shloa

[Anastacia42]

Good morning,

Sorry, somehow I missed your earlier reply. Feel free to write again if that happens.

This is great. We are watching for a shift in perception. It may be gradual and slow or it may hit you like a ton of bricks. Either way, it will be open and expansive like the truth feeling.


This pointer may be helpful:

Introductory Body Exercise

Sit with eyes closed for about 15 minutes. Paying attention only to the pure sensations, without relying on thoughts or mental images:

Can it be known how tall the body is? Does the body have a weight or volume? In the actual experience does the body have a shape or a form?

Is there a boundary between the body and the clothing? Is there a boundary between the body and the chair?

Is there an inside or an outside? If there is an inside - the inside of what exactly? If there is an outside - the outside of what exactly?

What does the word/label ‘body’ ACTUALLY refer to? What is the ACTUAL experience of the body?

Look very carefully, especially with the last question. Take your time, don’t rush. You can look several times during the day while doing other things (like washing hands, showering, having a short break from work, walking, etc) before replying.

Loving,

[Anastacia42]

Do you still want to be guided?

Loving

[shloa]

Thank you for your message, and yes, of course, I would very much like to continue with this process. I didn't know you were expecting a response. Yes, the points you sent have helped to take the process in a slightly different direction.It has contributed to my feeling of a continuous seriousness around a very serious investigation.An investigation that has brought more silence and less focus on thinking. I have practiced it both through meditation in the morning and evening, but also throughout the day - truly examining the assumptions about the body and the boundaries of the body.

Can it be known how tall the body is? Does the body have a weight or volume? In the actual experience does the body have a shape or a form?

When you ask these questions from a place of genuine quiet investigation, based on observation rather than thinking, more space is immediately created. This is because you gradually see that the body's volume, weight, etc., are all products of thinking. In reality, there is no body, just a collection of tensions in the body created by assumptions and which confirm the assumptions. So no, I couldn't find volume, only boundlessness - I couldn't find weight, only weightlessness - I couldn't find form, only the story of form, but when you look directly, it can't really be found.

Is there a boundary between the body and the clothing? Is there a boundary between the body and the chair?

It was really difficult for me to accept it at first. I kept seeing a clear boundary, but gradually, I could actually see more and more that the boundary wasn't there. I couldn't feel the boundary, and eventually, I couldn't see it either.

Is there an inside or an outside? If there is an inside - the inside of what exactly? If there is an outside - the outside of what exactly?

This was easy for me to see - no inside and outside. I can quickly see that it is difficult to distinguish between myself and the objects around me. In one way, I can see that there is a body, but in another way, I can very quickly experience how the boundary between the body and the surroundings dissolves. There comes a kind of dynamic play where the body seems to contain everything I see - that a car driving in front of me is actually in my mouth. And then the thought of the perception of the body is forgotten, and things just are as they are.

[Anastacia42]

Yes. From my first post to you:

One thing that is helpful is to come to this forum
& post every day

and

Throughout this exploration I would like you to answer all questions that I have written in blue text. Please answer all questions even if I miss using the blue text.

Remember those? Maybe re-read it.

I'll write more shortly.

Loving,

[Anastacia42]

So, back to your replies.

How does it FEEL to see that the body can't be found?


Loving,

[shloa]

How does it FEEL to see that the body can't be found?

It feels quite ordinary, first and foremost, it feels basic and more right than the vulnerable feeling of having a body. Emotionally, there is less activity, it becomes quieter, and there comes a kind of non-verbal dance and movements, like a child snorkeling for the first time in a crystal-clear coral reef, looking around with fascination, curiosity, fresh eyes, and a sense of seeing things for the first time. The spatial sensation also changes - the dimensions grow, there is a greater sense of transparent space, and there is less tension in the body.

[Anastacia42]

Yes! We are looking for a shift in perception. What your describing is how things may look when we clearly see there is no separate "self."

Can you say 100% that there is no separate self?


Loving,

[shloa]

Can you say 100% that there is no separate self?

Even though I see that there are no separate selves, there is still a fundamental sense of a self with a story about "I". It continues to linger in the background, even though I repeatedly see that there is no body, no "I", etc. It is like a strange ghost that just laughs at all my attempts.So the answer is unfortunately no, I am not 100% sure, I am not even 50% sure... I am maybe 10% convinced that there is no separate self.

[Anastacia42]

What will it take for you to see that "self" is only a thought in your imagination?

Where, precisely, does it feel what you are calling "real?"

There may be a feeling of contraction. That is the lie feeling. It is often mislabeled as a "self." It is not.

Loving,

[shloa]

What will it take for you to see that "self" is only a thought in your imagination?

Sometimes I can see it; in a way, there comes a gaze that is much more penetrating and sharp, which makes you see things differently. This can, for example, be activated with a pointer that has a really good effect. For me, it works to experiment with different pointers and see things from different perspectives

Where, precisely, does it feel what you are calling "real?"

Around the head, there is a feeling that the self is real. There is tension in the face and stomach, an image of my face appears, the way I look, and a voice that sounds like mine, speaking/thinking. This comes with a sense that this person has a history that goes back into the past, is anchored in relationships with others, and feels vulnerable.

[shloa]

Today, I continued to review the questions from the Introductory Body Exercise. In a way, something happens when you keep sitting with these open questions. It causes me to begin to see others' bodies without dimensions; their bodies do not become big or small, heavy or light. Even the body of a child can be enormously large, just as the boundary between my body and others becomes more diffuse, as there is no outside and inside

[Anastacia42]

Good. Does that help you to see there's no separate "self? "

How does it FEEL to see the way you're seeing?

Loving,

[shloa]

Does that help you to see there's no separate "self? "

Yes it does

How does it FEEL to see the way you're seeing?

It feels more Open, more free.

[Anastacia42]

LOOK and let me know when you can finally see there's no separate "self " that it was nothing but thought stories & tight lie feelings.

Like Santa in his red suit.

Loving

[shloa]

I continue to explore the boundaries between the body and the environment, using the pointers you provided in your email on April 25. I feel that there is development, but it might take time before any change occurs. I am not entirely familiar with the process here at LU - is it time for us to conclude the process?