Hello Vivien,
HOW do you know that that diving into the story shouldn’t happen?
I certainly don’t know that it shouldn’t happen. It's just a story - a set of thoughts.
And more importantly, WHO has the problem with diving into the story?
The Who can’t be found. Looking for the who, all that is found is sensations and thoughts.
Does the character of Brett have a problem of diving into the story?
You could say that is the story. But that character isn’t here, can’t be found. Just thoughts and sensations (emotions).
The noticing of that either happens, or doesn’t, until it does again.
Is there a Brett outside of the story?
No
Who sometimes stays outside observing it but other times dives into the story?
This is difficult to ascertain. There’s no Who that can be found. But what’s the distinction between recognizing that it’s a story happening (a bunch of thoughts and sensations) or not, in any given moment? There’s no recognizer to be found, but there does seem to be a difference between when things (arisings) are seen clearly and when they’re taken as true, real, a story, etc.
I will just share a couple of the thoughts that this is built on: If there is no control of this, then what are you and I doing? How does a not self engage in a process to see what's true, without believing it has a degree of control over whether sleeping or waking happens.
V: Is not-self an entity that could engage in the process?
No, it’s not an entity. There’s no physical entity that can be found.
And this not-self is sometimes believing and other times not believe in the control over ‘waking and sleeping’?
No; it appears that thoughts and sensations are being perceived as real and true, as though there’s a me in control. But looking, there’s no such me. It’s more thoughts.
Also noticing: there are subtle sensations and beliefs present.... of fear that it's not temporary. Or that it won't be temporary. It must be remembered. It's not being remembered at all times, so...there is a fear of loss of the recognition. A shift did happen in our process, and the experience that arose with it didn't remain, and there's this desire to "get it back", fear of losing it, forever...
V: But WHO is afraid? Is the Brett character afraid of losing it?
Again with looking it’s clear that there is no Who, no Brett, that’s afraid. There are just sensations and thoughts and some images that are being called “me”, “afraid”. It’s another story.
And WHO has to remember? The character?
This is a set of thoughts and sensations, happening together into a story. It’s all a big story.
WHO/what is behind the wheel controlling the on and off switch of remembering and not remembering?
I have no idea how remembering and not remembering happen, but it’s not a who or a what behind it. Remembering, or not, just seems to happen. There’s a lack of control over this, even though the story says differently. There are thoughts and sensations that could be labeled an attempt to control, an attempt to keep remembering, a desire to keep remembering.
The questions posed lead to looking. Looking finds nothing but thoughts and sensations and images and sounds. And sometimes smells. It’s seen that these have been taken as a “me”, with some associated story based on those thoughts and feelings.
Without looking, remembering, or recognition, may or may not be happening in any given moment.
Brett
