say 100% that there's no separate "I?"

Are you still seeking anything?

I feel I'm at a good launch spot.
Like you asked, can I see 100%, yes, but I also feel there's more clarity around that, more integrating that into my moment to moment experience.

I'll keep inquiring, noticing I'm aware of sensations, feelings, thoughts, I am not them, I'm what is aware of them, and inquiring and looking for that I that is aware of everything. I feel the more I look for that and don't find it, that the insight will become clearer and clearer.

One thing came up when inquiring that I'm what is aware. Seeing I'm what is aware of thoughts seems easier to see than seeing I'm what is aware of the body.
I actually can feel pretty directly that I'm what is aware of the body, but I could see how a person would default to the head/eyes and say, I'm in the head and eyes and I'm looking at the body, so I'm in here (head/eyes) and aware of the body there.

Is it to see that it's just more of a subtle thought believing I'm in the head/eyes looking at said object? When maybe it's just all sensory experience happening. Again this isn't super sticky for me but I could see how a person would go there, so maybe it's faintly sticky for me.

Anyways, I don't know if you might have anything to say around that?

Thank you so very much for all the teachings and your time and interest in our baby. I won't hold it in mind as an achievement that I'll get to reach to be more present and patient with our baby, but if that happens as I continue practicing, great.

Loving,

Would you like to try those?