The Gate

Hi Drew

You can also do the above experiment with sensation.
So lets step back to sensation because I'm sitting here next my lovely electric tea kettle and when there is thought, I touch the side of the kettle for a moment with my hand. The result is sensation appearing in a place different from thought. It appears in the conceptual hand. Then, when investigating, there is a thought, a driving force wanting to lie just to progress. So lets slow it down here and investigate this further.
...
wow, yeah. There is a part of me that's resisting this, "lets step back." It's a form of thinking that wants steady progress or maybe doesn't want to be seen. Onward!!!

Of course! Don’t forget, this is your inquiry. I’m just here to point/guide you through it. Only honesty can take you through it. There are no medals at the end, nor certificates – truth and only the truth is the aim :)
So let’s deal with the resistance first…

Resistance is there to protect the imaginary self from harm. When no entity is found that needs protection, resistance is seen as a mechanism that protects the status quo. Thoughts are self-organising, they don’t need a thinker to appear, as you saw. They stick to each other like matching puzzle pieces (stories about stories). Anything new that comes along and does not match the pattern will be attempted to get rid of as it costs the system “energy” to rebuild from scratch (confirmation bias). That is how “fearful” and “resisting” thoughts form – they protect the status quo.

In this case, this resistance springs from expectations, stories about the outcome of the inquiry. All searches for freedom are built on the expectation that says, “Once we get “there,” life is going to be so light and easy, so rosy and blissful, that we will be happy forever and ever”. Seeking is based on the expectation of finding lasting happiness by trying to fix something that is not as it should be. So there is a rush to go there fast with, get to this point where the finest secrets would be revealed and the know-how of the newest practice achieved :). Also, there could be a story of overachieving, shame from failure, being out of control over the process. Please let me know what rings true here.

Resistance stops when expectations drop. Seeking and expectation are one process driven by the belief that something needs to happen in order to be content and happy now – maybe what is needed is thoughts to drop away, ever lasting peace and harmony, ethernal silence, the purest experience ever :)

To “improve” or “fix” suggest that there is something wrong with THIS, like it can be different than what it IS. But can it be in a different way than it is now, perfect? Also that suggests there is a doer who makes things happen and benefits from the outcome (we'll look at choice and decision making once we deal with these "issues"). The story of fixing is the old “enlightenment story”. It also looks like something that thought loves – finding meaning where there is none, planning “activities” that might happen or not :).
THIS (What IS) is beyond qualities and flaws to be added or removed, accepted or rejected. Perfection is a flawless state where everything is exactly right the way it is. Since perfect things are without fault or flaw, perfection is a perfect condition — everything is 100% great. Faults and flaws in THIS can be found only in thought which, defines THIS as “positive or negative”, to be desired or avoided. Surrendering is what is left when resistance to what is ends.
Just notice what is ‘underneath’ all thoughts. Thoughts add an overlaying narrative of names, labels, interpretations, explanations over the simplicity of what is.
Just notice what is left when you stop thinking about it...

Seeing ALL stories as empty is where freedom rests. It lies in seeing that concepts are creations of language that serve the purpose of communicating. They are practical, but empty. Can you see this?

Next stop – sensation’s location…
Love
Rali

Hi Drew
Is the sneaky snail too busy to eat my garden? Or is there a problem?
Love
Rali

Dear Rali,

I was unable to attend to this thread today. I was occupied with work related activities and I, in no way, want to cease this exchange.

I wanted to take this moment before I go to sleep to sincerely thank you for taking the time out of your day to do this dance with myself and the many more you guide.

I'm very set on going the distance on this, my friend. I've been practicing DE all day as frequently as possible.
So much inquiry, so many combinations.

I see how passionate you are about this process and want to put in equal effort.

Also, to all those who are reading this thread, thank you ♥️. I hope this thread is somewhat helpful :3

Btw, I caught the sneaky slug making it's getaway yesterday morning. The little bugger ate three more squash sprouts... :/

Gave it a good scolding and transported it to another area where it can eat weeds instead. Haha.

Love,
Drew

Hey Drew
No problem! Life happens…
Just wanted to check that some sneaky slugs (aka thoughts) are not eating away the “fruits” of your "progress" :))

I'm very set on going the distance on this, my friend. I've been practicing DE all day as frequently as possible.

Awesome! That is all that it takes :)

Btw, I caught the sneaky slug making it's getaway yesterday morning. The little bugger ate three more squash sprouts... :/

Gave it a good scolding and transported it to another area where it can eat weeds instead.

And now describe all of this using the cup of coffee break down example...
Looking forward to your answer to my previous reply (when you can)!

Love
Rali

Hi Rali,

I wanted to share that I plan to answer tomorrow morning (8:30pm now). Super tired from the day, I'm also looking forward to responding to your previous reply.

Another thing, how do you pronounce your name and what pronouns do you use?

Love,
🐌

Hi Drew

Another thing, how do you pronounce your name and what pronouns do you use?

She/her female, simply = seeing, thinking, feeling

My name is short for Ralitza so Rali is pronounced like a car rally :)

I wanted to share that I plan to answer tomorrow morning (8:30pm now). Super tired from the day, I'm also looking forward to responding to your previous reply.

Now, I'm really looking forward to your answers :)) . All that build up! Joke aside, take your time provided you are still using DE break downs in your day
Love
🏎️🏁

Hey
BTW, not that I’m saying it is the case, but distraction is another protective mechanism, a subtle form of resistance, that works to take your focus away from even the possibility of changing your current perspective. The old existing view is being protected, as if it’s something that is owned and can be damaged.
Just a food for thought (literary :)) ...
Love
R

Hi 🏎️ 🏁,

All searches for freedom are built on the expectation that says, “Once we get “there,” life is going to be so light and easy, so rosy and blissful, that we will be happy forever and ever”. Seeking is based on the expectation of finding lasting happiness by trying to fix something that is not as it should be. Please let me know what rings true here.

I want to acknowledge this was all true; an endless search for some great destination where all things fall into place and the big mystery is revealed.

Though something happened between then and now.
Now this is simply a project I'm working on with my dear friend, Rali, and all beings seeking the way.

Like we’re building a sand castle on the beach, knowing waves will come.

Yesterday I sat in a meadow opening on a local trail system. The wind would come and whip through the long corridor of power and natural-gas lines, and the grasses and wildflowers would bend with the flow of the wind. The waves were evident and at one point I noticed the wind turning off from the main corridor and flowing down a trail.
Two gusts of wind raced, catching dust from the path, making themselves visible to the eye. There was an aliveness in their movement, chasing each other, play-like. Then, thoughts of the power of nature came; how devastating the elements can be.

Like nature’s power to devastate, our human nature for grasping onto our stories, believing they are truth, leads to emotional and physical violence and inevitably, war.
I saw clearly the reason to see stories and thoughts as they are, simply = thinking (thoughts)
DE:
Sitting in the meadow, simply = seeing, feeling, hearing, thinking. Watching nature, simply = seeing, hearing, feeling. Thinking, simply = thinking (thought).

To “improve” or “fix” suggests that there is something wrong with THIS, like it can be different than what it IS. But can it be in a different way than it is now, perfect?

There’s no other way than THIS. What IS is perfect. Like the flowers blooming in the meadow, or the ants on my legs, searching for food, simply = seeing, feeling, thinking.

Seeing ALL stories as empty is where freedom rests. It lies in seeing that concepts are creations of language that serve the purpose of communicating. They are practical, but empty. Can you see this?

Thinking and stories are just that. The wandering narratives, the narrator, simply = thinking (thoughts)
I was bit by lots of mosquitos yesterday while sitting in the meadow. I tried to whisk them away, but they told all of their friends and inevitably I was their meal. The mosquitoes came and went, like the thinking. The itchiness that has followed is felt, simply = feeling (sensation), though not acted upon. All night I was aware not to itch in my sleep, and so I didn’t, simply = feeling.

Btw, I caught the sneaky slug making its getaway yesterday morning. The little bugger ate three more squash sprouts... :/
Gave it a good scolding and transported it to another area where it can eat weeds instead.

And now describe all of this using the cup of coffee break down example...
Looking forward to your answer to my previous reply (when you can)!

:) I caught the sneaky, Limax maximus(leopard slug) while it was locomoting away, simply = seeing, feeling, thinking.
Roughed it up a little, rolled it onto a leaf with a stick and sent it on its way, simply = seeing, feeling.

She/her female, simply = seeing, thinking, feeling

My name is short for Ralitza so Rali is pronounced like a car rally :)

:) Great to know this. Now I can refer to our discussions more accurately when sharing with others.

Distraction is another protective mechanism, a subtle form of resistance, that works to take your focus away from even the possibility of changing your current perspective. The old existing view is being protected, as if it’s something that is owned and can be damaged.
Just a food for thought (literally :)) ...

Oh no! My precious cargo of escargot! 🐌 Cooked to perfection, preserved with great care! :D

Jokes aside, I understand what you're speaking about. Thoughts are sneaky like snails in the night( could write a catchy song about this, haha), if not carefully in observation, your garden will be full of them!
The vigilance of diligence is what matters most. Onward!

Love,
Drew

Hi Drew

Two gusts of wind raced, catching dust from the path, making themselves visible to the eye. There was an aliveness in their movement, chasing each other, play-like. Then, thoughts of the power of nature came; how devastating the elements can be.

Like nature’s power to devastate, our human nature for grasping onto our stories, believing they are truth, leads to emotional and physical violence and inevitably, war.
I saw clearly the reason to see stories and thoughts as they are, simply = thinking (thoughts)

Yup! The same experience could be described differently by the same story teller (different situations) or by different story tellers. The story telling is “part” of THIS. It adds to the experience of the senses by giving them meaning. And even if the stories are uncomfortable, they add a richness and juiciness to life. When we recognize a story to be just a story and not reality, it actually starts changing. We no longer believe it is “the truth of how things are.” We recognize it as a description, an interpretation, or an entertaining thought. It becomes easier to step back and notice that there is something else going on besides the thought-story; it becomes possible to notice peace underneath all thoughts. When a story is seen as empty, not actuality, it can carry on without making things and events overly serious and dramatic. The story can be taken lightly; it can be entertaining and fun, as well as serious when a situation asks for seriousness.

Back to our exploration…

'The sound of the birds outside my window' is appearing in the same "place" as thoughts.

So lets step back to sensation because I'm sitting here next my lovely electric tea kettle and when there is thought, I touch the side of the kettle for a moment with my hand. The result is sensation appearing in a place different from thought. It appears in the conceptual hand.

1. Sit comfortably on a chair. Close your eyes. Lift your leg and pay attention to the sensation of “leg lifted”
2. Open your eyes and now pay attention to the sight of the leg only.
3. While looking at the leg, pay attention to the sensation of the leg.
Do sight and sensation appear simultaneously? Do they appear separately? Do they depend on each other? Is there a link between them?
Can the senses be isolated without thought content?

Let’s follow this up with the following experiments which look at the belief that thoughts are coming from the head. When we try to trace back the origin of a thought, it is often believed that it's coming from the head, because the attention automatically goes to the sensation of the head. Investigate this carefully as often as you can throughout the day.

Have a very deep look here... the head is one place we also feel the ‘sense of self’ resides. Close your eyes and look to see what the DE of the ‘head’ is. Then look at the following questions.

What is the head in the actual experience?
A sensation + a mental image (of a head) + thoughts about a head, right?

So, can a thought come from a sensation?
Can a thought come from a mental image?
Does the mental image suggest in any that it is a ‘head’?
Does the sensation itself suggest in any way that it is a ‘head’?
Does the sensation itself suggest in any way that it is a ‘me’?
Other than thought, can you find anything that suggests the sensation labelled as ‘head’ is a head or a me?

You don’t have a problem with thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting appearing in the same "place", because it is believed that these sensory organs are also in the “head”. Let's examine seeing as also another sense of self is linked to the sensation 'of the eyes'. Let’s check the “eyes”

What are the eyes in the actual experience?
A sensation + a mental image + thoughts about eyes, right?

Can sight (colour) come from a sensation?
Can sight come from an image (of the eyes)?

Can a 'mental image' come from a sensation?
Does a mental image suggest in any way that it is eyes?

We don’t experience our senses individually. Rather, these are different aspects of experience. Mind tells us that our senses are separate streams of information. We see with our eyes, hear with our ears, feel with our skin, smell with our nose, taste with our tongue. In DE, though, it is seen as a one experience. Senses affect each other. Although speech is perceived through the ears, what we see can change what we hear. In this video, a man produces the same syllable over and over again. If you watch his mouth, you’ll hear the syllable “fah,” but if you look away, you’ll hear “bah.” Although your ears hear “bah,” your eyes see “fah”. This phenomenon is known as the McGurk effect. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k8fHR9jKVM )

Another example of sensory interaction is how both taste and smell are vital for savouring food (flavour). If smell is lost or impaired, for instance, the taste of food will also be impaired, even if taste receptors on the tongue are working fine.
Here is a fun video that demonstrates how a relationship between sight and touch, which you found problematic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DphlhmtGRqI

Even though it might look as there are clearly defined senses, DE shows a different story. So even the senses are dependently originated which makes them also empty of inherent existence.

Can you see that???

Love
Rali

Hi Rali,

Just checking in, letting you know it might be a couple days before I reply. Today I had an intense 11 hour shift. Tomorrow will be another 12-13 hours.
ttyl!
love,
Drew

Hello Rali,

1. Sit comfortably on a chair. Close your eyes. Lift your leg and pay attention to the sensation of “leg lifted”
2. Open your eyes and now pay attention to the sight of the leg only.
3. While looking at the leg, pay attention to the sensation of the leg.

Do sight and sensation appear simultaneously?

They do.

Do they depend on each other?

It could be said that they depend on each other.

Is there a link between them?

It can be said that there is a link between them

Can the senses be isolated without thought content?

They do not need thought to be experienced

The head is one place we also feel the ‘sense of self’ resides. Close your eyes and look to see what the DE of the ‘head’ is. Then look at the following questions.

My ‘sense of self’ doesn’t reside in my head, but that's okay.

What is the head in the actual experience?

The head is sensation and a thought about a head

A sensation + a mental image (of a head) + thoughts about a head, right?

That’s correct

So, can a thought come from a sensation?

Yes. a thought can arise based on a DE

Can a thought come from a mental image?

Thought is a mental image

Does the mental image suggest in any that it is a ‘head’?

The mental image as a thought does not suggest there is something called a ‘head.’

Does the sensation itself suggest in any way that it is a ‘head’?

No. Sensation doesn’t suggest anything.

Does the sensation itself suggest in any way that it is a ‘me’?

No

Other than thought, can you find anything that suggests the sensation labeled as ‘head’ is a head or a me?

Nope!

You don’t have a problem with thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting appearing in the same "place", because it is believed that these sensory organs are also in the “head”. Let's examine seeing as also another sense of self is linked to the sensation 'of the eyes'. Let’s check the “eyes”

What are the eyes in the actual experience?

The ‘eyes’ don’t exist in actual experience, besides the AE of ‘eyelids’ closing and opening.

A sensation + a mental image + thoughts about eyes, right?

Yes
Is the mental image not a thought about the eyes?

Can sight (colour) come from a sensation?

color and sensation arise at once

Can sight come from an image (of the eyes)?

This doesn’t make any sense to me.

Can a 'mental image' come from a sensation?

A ‘mental image’ can arise from DE

Does a mental image suggest in any way that it is eyes?

The mental image suggests that there is something there and thoughts label them ‘eyes’

Even though it might look as there are clearly defined senses, DE shows a different story. So even the senses are dependently originated which makes them also empty of inherent existence.

Can you see that???

Yes. Since my previous hang-up, I’ve been exploring DE and the result has been dependent origination of direct experience. Sensation in ‘my hand’ after touching ‘the very hot kettle’ no longer appears as a separate experience from thought, mental images or other DE.
The experience no longer is happening, ‘over there in my hand.’
Love,
Drew

Hi Drew
I think you misunderstood a lot of the question… Another proof how meaning is not universal but conditioned :)

So, can a thought come from a sensation?

Yes. a thought can arise based on a DE

Can a thought come from a mental image?

Thought is a mental image

So these questions were not in general but specifically directed to sensation “head” and mental image “head” . So the question was – can a general thought come from the sensation “head”? Does the sensation “head” think thoughts? Can a mental image “of head” think thoughts? Can a thought think another thought? Does that make more sense? We are investigating if thinking happens “in the head” remember?

Similarly…

Can sight (colour) come from a sensation?

color and sensation arise at once

Can sight come from an image (of the eyes)?

This doesn’t make any sense to me.

Can a 'mental image' come from a sensation?

A ‘mental image’ can arise from DE

We are investigating here if seeing happen through the eyes… So is the sensation “eyes” responsible for seeing (colour)? Can a sensation see? Is the mental image of “eyes” responsible for seeing (colour)? Can a thought see? Make sense now?

My ‘sense of self’ doesn’t reside in my head, but that's okay.

Where does it reside then?

The experience no longer is happening, ‘over there in my hand.’

So all senses happening in one “place” then? Can they be separated?

Let’s have a look at the idea of control, choice and decisions. Please explore the exercises below and report your findings! Remember that we’re looking for some kind of entity, a something, an ‘I’ which is doing the ‘choosing’. Sometimes we describe this sense of choosing as a ‘feeling’: It feels like ‘I’ did the ‘choosing’, but remember we are not interested in “seems like” and “feels like” entities, but ones that could be described.
Can feeling choose? Can seeing choose?

1. Hold a hand in front of you; palm turned down. Now turn the palm up. And down...and up and so on.

How is the movement controlled?
Does a thought control it?
Can a ‘controller’ or and entity that is choosing 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.

2. Put two objects that you like in front of you (e.g. a cup of coffee and a glass of juice)

Step1. Look at drink A and at drink B. Think about their respective qualities, the things you like about them, compare and weigh the pros and cons of each. See if a preference is manifesting for one or the other.
Step2. Count to 5.
Step3. Choose one of the drinks. Pick it up and take a sip.

In step 1 when thinking about their respective qualities, did you ‘choose’ the qualities? Or did they kind of appear by themselves? If some preferences manifested, did you ‘choose’ these preferences? Or did they just pop up by themselves?

In step 2 when you counted to 5, if the preferences took the back seat while the numbers took the front seat, did you ‘choose’ this sequence of event? Did you ‘choose’ to shut down the preferences to give way to the counting? Did you directly experience an entity doing the ‘choosing’?

In step 3 where you made a choice, did anything arise that announced, ‘I am the chooser’? If so, what does it look like?

3. Please take me through a biggish decision that you made recently - not something very personal so you are able to share more details about your decision making...

How did it come to be? Consider all of the conditions that were necessary for it to happen. If any one of those conditions were different, would the outcome have been the same? How many of these conditions were outside of your influence? What was in your control (according to thought)?

Please take your time with each exercise! Repeat as many times as you need and then write the answers for all of them. Watch like a hawk. Don't go to thoughts, examine the actual experience. Do this as many times as you like, and each time inquire with the questions.
Love
Rali

Heya Rali,

These questions were not in general but specifically directed to sensation “head” and mental image “head” .
can a general thought come from the sensation “head”?

No.

Does the sensation “head” think thoughts?

No.

Can a mental image “of head” think thoughts?

No.

Can a thought think another thought?

No.

Does that make more sense? We are investigating if thinking happens “in the head” remember?

I understand now.

We are investigating here if seeing happen through the eyes… So is the sensation “eyes” responsible for seeing (colour)?

No.

Can a sensation see?

Sensation cannot see.

Is the mental image of “eyes” responsible for seeing (colour)?

No.

Can a thought see?

Thought cannot see.

Make sense now?

yep!

My ‘sense of self’ doesn’t reside in my head, but that's okay.

Where does it reside then?

When I feel for my sense of self, it is half in 'my body' and half 'in the world' If I try to feel it ONLY in 'my body,' it is located everywhere where I focus. But when I relax, it is in 'my immediate experience'

Feeling for sense of self while having tea, simply = feeling, seeing, hearing, tasting, thinking.

The experience no longer is happening, ‘over there in my hand.’

So all senses happening in one “place” then?

Well, its not really a, "place" per say. ( touching the Kettle is a great practice because I can do it every morning and while writing (: ) Dependent origination really is a great description of what's happening. I can't really say "where" it is happening, only that it is sensation occurring.

Can they be separated?

There's no way to separate them in AE. Only thought separates them.

Let’s have a look at the idea of control, choice and decisions... ...Remember that we’re looking for some kind of entity, a something, an ‘I’ which is doing the ‘choosing’. Sometimes we describe this sense of choosing as a ‘feeling’: It feels like ‘I’ did the ‘choosing’, but remember we are not interested in “seems like” and “feels like” entities, but ones that could be described.Can feeling choose?

No. Feeling does not choose.

Can seeing choose?

No. seeing does not choose.

Hold a hand in front of you; palm turned down. Now turn the palm up. And down...and up and so on.How is the movement controlled?

I can only access that it is 'moving.' Though thoughts suggest that because I read your prompt, the movements are now occurring. But this is thinking (thoughts)

Does a thought control it?

No.

Can a ‘controller’ or and entity that is choosing be located?

Nope.

How is the decision made to turn the hand over?

There is no, 'decision.' There's nothing there to 'decide.'
I should say that for many years I have not believed in free will. Free will is a belief... I have done inquiry into decision making for about 5 years and have found that there is no one who decides, everything just occurs sequentially, one thing after the other.

Step1. Look at drink A and at drink B... ...See if a preference is manifesting for one or the other.
Step2. Count to 5.
Step3. Choose one of the drinks. Pick it up and take a sip.
In step 1 when thinking about their respective qualities, did you ‘choose’ the qualities?

No

Or did they kind of appear by themselves?

They occurred of their own.

If some preferences manifested, did you ‘choose’ these preferences?

Preferences were not chosen.

Or did they just pop up by themselves?

Preferences arose as thoughts arise.

In step 2 when you counted to 5, if the preferences took the back seat while the numbers took the front seat, did you ‘choose’ this sequence of event?

No.

Did you ‘choose’ to shut down the preferences to give way to the counting?

No.

Did you directly experience an entity doing the ‘choosing’?

No.

In step 3 where you made a choice, did anything arise that announced, ‘I am the chooser’?

No.

Please take me through a biggish decision that you made recently - not something very personal so you are able to share more details about your decision making...

I can't think of a single 'biggish decision.' This is probably a schema that was dropped. Its probably called something like, 'the decision maker' schema.

If the word is unfamiliar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_(psychology)
"People use schemata to organize current knowledge and provide a framework for future understanding. Examples of schemata include mental models, social schemas, stereotypes, social roles, scripts, worldviews, heuristics, and archetypes. In Piaget's theory of development, children construct a series of schemata, based on the interactions they experience, to help them understand the world."
Thank you Wikipedia!

Maybe I'm using this term incorrectly, but surely you understand what I'm attempting to convey.

The thing is that 'I' don't make decisions.
There's no one who makes decisions. Actions arise of themselves. "Decisions" arise of themselves. There is no activity at the site of a decision being made.

Sorry for skipping your inquiry. I just can't relate to it.

Love,
Drewbert

Hi Drew

Wonderful!

I should say that for many years I have not believed in free will. Free will is a belief... I have done inquiry into decision making for about 5 years and have found that there is no one who decides, everything just occurs sequentially, one thing after the other.

The thing is that 'I' don't make decisions.
There's no one who makes decisions. Actions arise of themselves. "Decisions" arise of themselves. There is no activity at the site of a decision being made.

I just wanted an example of a decision that you would normally consider that you’ve made – like what to have for breakfast, or going to the park. The point was to look entirely in thought content where cause and effect “live” and see that even there there’s no “you” making a decision. It was just one event leading to another, leading to another, with “actions” based on previous conditioning. The thought “decision is made” is layered on top of other thoughts/beliefs/descriptions of what has happened before.
Why does the wind blow? It just blows. Yes we can say it happens as a result of previous events but there’s no entity “wind” that does the blowing. There is no wind that decides to blow. It’s just language. What are “actions”, though? What is “moving of the hands” in DE? We’ve seen that it’s just a sensation, labelled “hands moving” + colour labelled “hands moving”. So, what makes the sensations to appear? What makes seeing to appear? LOOK! Is there anything that causes anything to appear? Is there anything to occur sequentially? Do cause and effect exist outside of thought content? Thought comes to describe that things are happening and why they are happening, but in DE there is just THIS. Is the description/explanation/label needed for things to happen?

We can also look at time in more detail, if you want, as this is what is needed for cause and effect ( sequential events) to take place...

Sorry for skipping your inquiry. I just can't relate to it.

What (entity) cannot relate to this exercise??? What is so advanced and enlightened that cannot give an example of “typical” decision making in everyday life? What is outside of THIS that can disregard thoughts??
Language is useful for communication and it’s part of THIS. I’m sure that in everyday life you have to say stuff like I want to buy a car, or sign up to the gym, etc. Personal pronouns and descriptions are ok, as long as their emptiness is seen.
Have you heard the Zen proverb: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” What do you think it means?
Love
Rali

Hi Rali,
Thanks for your questions and comments.

So, what makes the sensations appear? What makes seeing appear?

There is nothing that “makes” anything happen. There is only THIS.

LOOK! Is there anything that causes anything to appear?

Nope.

Is there anything to occur sequentially?

No.

Do cause and effect exist outside of thought content?

No. There is only DE.

Thought comes to describe that things are happening and why they are happening, but in DE there is just THIS. Is the description/explanation/label needed for things to happen?

Nope.

Sorry for skipping your inquiry. I just can't relate to it.

Hmmm.. I actually meant to say this, “ I’m absolutely exhausted from the day and I can’t relate/answer this right now. I’m falling asleep as I’m typing!”

What (entity) cannot relate to this exercise??? What is so advanced and enlightened that cannot give an example of “typical” decision making in everyday life? What is outside of THIS that can disregard thoughts??

Well, I don’t decide anything, which is why I can’t locate any recent time where I made a decision.
I literally cannot locate memories of me “deciding.” There are no thoughts to suggest that I like some things and dislike other things. There is simply a receiving that is occurring and accepting what is.

Language is useful for communication and it’s part of THIS. I’m sure that in everyday life you have to say stuff like I want to buy a car, or sign up to the gym, etc. Personal pronouns and descriptions are ok, as long as their emptiness is seen.

I have thoughts like, “ It would be good to work harder to receive an education so that I don’t have to work my body so hard to earn so little.” Or ”Exercise is needed to increase my health, I should go do that.” But honestly, less and less am I relying on thoughts, there is just flow occurring with much less thought. When there is thought, there is a seeing that its thought.

Have you heard the Zen proverb: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” What do you think it means?

Direct experience does not change. This is the expression of the ordinary nature of “enlightenment.”
Love,
Drew