Where to start

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

The past is dead, the future not yet born.

But do they exist at all or is it just thought content?
What is the label “future” pointing to?
If time does not exist, how can the future be born?

Love
Cheryl

[Seekingstill]

. But do they exist at all or is it just thought content?
What is the label “future” pointing to?
If time does not exist, how can the future be born?

Just thought content
Label future points thoughts of desire or fear
Future cannot be born, it is only a thought, not real

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

At this point, it will be a good DE exercise to get out for an actual walk in nature and observe interconnectedness. See how ALL is moving interdependently, including thinking and the senses. Hold these questions in mind:

Is there anything that is separate from everything else?

Is there a border that divides “me” and “my body” from everything else, or is it just a thought?

Is that interdependent movement outside of you? Is there an “inside” and an “outside”?

Is there an owner of being?

Are there others?

Is there an “I” in others?

Is there a “you”?

Close your eyes. Do you see a border for being? Where does being end?

Now open them. In DE there is only seeing/hearing/etc. and thinking provides the labels. It’s like a picture that everything is drawn in pencil on paper – the illusion of separation is created by different colours used – otherwise it’s all paper.

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/807638 ... LI_liUT7M=

Different colors in seeing create the illusion of things but all that is there is seeing. Different levels of sounds create the illusion of a song but all that is there is hearing.
Can you see/hear that?

Love,
Cheryl

[Seekingstill]

I will need a few days to contemplate this

[Seekingstill]

Is there anything that is separate from everything else?

theoretically no, but what my eyes see, my mind perceives as separate

Is there a border that divides “me” and “my body” from everything else, or is it just a thought?

It is a thought, an interpretation of what the eye is seeing

Is that interdependent movement outside of you? Is there an “inside” and an “outside”?

theoretically there is no inside and outside, both are thoughts.

Is there an owner of being?

no

Are there others?

Is there an “I” in others?

no

Is there a “you”?

no

Close your eyes. Do you see a border for being?

no

Where does being end?

don't know

Now open them. In DE there is only seeing/hearing/etc. and thinking provides the labels. It’s like a picture that everything is drawn in pencil on paper – the illusion of separation is created by different colours used – otherwise it’s all paper.

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/807638 ... LI_liUT7M=

Different colors in seeing create the illusion of things but all that is there is seeing. Different levels of sounds create the illusion of a song but all that is there is hearing.
Can you see/hear that?

Theoretically I understand that there are no borders and all that I see and hear not separate. Practically, I still see in 3D and see "things" and hear separate sounds. My mind still interprets everything as me and outside of me. Theoretically, I understand there is no me and no inside and outside, practically, I do not perceive the world this way, no matter how much "I" tell "myself" my perception/thought of the world/me is not real or true.

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

Understanding no boundaries theoretically is a step in the right direction. It makes the mind much less likely to rebel when a border becomes fuzzy or maybe even drops for a second. You will continue to see in 3-D for quite a while on this path.

Stay in the narrow perceptions of Direct Experience. Notice thought after thought after thought.
What does thought know in the first place? And then a thought about a thought? How true can that be?

Seeing
Feeling
Hearing
Thinking
Smelling
Tasting

If you believe in Santa Claus (or unicorns), how can you be dissuaded?

Maybe go back to this exercise:
Label daily activities, objects and emotions simply as color/image, sound, smell, taste, sensation, thought as per the apple example.
For example, when having coffee in the morning, become aware of:
Seeing a cup, simply= image/color
Smelling coffee, simply = smell
Feeling the warmth of the coffee cup, simply = sensation
Tasting the coffee, simply = taste
Hearing the spoon stirring the coffee, simply = sound
Thought about drinking the coffee, simply = thought

Break down daily activities into these categories (which are all Actual/Direct Experience)

Love,
Cheryl

[Seekingstill]

. What does thought know in the first place?

nothing

And then a thought about a thought? How true can that be?

nothing also, thoughts are not truth

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

How’s life these days? Is there still seeking? Is there anything else that you want to explore together specifically?

Love,
Cheryl

[Seekingstill]

. How’s life these days? Is there still seeking?

life is comfortable. Yes, there is still seeking

Is there anything else that you want to explore together specifically?

I do not know, I have taken all of your pointers and there has been no shift. I have a better intellectual understanding of nonduality, but no experience. What do you suggest?

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

I have a better intellectual understanding of nonduality, but no experience.

I beg to differ. You have quite a bit of Direct Experience. That's it.

Also, look around for some subtle clues.
Do you feel more peace?
Do you take some things less seriously?
Are you more spontaneous?
Do you have more gratitude or love or joy?
Do you feel more at ease?
It might be one of these or none of these.

there has been no shift.

Again, i beg to differ.
There was a noticeable shift in the tone of your responses a month or so ago. It was after a hiatus while i was traveling.
What was that shift in tone?
I daresay you saw/understood something.
If you don't remember, don't worry.
You are looking for something subtle, perhaps very subtle.

Going back to expectations
What would a nondual shift look like?

Love,
Cheryl

[Seekingstill]

. Do you feel more peace?
Do you take some things less seriously?
Are you more spontaneous?
Do you have more gratitude or love or joy?
Do you feel more at ease?

yes to all of these questions, but I think this is because my external circumstances are getting better. Internally, I have the same struggles and frustration, I tell the same stories daily. I do recognize they are stories, but the identification with the feelings they evoke is still there

. What was that shift in tone?

I don’t know, I didn’t notice it.

What would a nondual shift look like?

I don’t know, that’s why I’m here. Perhaps you are right and there has been a shift, but I am still seeking, I feel that whatever this is now, is not it. Not yet.

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

Write down the details of one example of your still seeking and label it with Direct Experience.

Thanks,
Cheryl

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

Let me know what you think about this video between Ilona, the founder of LU, and Luchana, a very experienced guide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93fpiOn ... nqVduSzhNp

Love,
Cheryl

[Seekingstill]

I agree with the video, but I am not basing my seeking on attaining something. I am basing it on my reactivity to situations. I am still very much identified with the world around me. That dropping away is what I am looking for.

[CherylVT]

Dear Seekingstill,

That reactivity is going to take some/a lot of deconditioning and then some reconditioning based on what you know/feel to be true.

When the core belief has been busted, a lot of other beliefs will still be hanging around. What you want to do at this point is LOOK and LOOK again. Keep your eyes open, let the beliefs come to the surface. Keep looking. They will come up one by one ready to be examined and released. Don’t fight them. Hold on to nothing. As soon as you start holding on to beliefs and ideas, you get stuck - you feel right about something and feel like you have an opinion.

To unstick, just let it all fall off. That means question everything you are certain about. It may take a few months to settle in, but everyone is different, so there is no way to know how long it will take for everything to be re-examined. Sometimes it is intense, sometimes it’s gentle, but there is no finish line, only falling deeper and deeper into peace. Looking is the tool that has to be used over and over again.

“Crossing the gate” is only the beginning of a long integration and re-evaluation. All this old conditioning has to be seen for what it is. The best part is that the cleaning happens on its own – it takes care of itself. If fear appears, it just shows that there are areas that have not been examined and need to be explored with DE.

Love,
Cheryl