A rant for reality.

See the difference between IT, and About IT.
See the difference between a Thought, and the Content of that Thought.
If you See that there is a thought, and also See that the thought is About something.
That About, is a Story!
The Thought is Not. The Thought is an Experience.
Reacting to That Thought Experience, happens without judgement, without opinion, without belief. It happens without reacting to a Story and without building a New Story.
This is IT !!
Thoughts about This will happen.
You will See them and recognise them as part of a Story. You will simply ignore them as Just a Story ABOUT... and know that they mean about as much as the sound of the refrigerator.
That will be another Experience... well, no. Experience is a thing, and by now you are EXPERIENCING.
This is IT.
This IS..!
IT Always Has Been. You just didn't SEE it before.
This is Totally Choice-less.
This is Total Trust that What needs to Happen. Will Happen. (and it Does..)
Stop scratching the Seeking Itch. That will let the bite heal.
Then it won't itch any more, much..
Well it does, but you can See that it's refrigerator sound.
...but we get ahead of our 'selves' here.

Awareness

Awareness is simply a label collating the diverse experience of various forms appearing via dependent origination, there is nothing singular, independent, unchanging, inherent. Nothing can be pinned down. Soh Wei Yu

Labels and the damage they can do.

This is a copy and paste from; http://markedeternal.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/labels.html
Don't just read it, DO the exercise. Amazement will occur.

When we are little children we learn to speak through labelling. At least this is how I remember.
Mum would ask - what is this?
I would say- this is a house
This is a car.
This is a window.
This is me.
Where is your nose?
Here is my nose, and I would touch it...

I have learned to label things and experiences and tested my limits and limits of my parents patience by throwing things, by saying no, by trying not to be conditioned. You know that little rebel age if you have kids.

So I learned the language and started using it, communicating with other people. One of most important words was me and mine: this is my toy, not my brother's.

No one has ever told me that 'me' is a word that is only useful in communication with others. Without others, there is no me, without I there is no them.

Somehow this belief in a me became stronger and took over, it became the central belief around which everything else was turning. It's like a belief, that earth is the centre of the universe, I became the centre of my world.

Until I looked. It really was just one look, it took a few seconds and all the search was over. The search for clarity, the quest of 'who am I?' was seen as cosmic joke.

There is no who.
There is nothing here in direct experience that is separate from experienced. Just this. Always now.

If you want to test this, simply do this little experiment that won't even take much of your time. All you need is 20 minutes, a pen & paper.

First write what you are experiencing right now using words I and me. Get right to the point, no past or future fantasy, just plain description of here now.

Like this-
I am laying in bed. I am hearing the rain, I am typing these words..

Do it for 10 minutes. Watch the body, are there any sensations of tightening or relaxing?

Then for next 10 minutes write without words I and me. Just describe the experience as it is happening using verbs:
Waiting for next thought, typing, breathing, blinking, hearing the rain.

Again watch what is happening in the body.

Now compare the two ways to label experience- is one truer than the other? If so, which one? What is here without labels? Do labels affect the experience or just describe it?

Your body knows. I is a label, not experiencer. Not a thinker, not a doer, not a hearer of rain. I is not what makes eyes blink and it is not a breather, it's a word, that is used for convenience of communication. If it's believed to be an entity, the mind is confused, the body is tensed up. Unconfusing it is simple- bring attention back to now and look once again- is there a me behind the word 'me'?

Life is happening. Looking is happening. Getting lost in the story is happening. With or without label I.

What is not on automatic?
And do we really need to be enslaved by labels? After all, experience is what labels point TO.

The story goes on. The belief in story drops away. The story is way much more enjoyable without the fear that something can happen to this 'me' once it's clearly seen that there is no actual me. Confidence, grace, fearlessness, peace with what is starts to shine through as fear gets loosened.

Imagine that! Humans got screwed by labels. And look at world of fashion- labels are so important!

So much emotional pain, such strong desire to get home, when home is all there is. Right here- underneath all the labels. Here, now waiting to be recognized.

Look. Don't think, just look.

After the 'gate'...

http://liberationunleashed.com/Article_After-The-Fall.html

What is liberation/enligtenment ?

Right at this moment I would call it the event of the recognition of a perspective, which then takes time to be deeply integrated into the system. Forkfoot O'Flannigan

a Haiku on Presence.

Anticipate nought.
Remember nothing at all.
What's left? Only NOW!

The habit of self.

The habit of me,
conditioned by life so far.
Now seen as a lie.

The freedom to see,
the world as it is really,
now resides in here.

DeConditioning,
occurs with each emotion.
Each seeing weakens.

What is left now that
self is seen as delusion ?
Just what always was.

But the ride now has
become more wondrous.
Wonder-full it is.

What dies at the point of death ?

In a conversation death came up.
One person asked what survives death, and there was consensus that the only answer to this could be "I don't know"
The next question was "Well, what dies at the point of death ?" and there was agreement that the body does (duh! obvious) but the idea that 'life force' or soul or whatever you want to call it 'leaves' the body at this point, which is a commonly held belief could only be supposition.
There is no doubt that 'something' is missing at the point of death, and on consideration that something was in fact a whole lot of things.
Movement and the unique activity of the person, the expressions, sound expressions, look expressions etc were absent, leaving an inanimate body. This could easily explain the absence of what was seen as the personality or the core essence of that person.
Somebody else then said that "They", meaning the I or Me that they were, that also went, to which i responded, "no, that never existed in the first place."
The idea, the concept that was held and believed to be a Me/I/They would stop as it was brain generated thought, and would stop when the brain/body stopped.
Next there is a story that i like that says the energy, the unseen, unmeasurable energy, maybe even consciousness, anyway something magical returns to be recycled. Nice story, i have no idea if it is right or not - doesn't matter, i'll just use it 'till a better one comes along. i'll never know, there'll be no i when it happens.

Scattering ashes,
with love in my heart for her.
She lives on in me.

Special-ness

Feeling/believing specialness was once what happened as a result of self approval, which was required because of believing that there was no approval from my father.
Whether it was true or not is irrelevant as the belief existed and the feeling of lack flowed from that.
It was just one chapter in the story of me.
According to my father I was "useless", "lazy", and I deserved the 'clip under the ear' when I didn't come up with the answer to the maths homework he was 'helping' me with.
Looking back, it was always when he was on night shift and he was tired and easily frustrated. He also had no ability to relate to us kids except as an authority figure.
So, how was I special?
It evolved. To start with, what I was good at was reading. I read constantly, averaging a book a day.
It was pure escapism, but it gave me a broad vocabulary and the belief that I was knowledgeable.
This belief evolved into Spirituality in my early 20's.
I tried Christianity (I spent 2 years trying to be a Bahá'í ) but it wasn't special enough.
Next came psychology, particularly the 'new age' versions. This lead to feeling knowledgeable again.
The psychology was an attempt to 'fix' my deficiencies and the crossover into spirituality led to yoga which led to meditation. Always superior to the world full of 'plebs' and 'yobos'.
Guess what realization occurred concurrently with awakening ?

If there is an I,
specialness is implicit.
Now, we are all one.

Fright + thought = Fear

Out of fright comes fear.
What is the difference ?
Fright is physical and happens first.
Fear is fright plus thought.
Fear is a concept.
Fear generates chronic fright (and dis-ease)


i have a feeling.
What might it be, thinking says.
Bogeyman of course!

Ha !, caught a belief last night.

Having just read in the Dalai Llamas' autobiography how the Chinese invasion of Tibet was for their mineral rich mountains which has left the rivers that supply China, Burma, India etc, are all now polluted and the Chinese settlement has removed more than half the forest and killed for the newly arrived meat eaters almost all of the wildlife, Then i saw a FaceBook post by a friend of American fundamental christians saying that atheists should be killed.
Well, my indignation went berserk!
Then it was SEEN.
Phew, it's a big one. i wonder how much it will come back now it is seen.
There is a big - no HUGE energy behind this.
How bad are they ? How good am I ?

Then i read a FB post (by Delma Thassa) this morning on the same issue. Is That Synchronicity ?
She said it well;
"Nothing will change because there will always be the poles that Alan Watts talks about. They're inherent. There's no fixing it, no getting rid of them, just seeing them for what they are."

Whether right or wrong,
it's the same wheel that's spinning.
Wonder-Full watching.

Wondering.

Wondering happens.
Not knowing piques interest.
Oh, how Wonder-Full

i almost forgot about this blog...

Have had no inclination to post to this blog for the last 3 weeks.
Still don't really...
, but seeing as how i am here...
Life-ing is good, very full, so much to do - to do at a pace that each activity suggests.
Is deepening happening ? i don't know. It doesn't seem to matter if a concept (deepening) crosses over into experience.
i am playing better golf.

Experiencing
This Now, the feeling is good.
What more can i say ?

This is IT

No matter what i feel like - This is IT!

No matter what i want to feel like - This is IT!

No matter what i think - This is IT!

No matter what has happened in the past - This is IT!

No matter anything - This is IT!

This most certainly will change, but for Now - This is IT!

The full and complete acceptance that This is IT, is what will contribute to How it will change.

Without resistance to what IS and what it might change To, the Extra overlay of worry or anticipation won't exist. Without that Now has best chance to revert to a natural or default state of happiness and joy. Of course, it this has only just started then habit (brain conditioning) needs to run it's course, but simple awareness will erode that.

i think "This is IT"

Then i live "This is IT"

Then This is IT - IS.

valentines day haiku

Saying i love you,
expressing an outpouring,
an overflowing.

investigating beliefs is powerful...

Beliefs are a great way to deepen.
Start with a belief, any belief, and follow it down.
Let's see, what do i believe ?
Hmm, i believe that night will happen in about 4 hours from now.
Ha, first question Clangs into mind;
WHO believes ?
Immediately retorts; There is no-one to believe. That the belief exists in a story. i use that story when evening is approaching and in other organisational processes, probably every day.
Is there any identification with this story ?
No, haven't seen any evidence of it yet.

That anger outburst...

Thoughts that the anger outburst mentioned in the last post may just be a portal to deepening.
How to access it was the question.
Listing any beliefs held, starting with beliefs that may have been behind whatever i was doing when expressing the anger.
Wife accused me of being greedy.
I responded with anger, shouting back "NO, YOU ARE WRONG."
So obviously there is a belief that i am not greedy. That's 1.
2. Equally obvious is that to be greedy or not greedy, there has to be someone to be that way. An I !
3. This implies that for there to be an I, then i am not through the gate.
4. This means that at best, i only ever had an intellectual understanding of it.
5. Does that mean that the I that i intellectually understand is not there, doesn't exist, is still really believed in by the me that i intellectually understand doesn't exist ?
Well, look where that lead me;
The non existant I is a fraud.
The non existant I is pretending to be a non existant I but really is still identified with that non existant I.
Bugger!
What is this non existant I to do?
The non existant I that has no choice anyway. That never actually controlled anything, what is it to do knowing that it can't do anything anyway ?
How can it stop being a fraud and really, really SEE that the non existant I can't possibly identify with a non existant I because it never existed in the first place ?

The Replies.

Re: That anger outburst...

 by Elizabeth » February 12th, 2012, 12:27 am

Well, once you start a nice self-reflective loop like that :-) you may be hooked for a while. It's also a you wanting things done on it's own timetable (which does not exist) so that if it does not happen the way a you wants it to, the I exists, Yay! Because the nothing is not conforming! Proof! 
Or not. 
It's another layer of illusion. Look and see. Just another opportunity, and lucky you, a very juicy one. Excellent chance to deepen! 
Honestly, I don't know if am on target with this, Vince, the loop is very clear from here but I'll bet you get great comments so we will both be interested.

Re: That anger outburst...

 by nonaparry » February 12th, 2012, 6:44 am

What i see here is a Story about an experience: "Wife spoke; i upset myself and spoke. Then i thought."

So obviously there is a belief that i am not greedy.

Actually, this is false; the belief that produced the anger was not that you are not-greedy; it's the belief that yes, she's right, you aregreedy, but somehow that's bad.

i am most fortunate in having The Work to use in situations like this one. if you 'accuse' me of x, i can find where i am x!!! i know i am greedy — so it's easy to see that greediness just happens, and we all partake of it in unique ways. Finding honest examples of where i have indeed acted as 'accused', allows me to meet the label with compassion instead of anger. And please notice that the statement "you are greedy" only becomes an accusation because you say so! 

One way of deconstructing the feelings is to ask yourself, "Wife says i'm greedy, and that means that..." This can bring up a list of fears, each of which can be inquired into through The Work. i find The Work completely compatible with LU, which makes sense as Katie is Awake.

Equally obvious is that to be greedy or not greedy, there has to be someone to be that way.

Oh Really? To be cold or not cold implies a person to be it? i give a physical example because i think it's the easiest way to debunk that falsity.
But really, Emotions clearly don't require an "I" in order to be felt! The feeling arises; it is just there. Only when you choose to identify with it does it become "special" or "you".

Re: That anger outburst...

 by Ingen » February 12th, 2012, 2:41 am

Equally obvious is that to be greedy or not greedy, there has to be someone to be that way. An I !

It doesn't imply that at all. It just implies that you temporarily believe(d) some stories playing out between you and your wife, containing greedy and non-greedy self-images.

Re: That anger outburst...

 by Chronophonix » February 12th, 2012, 12:35 am

Hi vince

May be this can help you, may be not, so I send it to you anyway. It's from one of my last message to Carrol.

You say you don't feel the no-separation, the consciousness connection, so, do you feel separation ? Is the other really one "other", separated from you ? The criteria is simple : the "other" is first a thought, then an emotion; the "other" can hurt you, dislike you, embarass you, scare you, when the "other" is here, you can feel akward, worried, insecure, you can be scared, annoyed, angry, and so on. Have you still such emotions ?
Do you still need to be somebody for anyone else ? To be special ? To be recognized ? Is it important for you to feel worthy to others ? If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, it's your "I" which is concerned. Only a "I" can feel the separation.

I think we are OK about the fact that if there is no "I", there can't be "other", and so, there can't be any separation feeling. So, by hunting all emotions which proves you the existence of the "other", you can deduce if really there is no "I" and then look more acutely to this.

Swami Prajnanpad used to say to his disciple who thought to be more liberated than they really were :
«Bring Swâmiji the wife(or husband)'s certificate»

Namaste
Michel

Re: That anger outburst...

 by Anki » February 12th, 2012, 9:25 am

Hi Vince... here's my penny's worth. The feedbacks:

Self-perpetuating loop from Elizabeth. Yes. So confusing.

Wife's (other's) certificate: Chronophonix. Oh yeah. There are 7 billion of 'us', each a mirror.

Temporarily believing some stories playing out: Ingen. Yup. Storyland.

Only when identifying with them do feelings/thoughts become 'special' (real): Nona. Yessir, everybody's baby, this one.

I like synopses, obviously. Here's my other contribution: When I find the core (which differs for everyone) I am at the root. That's where dissolving happens, which then reveals the truth awaiting.

These lovely feedbacks point to the core. When we recognize, usually via feelings,that we are going round and round, we can look further into the mirror of the external. This helps us realize that we have projected outwardly our very own 'story about' and then identified with it, i.e., temporarily believed that the story and the outward reflection are REAL things and oh so important! Then back to round and round we go.

Unless we look for core. That happens when we probe below the surface for the foundational beliefs beneath the more obvious ones. Eventually those core ideas dissolve (they can't endure the light of clarity), leaving the surface ever more smooth and undisturbed. Shining of clarity light, in my experience, sometimes has to happen numerous times. In the end, it does it. Dissolution of unconscious belief.

Seeing folly (our own), we yearn for Reality. Life's auto Zen stick. Lucky us!

I've spotted and vetted a lot of crap this way. I believed every smelly bit of it. And then I didn't.

Hope this is helpful.

Much love to my guide,
Lisa

Re: That anger outburst...

 by Anki » February 12th, 2012, 9:37 am

Also... going through the gate, absolute recognition of no I, CANNOT be erased. It happens, it's real. We re-identify with something not real, thoughts, etc. That causes us to temporarily set aside what non-identification proved: No self, no going back. Period.

Yes, I am a dictator on this. 

xoxo

Ha!, i responded to a button...

My wife accused me of something,
and i responded with anger,
and immediately saw it happen.
i was defending an image held of me. Ha!

There seems to have taken place...

There seems to have taken place
some kind of change,
a simplification
of Life-ing.
The need to express
with words has diminished,
or perhaps the need for any expression
has withdrawn a considerable amount.
As i read the postings at Liberation Unleashed
i keep wanting to shout out "IT IS JUST WHAT IT IS"
and "IT CAN'T BE CHANGED ANYWAY SO THERE MIGHT AS WELL BE ABSOLUTE ACCEPTANCE OF IT." and "IF YOU'RE NOT LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE THEN WHAT YOU'VE GOT IS FUCKING WONDER-FULL"
and stuff like that.

It IS what it is,
this wonder-full world of ours.
This world full of Wonder.

The day after the funeral...

Lots of emotion yesterday left me feeling light with difficulty concentrating.
Well not actually concentrating but felt that words (spoken and written) were a waste, unnecessary.
It was like i couldn't be bothered to work out what others meant.
Part of me said that there was no point in working it out anyway as it was excess to life.
There is some of this still today.
i really don't have anything to say to the people around me and Facebook seems full of unnecessary natter.