Waking up

[Pens]

LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' - what do you understand by this?
Basically theres no identity in anything, that everything happens by itself. Thought creates the illusion of a self by thoughts referring to other thoughts, or sensations, feelings etc. but the assumed experiencer of these things isn’t present in the way we assume. Awareness is impersonal but intimate so we mistake it for a self.

What are you looking for at LU?
Im looking for help clarifying my blind spots on this, theres some sort of stickiness or resistance somewhere that I can’t identify. I mean even that is just a belief made of words, but It feels as if the no self thing is seen somewhat but that it requires memory somehow, not that forgetting creates a self, but if I’m constantly forgetting and living as if there is one it amounts to the same. Certainly there is suffering, so that aspect is confusing. And I wouldn’t say that I’m free of it by any means or even that no self is crystal clear during those times.

What do you expect from a guided conversation?
Some sort of guidance to keep me focused, question assumptions I don’t realize I’m making, unearthing whatever it is that’s keeping me stuck. There’s something about using another person as a sounding board that helps clarify intent.

What is your experience in terms of spiritual practices, seeking and inquiry?
Lots of years of awareness practices along the lines of Rupert spira and John wheeler. Lots of more traditional stuff too; mantra, body scanning breath following etc. I’ve definitely done inquiry as well, and I do believe I’ve had some clarity, but I don’t know. Something feels like it’s missing, but I’m not sure what.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how willing are you to question any currently held beliefs about 'self? 11

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[Kaiho]

Hello Pens,
(Is that what you want me to call you?)

Welcome to Liberation Unleashed! My name is Liam, and I’ll be glad to be your guide if you like.

As your guide, I’ll give you exercises to help you investigate whether there is a separate self. Your task is to look directly at your sensory experience in the here and now and report on your experience without input from memory, thinking, and imagination. Try to approach these exercises with “beginner’s mind,” setting aside everything you know about science, philosophy, and spiritual teachings.

Please read through “Liberation Unleashed is not …” in the FAQs of LU.
http://liberationunleashed.com/about/faq/#faq-1041

I'll type questions for you to answer in blue to make it easier for you to see them. When replying to a question, please use the quote function to highlight the question being answered. This will make our dialogue easier to follow. Please watch the video below to learn how to use the quote function.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fAToDNh9hQ

The website goes down at times. To avoid losing your work, you may find it helpful to copy and paste questions asked into Word, answer them there, and then copy and paste them to your thread.

Let’s try to stick to a daily conversation. Of course, life happens, so if you need more time, please let me know. I’ll do so as well. What time zone are in? I’m in Portugal, which is in the Western European Time Zone.

Let me know if you have any questions about this introductory message. If everything sounds ok, we can start.

Love,
Liam