Why wait longer?

[hannamaria]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for the nofitication, sounds good to post while you're away and maybe take on another guide if necessary.

I'm afraid the answer is no to your first two questions.

Have a nice holiday!

[ray]

Hi Hanna,
Richard has kindly offered to guide while I'm away boating. Lovely weather in UK :)
I've only got phone internet.

Thanks Richard :) I'll be back on 20th July.

Love and blessings
Ray

[hannamaria]

That sounds great! Have a nice time boating!

I haven't had time to post these last days but I'll probably have time to write tomorrow or the day after.
There has been a lot of frustration going on these last days.

Hi Richard!

[richardcooper2k]

Hi Hanna

Hope i can be of help
For our purposes here feeling confused is not necessarily a bad thing
We are used to understanding how things work
But what we are doing here is looking to see what is going on
To do this we adopt the position of "not knowing" or not assuming that we know the answer
This can feel uncomfortable at first but just let those feelings be as they are. We don't need to make any judgments about "what they are" or why they are happening.
Thoughts may arise but we are no more interested in them than anything else.

So lets take a look at experience - what do we find ?
The seen, sound, taste, smell, sensation, emotion, thought, can you find anything else ?
Is there anything i have missed ?

Also, feel free to fill me in about what you mentioned has been going on in the last few days

Best wishes
Richard

[hannamaria]

Hi Richard!

I'm sorry I haven't replied. I've read your post and I sure have not given up on this but I haven't had the possibility to give this as much time lately for different reasons. I will not leave before I'm through but I get that there has to be some continuity for me to do that. Even if I haven't posted this is always present.

I will respond to your post as soon as possible!

[richardcooper2k]

Does this need time ?

(PS i get that sometimes things come up that need our attention)

You have no duty here. Only investigate experience

Looking forward :-)

[hannamaria]

It seems like a lot of time has passed since I started this guiding but there does not seam to be improvement, more like a jumping in and out of taking thoughts to be of help and not. But how could anything be improved, or rather who could improve? It’s either seen or not right?

What is in my way? A persisting will to maintain an ”I” going through the gate? A constant stream of thoughts not seen to be that but believed to be me?

But why am I not yet through? What needs to happen for this shift to happen? Can I get rid of myself? These are questions appearing. Just mind activity in this organism right? Is all just that? How can any answer to these questions be of help?

The mind typing this needs to see itself as just that, a body typing thoughts from the mind, and not Hanna/me. There’s no me just thoughts glued together in an order not decided by a someone, just the mind reacting to itself.

This seems like an opening.

[richardcooper2k]

But how could anything be improved, or rather who could improve? It’s either seen or not right?

Correct, although some people report getting it in a flash and others more a gradual drip, drip.

What is in my way? A persisting will to maintain an ”I” going through the gate? A constant stream of thoughts not seen to be that but believed to be me?

It's just a habitual way of thinking, the assumption that the vehicle has a driver - "me" - nothing more.

But why am I not yet through? What needs to happen for this shift to happen? Can I get rid of myself? These are questions appearing. Just mind activity in this organism right? Is all just that? How can any answer to these questions be of help?

That's right - bang on ! They are thoughts and assume the answer can be found in thought
Experience has to be investigated

The mind typing this needs to see itself as just that, a body typing thoughts from the mind, and not Hanna/me. There’s no me just thoughts glued together in an order not decided by a someone, just the mind reacting to itself.

This seems like an opening.

Good, OK, lets look at this more closely.....
Remember in direct experience we can only find the seen, sound, taste, smell, sensation, emotion, thoughts; agree ?
Can you find a mind that is having thoughts ?
There is thought, but can you find a thinker having them ?
There are feelings/emotions arising but what is experiencing them ?
Can you find anything apart from the seen, sound, taste, etc ?

[hannamaria]

I will ”spend time” with your questions and I’ll probably have time to post back tomorrow. I won’t have internet-access again until then.

Thank you for now Richard!

[richardcooper2k]

:-)
OK. As you are spending time watch out for the tendancy to think about this and how it works rather than just looking into experience
When it happens just notice it as something like "oh yes, there's that old habit that keeps popping up"
Don't see it as a problem or that "you" are doing something wrong (how could you be ?)

[hannamaria]

Ok. No thoughts are other than that, thoughts. Question arising is what exaclty is this misebelief of there being an I? A cluster of thoughts? What is the I? There’s not supposed to be one you say…

I’ll be away again between tomorrow after lunch until Sunday.
Thank you Richard for helping me regain a focus I've been lacking for some reason. But what is that: "me regaining a focus I've been lacking..."?

[richardcooper2k]

Ok. No thoughts are other than that, thoughts. Question arising is what exaclty is this misebelief of there being an I? A cluster of thoughts? What is the I? There’s not supposed to be one you say…

There is an assumption inherent in the content of a lot of thoughts that there is an "I" or "me" that exists. Something is seen and it assumed it has been seen by "me", but where is this "me" ? Things get done and it is assumed the things were done by "me".
To check if this is true we look in experience to see if there is one to be found that is seeing, doing, etc
Or is it all just happening without any "I" needed ?
Don't believe anything i say. That would just be taking on a belief.
You have to see and recognize this in "your own" experience.
It is not a learning, it is a seeing/feeling/recognizing/realizing/experiencing

I’ll be away again between tomorrow after lunch until Sunday.
Thank you Richard for helping me regain a focus I've been lacking for some reason. But what is that: "me regaining a focus I've been lacking..."?

OK, hope it is enjoyable
Yes, notice all these assumptions about what is going on, what is appearing. So often there is an assumption we know what is going on. What would it be like to not know what was going on and everything still functioning perfectly ? Could that already be the case ?

[hannamaria]

Guess it’s hard letting go of believed knowing and stepping into an unknowing, but since it’s already a fact and everything is functioning it shouldn’t have to be scary. And no stepping needs to be done right? But no progress can be made with an ”I” claiming not to know. There's an I wanting to know that she doesn't know...

I’ll post again after the week-end. I think it’ll be good reading Gateless gatecrashers again as well. There's hope and excitement now!

Have a nice week-end, you too Richard!

[richardcooper2k]

Guess it’s hard letting go of believed knowing and stepping into an unknowing, but since it’s already a fact and everything is functioning it shouldn’t have to be scary. And no stepping needs to be done right?

Exactly, just look and see what is already the case
If sensations of fear arise just welcome them. They just want to pass through
Take any thoughts that arise on the back of them with a pinch of salt

But no progress can be made with an ”I” claiming not to know. There's an I wanting to know that she doesn't know...

Just notice what these thoughts feel like. Is there really a problem or is the sensation being experienced fine just the way it is ?

Its a bit like jumping into the water and then discovering all the time you were a fish and now you have come home.
You don't need to know how to do this. In fact none of us do. If you look the mystery presents itself. And then you discover you are the mystery and have been all along. The mystery is love. And love is who you are. Can you feel it ? :-)

[hannamaria]

I'm back from my trip and very eager to take this on with more attention and intensity. What could be more important? Why do I let other things catch my attention? Doesn't matter. Just need the right focus right?
Reading Gateless gatecrashers again opens up something.

Not knowing is more present. No voice is my voice. All just thoughts.

I'll be sitting with this today.

Thank you :)