The Gate

Hello,

I would like to receive the final questions.

I answered the initial questions in January 2021 and if I were to update my initial questions this would be it:


LU is focused guiding for seeing there is no real, inherent 'self' - what do you understand by this?
I am a buddhist. I believe that the creation of the "self" is an illusion. It is a creation of the mind to create meaning of input from the sensory experiences.

What are you looking for at LU?
My initial response was:
A community. Not really sure how to fill this field with 190 more characters! I know all of this is not real. I know that everything we fill our lives with, concerns, worries are nothing but distractions. I am looking to find a community of people who gets it.
My response today is:
I love what LU is doing and I would still like to be part of that community. I work specifically with the fetters and believe I can be of use and support for anyone, in LU, who would like to look into the 10 types of identification. I have a Q&A every other Friday and have a fetters inquiry with Todd Lent (vegansatori) every other Tuesday.

What do you expect from a guided conversation?

My initial response was:
I rarely hold expectations. But as I said: I seek to find a likeminded community and to meet people who are more advanced than I. With a guided conversation I hope to engage in a conversation with someone who will see me with the same clarity l probably see the other person.
My response today is:
I am no longer really looking for conversations with a guide. I am at the point where I would like to be asked the final questions.

What is your experience in terms of spiritual practices, seeking and inquiry?

My initial response was:
I have engaged in self-development for decades and are a Buddhist. And to explain my "11" on the willingness scale below. I prefer to be made aware of held beliefs that l might not be conscious of, hence the 11. Its not about "willingness" its about becoming aware of hidden patterns.
My response today is:
I have since my initial application created The Awakening Curriculum on Youtube that is guiding people through the 10 fetters.

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

Hi!
Okay, let's do this!

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it now.

3) How does it feel to see this? What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.

4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?

5) Describe decision & give examples from experience.

Describe intention & give examples from experience.

Describe free will & give examples from experience.

Describe choice & give examples from experience.

Describe control & give examples from experience.

What makes things happen? How does it work?

What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

6) Anything to add?

Answer these as fully and with as much detail from your current experience as possible, and then I'll submit them to the other guides and see if anyone has any other follow-up questions for you!

1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me' 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?
Answer: No. The perception of a “self”, “me”, “I” is a trick of the mind. When the body has sensory experiences all the information is gathered by the brain and in that a sense of time, continuity and self is created. None of them are real.

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it now.
Answer:The experience of a separate self is created via the perception of sensory experiences with an attachment to identification. So one thing is the actual sensory experiences but something completely different is the perception of the sensory experience. In the perception of the sensory experiences lie the mind-created subjective label that has been added to “what” happened and “why” it happened. Everything mind-created is based on previous conclusions of experiences or what I call Post-its. When I thought I was an “I”, I had stories, a past, a family dynamic, traumas and so on. Years were spent trying to create meaning of experiences. I found out that what I had a story about, what I experienced as having happened to me was exclusive to me. It was based on my perception, knowledge in the moment, conclusions, assumptions, and judgments. After seeing through self it was very clear that none of what I thought I had experienced actually happened. It was just a very specific experience in that moment and a story about it was repeated. That was then created into “my past” or “my family dynamic” or “my likes/dislikes”. I now know that the foundation of the illusion of the separate self is an attachment to identification. It is also why I find the fetters so helpful. To acknowledge, accept and understand the 10 different ways of attachment to identification is very helpful in seeing through the illusion of a separate self.

3) How does it feel to see this? What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.
Answer: To constantly be aware of the attachment to identification is liberating. I am using the metaphor of “the bubble of reality” to guide people in constantly recognising that everything we think we hear, see, smell, taste and touch is only a reflection of a known experience not what is actually there to have a sensory experience of. Same goes for identification with thought and reflections of a perceived “out there” or “them”.

4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?
Answer: I am sorry, I no longer recall. It happened back in 1995.

5) Describe decision & give examples from experience.
Answer: No decision can ever be made. The factors in “making a decision” are not connected to any kind of agency, free will, wants, dislikes, ambition, preferences or anything else. Decision is a completely random occurrence that the frontal lobe takes credit for and claims as an “I decided this”. That is simply not the case!

Describe intention & give examples from experience.
Answer: The experience looks something like this; I am sitting and feel a sensory experience of thirst. As a reaction, a thought of a glass of water comes into mind. A memory of a previous experience of being thirsty, drinking water and experiencing a quenched thirst is now projected into this moment, and the mind create a scenario where the past experience is assumed to be going to happen now in the same manner. A sensation of decision is then arising where it feels like “I am deciding” to get up and get a glass of water. However, whether I get up or not is not attached to any intention of getting up or not getting up. So again: there is no connection with an “I” and any illusion of intention.

Describe free will & give examples from experience.
Answer: Same as above, although a bit more interesting since there is now also biochemistry involved.

Describe choice & give examples from experience.
Answer: Same as above.

Describe control & give examples from experience.
Answer: Same answer as in the “free will” question.

What makes things happen? How does it work?
Answer: I honestly do not know! And I don’t think we will ever know.

What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.
Answer: besides supporting the meatsuit in survival and brain washing my 2 kids, not much else. Lol. To elaborate; if there is not a separate self, there is no free will, and no control, there can not be any such thing as responsibility either.

6) Anything to add?
Answer: The reason I want to go through the gateless gate with LU is that I wish to support LU in any way that I can. I truly appreciate everything that LU stands for and are doing on a daily basis. As I wrote in my initial questions in 2021 I am looking to be part of the LU community.