On being now

[Swampduck99]

LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' - what do you understand by this?
A clearly intellectually understand that there is no imagine self and that nothing is internal and that all is external. Being trapped in your own internal world of ego and egoic constructs is something that all beings should find in their existence if at all possible.

What are you looking for at LU?
I am looking for freedom from the illusion of there being a separate and imagined self. I have been wisely in fault to make no speculations or expectations but I do wish that I can be guided out of a world of egoic constructs and delusion into an existence of pure now and the spirit of now. I suppose that I do expect that I be carefully and patience guided away from illusion and all egoic constructs to wherever is beyond the gateless gate. I wish to be guided away from insubstantial thoughts, feelings and memories to a place where I can find the truth of being completely here and now in its purest form, free from illusion.

What do you expect from a guided conversation?
It is difficult to say what I expect from a guided conversation as I am trying not to speculate but obviously I require the truth at all times and to be guided with care and patience. I require a respectful conversation and for my questions to be always answered with the truth in such a way that I am guided towards finding liberation from illusion.

What is your experience in terms of spiritual practices, seeking and inquiry?
My interest and practice started many many years ago via psychedelic experience and this provided a glimpse of where I am now seeking to be. I have some experience of Buddhist fetter work and have had an interest in Buddhism and Zen Buddhism for many many years practicing meditation on a regular basis. I have been encouraged in this by my brother who is one of your most proficient and experienced members so I am lucky in this respect although he has said little about how this process works of course. I have always been drawn to this subject throughout my life and look forward to a spiritual awakening with some zeal.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how willing are you to question any currently held beliefs about 'self? 10

[Anastacia42]

Good morning, (here in Colorado)

First of course, I have to ask who your brother is?

I require a respectful conversation and for my questions to be always answered with the truth in such a way that I am guided towards finding liberation from illusion.

I usually won't answer every single question because those are just thinking and not experience. Ilona suggests we pick one or two. If I skip one you *think* is really important ask me again.

has said little about how this process works of course.

That is because we don't know how it works. We can set up the conditions, but we can't make it happen. It is unpredictable.


"Enlightenment is an accident. Meditation makes us accident prone."

Sunryu Suzuki

My name is Stacy and I can be your guide, if you would like.

One thing that is helpful is to come to this forum
& post every day. Sometimes the site goes down. It will be back. Just come back later.

Yes, if once in a while you must post later, please post a note telling me when you will return.

If you haven't already read the disclaimer, please read it now and just confirm to me that you have read it. Here is the link.

http://liberationunleashed.com/disclaimer-2/

Also please read “Liberation Unleashed is not …” in the FAQ’s of LU. Here is the link.

http://liberationunleashed.com/about/faq/#faq-1041

Some housekeeping guidelines:

1. Post at least once a day, or every second day. If you need more time, or are unable to post for several days, just write a quick post on your thread to let me know please.

2. There is no one judging answers given, so please be 100% honest in your answers and inquiry.

3. This exploration is based on actual experience (AE) - smell, taste, sound, sensation, color and observed thoughts. Long-winded analytical and philosophical answers are best avoided and may even hinder progress. This is not a self-improvement process. There is no ‘self’ to improve.

4. Put aside all other teachings, philosophies, rituals, practices, books/reading and so on for the remainder of this investigation. Really put all your effort and attention in to seeing this reality, as it is. If you have a daily meditation practice, it is fine to continue that but is not necessary for this exploration.

Technology is not perfect and sometimes there is a glitch which can wipe out your responses. It is advisable that you copy and paste questions asked into Word, answer them there and then copy and paste them to your thread. Always save a copy of what you have done, it will save time in the long run!

To begin with, so that we both become aware of what your expectations are about this exploration. In your own words (not from actual experience, but just honest answers), could you please answer the 4 following questions:

How will life change?
How will you change?
What will be different?
What is missing?

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.

Please answer questions individually, remembering to use the quote function to highlight the question being answered.

Below is a link to the video with instructions on using the Quote Function. Please watch it. Use the PREVIEW button to make sure your text looks right before you hit "SUBMIT."

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=660

What would you like for me to call you? What time zone are you in, please?


Loving,


Loving,

[Swampduck99]

Hi Stacy thank you so much for agreeing to be my guide, I feel quite privileged. My name is Simon and I'm in the UK on London GMT. You ask who my brother is, his guiding name was Moondog. I am hoping to experience purely now free of attachment to and grasping to thoughts which are mainly useless I think. Perhaps life will change in that I can experience purely now as it is and always has been. I'm hoping life may be the same but to different in that I can live experiencing nowrather than thinking of experiencing now allowing thoughts just to come and go but living in a pure experience of now. I find thoughts to be useless except maybe for making plans.. I expect to find that my experience of now will be effortless when devoid of attachment to thoughts and memories which are after all just pictures and words cluttering up and obscuring my experience of the present now. If you can contact me around mid-day London GMT here that would be great but I'll just look forward to hearing from you as soon as you can. Again thank you.

[Anastacia42]

Please answer questions individually, remembering to use the quote function to highlight the question being answered.

Below is a link to the video with instructions on using the Quote Function. Please watch it. Use the PREVIEW button to make sure your text looks right before you hit "SUBMIT."

Below is a link to the video with instructions on using the Quote Function. Please watch it. Use the PREVIEW button to make sure your text looks right before you hit "SUBMIT."

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=660

This is important. I read these on my cell phone. Later other guides will be asked to look at your checkpoint questions and we want to make it easy for them.

Thank you,

[Anastacia42]

Yes, please reformat your first answers above.

Thank you

[Swampduck99]

Hi Stacy, I just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten you, I'm just not tech savvy having got only a primitive smartphone.. it's certainly a test of determination here! Perhaps you've read my reply anyway but that was before I realized the technical challenge facing me. Thanks for your patience.

[Anastacia42]

You do not need to be tech-savvy.

Watch the video. It is pretty simple.

Do you have a computer you can use?

Loving,

[Swampduck99]

How will life change

Hi Stacey thank you for your patience and for agreeing to be my guide for which I feel privileged. In answer to your first question my brother's spiritual guide name is Moondog. I don't think life will change I think my experience of it will and wi.ll hopefully be one of pure experience of now rather than thinking about pure experience of now. Life would be a whole lot easier releasing attachment to words and thoughts which after all are just words and pictures and nothing more. I see thoughts as useless are only useful I think for making plans. Life will remain the same but my experience hopefully will be pure experience allowing thoughts just to come and go as they always have.

[Swampduck99]

How will you change

? By living in the present moment and experiencing it purely I hope to change by being released from thoughts and living in the everyday seeing it without illusion and constraints of thoughts consequently living experience in stillness and calm without the effort of seeking the truth which is and always has been right now. There has never been anything else but now and never will be.

[Swampduck99]

What will be different

all will remain the same but will seen and experienced without effort and as it is right now not as it was. The universe is as it should be right now and hopefully my experience will be just pure experience of now and this is as it always has been and always will be. Just being one and without effort is how things will change

[Swampduck99]

What is missing

? Peace and stillness free from attachment to thoughts ideas and illusion seem to be missing but perhaps that is just another illusion. The realisation that nothing is internal and that all is external is yet to be purely experienced and that is missing. Pure experience of now is missing.

[Swampduck99]

What would you like for me to call you? What time zone are you in, please

? Hi Stacy you can call me Simon please. I'm in the UK on London GMT. I'll try to remember that next time I contact you. No I don't have a computer I've never accepted them for some reason and just use a smartphone, it seems a great deal smarter than I assumed! A steep learning curve and a test of my determination I think.

[Anastacia42]

Hi Simon,

Highlight & click. 2 simple steps.

You can put all replies in one reply window.


Now what comes up when reading that there is no separate self, never has been, and never will be? That the whole thing was a made up story that we believed.


Loving,

[Swampduck99]

That there is no self to get rid of qnd there never has been a self. There is nothing internal and all is external. You cannot let go of something you haven't got so stop trying as this is futile. The self is an illusion and another thought which just comes and goes.

[Anastacia42]

Good. That question checks for fears. The only things that can keep you from seeing that there's no self in this moment is fears or expectations.

Have you experienced a shift in perception?

Can you already say 100% there's no separate "self."

This is how to LOOK for no self in the exercises - we call them "pointers' - that we will be doing here:


Colored Socks

There is a big difference between knowing that there is nothing to give up and seeing that there is nothing to give up.

Here is an example to illustrate the difference:

If I ask you what color socks you are wearing right now you have two ways to come up with an answer:

• You can think about it, you can think back to this morning and try to remember putting your socks on, and you can probably tell me what color you think they are.

• Alternatively, you can take a quick look at your socks and tell me what color they actually are!

Hopefully you would agree that you can only be 100% certain by looking.

For the purpose of seeing this "no self" idea, it is very important that you are clear about this difference.

Knowing is about knowledge which is all in the mind and we are not interested in that

We are only interested in looking at and seeing what is actually going on in your present moment-to-moment experience. We are only interested in your Direct Experience in the moment..

Direct or Actual Experience is

Seeing
Hearing
Feeling (Sensation, not emotion. Emotion is Sensation plus made-up thoughts & labels)
Tasting
Smelling
Thoughts Arising (but not their content)

Please let me know if you are clear about this or if you would like any further clarification.


Loving,