The Gate

Funny BOUT WHO TOLD ME-didn't mean it literally, meant that hearing happens when vibrations are picked up the ear drum then the mind translates them into labels. Both the ear drum and the brain are between my ears.

Can't answer your deaf question, never been deaf.

Kinda hard to put into words about silence being sensed; I've had experiences when being up early in the morning , sitting outside in complete silence, felt like a heard/sensed a soft buzzing sound. Maybe I'm crazy but this was my experience

"vibrations are picked up the ear drum then the mind translates them into labels. Both the ear drum and the brain are between my ears."

This is what science tells you. Science is the 'who'. Hahaa.

Well just imagine your ears have gone caput. How would you know whether you were in sound or in silence?

"I tried touching things with my eyes closed, my mind automatically applies labels. I have memories of touching things, perhaps in the dark in a foreign environment and recall my first feelings were fear, because it was unknown to me.

I don't think my body has a finite boundary because very often I can sense someone is looking at me, I look and someone is. But this happens without any thought and it happens quite often."

Close your eyes, try to find the boundary of your body. Thoughts come and go- ignore the chatter. It's like trying to work with your headphones on. If you pay attention to the music, you get distracted and your work suffers. But if you let the music play and enjoy it in the background without any feelings attached, then you can work too. Tell me what you find in your direct experience right now.

Try the same with touching. Are you touching something or are you just touching?

Yes, now I see where you're going , unless both sides of an experience are available there is no knowing of the opposite. If you lived in total darkness then you wouldn't now what light was etc,. etc.

With eyes closed there are no boundaries

With touching there is only touching prior to labeling

There are infinite sides to experience, just like there are infinite angles at which we can see something. But we see 'something' only at one angle at a time. We see something because we want to focus on that something that we see. If we stop focusing and try and see everything at once, what do we see?

Sound and silence are just labels, when you are in that space, where you're trying to see everything at the same time/ or when thoughts just become a chatter in the background. The zone of no labels- try to do these things in that zone:

Describe this touching prior to labeling.
Describe the boundary which is present or not present, when your eyes are open or shut.

Is there a line between here and there?

Is there an inside and outside?

Is there a center?

With touching-it seems like most of the time I'm not even aware of touching things, only if there is a specific task to be accomplished, even then I'm not really aware unless what I' touching falls out of the normal range allotted for that specific item. If I grab an apple and it feels very soft, it catches my attention that it might be spoiled. Or if I grab a utensil from the stove and its too hot, then touching has my attention. But a lot of the time I'm not too aware of touching.

Boundaries don't exist in the no label zone, everything just is.

Seems to me all the examples you posted, which are normally fall into the physical realm only exist within thinking/labeling. With no thinking there is no labeling, however due to conditioning it is very difficult to achieve the no label zone, much less spend any time within it. no here, no there, no outside no inside, no center all just is. Soon as that's noticed, you're back into thinking. Particularly with looking, everything gets labeled so fast.

Like you said about the only way I can look at everything at once is when I'm thinking, my eyes are open, objects are in my field of vision, but I don't see them because I'm thinking, focusing on my stories.

Very good :) Very happy with your answers.

We are not aware that we are touching something until it is brought to our attention :)

Try to catch the no label zone. Eyes open. ears open. Thoughts happening. Smells, touch. Everything happening- but no Steve for it to happen to. That's how it always is. And like you said- we are conditioned to believe in our thoughts. But our thoughts are not real. They keep coming up and saying things- but imagine you grew up in a jungle without parents. What kind of thoughts would you have? They would be completely different.

"Boundaries don't exist in the no label zone, everything just is."

Here, there, center are all created by us. It is no different than us drawing it there- it doesn't exist. We just draw it there in our heads for our convenience :)

Try these exercises:

Watch a movie. See the illusion the character creates for themselves, about themselves. Look at the illusion of the situation. Look for the truth. Try and see how this applies in your life.

Try reading a newspaper- just read it WITHOUT trying to read for something (ex; without trying to understand the story of the article). Look at the words, see if they have meaning. Look for truth behind the words.

Imagine you had a conversation with a friend. Your friend calls you stupid for some reason. Is it true that 'you' are stupid? Is the event that triggered him to call you that, true?

Movie watching-The actors play a role and in that the actors become the role, letting it define who they are, what they stand for , how they dress, how they think, their expectations from life, people, places and things. It encompasses their lives unless some life altering experience changes the way of seeing.

I see the same in my life, only not as clearly or well defined.
whether liking to admit it or not much of my life is run on automatic pilot swayed by the winds of general society or the people I'm associated with. I go from illusion to illusion believing I'm a separate entity, trying my best to protect a me, trying to make sure a me gets what it wants. then from time to time I'm in the no label zone, where there is no me and life is just happening. It's very frustrating to spend the majority of your life walking around like sheep.

Reading--I found it almost impossible to read words without applying labels to them. I tried to turn my mind off but then couldn't read. Then I pretended the words were in a foreign language so then they had no meaning at all, just ink on the page.

Friend scenario-Events or situation occur constantly in life. The only meaning or importance of them are that which is placed upon them. I think it was Shakesspere(sic) that said "Nothing in life is good or bad only thinking makes is so"

Are meaning and importance true? Are good or bad labels true?

Is the event true?

meaning and importance-good and bad labels- events- are provided by a me thinking thought, thereby making them untrue

:)

So is there a separate entity such as 'I'/ 'you'/'me' in any way, shape or form?

There is no me, no I, no you only untrue thoughts of labeling

Is there a self in your seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting?

Are you ready for the last few questions?

sure