‘Is there a ‘me’ in here?’ Recorded Online Webinar

February 7th 2024

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So when we take a moment to actually check for ourselves in our direct experience if there is  actually someone in here, we may be first of all confronted with all kinds of thoughts,  the story of 'me' and my life and my body, my mind, my experience, my feelings, my thoughts. 

And we are usually so used to taking our thoughts to really be meaningful, as if everything they say must be true, so when thought says, "I am me, I am located inside here and I'm looking out of these eyes at the world outside of me", this is the usual assumption that most people make all the time, and it's a natural assumption because this body does seem to be very real, 

it is real it is as real as anything is real and logically according to thought it seems as if 

the experience is happening to this body and the usual assumption is that I'm in this body. 

But when we ask ourselves absolutely fresh,  without relying on any old assumptions or beliefs,without relying on what we think but simply asking ourselves, absolutely in innocence, in not knowing any preconceived knowing just simply right now, not talking generally over time,  or anything like that, but literally right now:

• Is there someone hearing my voice right now?

• Is there someone seeing this image right now?

When we assume that there is someone in between the experience and that knowing of it, we create somehow a mental barrier that separates the experience as  if it's somehow separate from who I am and so this this often, well first of all it's the usual assumption, it's kind of considered normal whatever that is but also it's often a protection against the intensity of life experience.

So when we ask ourselves absolutely freshly if there is someone in here we might feel at first very unprotected, very naked because I would suggest that we just find the 

experience that there is simply the experience, this sound, this image, not happening to me but just simply happening there is knowing of it but that knowing of it is not separate from The Happening itself.

It's not my experience, it's not located here and I'm in here experiencing it.

It's simply happening, you could say happening in Awareness but this awareness is not the body, it's not located in the body, it's not a container of  some kind, it's boundless, it's unlimited and it's an unconditional embrace of whatever is here.

So thoughts arise, not my thoughts but just thoughts.

Thoughts arise, even saying those thoughts that say "me,  I am me" they arise in this awareness that I am.

They are not my thoughts but they are simply thoughts,  waves of energy, thought energy you could say.

Sensations arise they're not my sensations,  even if 'thought' might arise also saying "this is my sensation" it doesn't mean that it's true, it's just simply sensation arising.

This goes for the whole play of experience and of course the attention is shifting from one aspect of the experience to another and thought will be telling a story about what it all means,  what it all means about me or about my life and this is no problem it ,doesn't disturb anyone because there is no one in here to be disturbed, there may be an experience  of disturbance but it's not happening to 'me' and when we really acknowledge this it is a  freedom. It is a freedom that we know that actually none of it means anything,  there's not a seriousness with it, even in certain situations which might feel very serious and it doesn't mean that we don't feel, in fact it can be the opposite we can even  feel more intensely the experience because there is no longer this layer of protection, of this mental assumption of a 'me' experiencing.

In fact life can often be experienced in a more raw and real way, more simple, more down to 

earth actually, more innocent,  it's simply happening and it doesn't mean anything about me, it's much less dramatic.

Even thoughts, even when the thoughts do say that  there is a 'me', it never actually means 

that there is a me and this is radical, right so you're free to then have all kinds of me thoughts. You don't have to start clearing  up your me thoughts or changing your language 

so that you don't say 'me'. Of course we play  the game as if there is a 'me' in here, we 

talk about myself and yourself. Why not?  

There's nothing wrong with that when you get the joke of it then you're free to actually play as  if there is a 'me' because this is what we were playing as. We're playing as if we are separate,  so that we can meet, so that we can know ourselves and explore ourselves.

So this is gives so much freedom to really play in this play of of 'me's,  knowing that it's just a joke, it's it doesn't mean anything.

We can't really talk about the fact that there is no one in here, I mean I am doing that now but you  know in normal conversation there's no point in meeting a friend and saying you know there's no  point in talking to you because there's no one in here. You know and I sometimes hear these kinds  of conversations among spiritual seekers and it's 

a bit ridiculous I feel because we play the game,  you know let's play as if there is 'me', you 

know 'me' here 'you' there but we don't take it  seriously. Even if we talk about serious things 

this is simply a play, a dance of energy in who  I am, as life itself, awareness itself, playing as if it is two separate entities but it's all a play in who I am, who I am really. I'm never limited to this separate human, there is no separation actually I'm never located anywhere, I'm 

aware of a play as if there is location, as if I'm in here looking out of these eyes. This is the game,  the wondrous Game of Life but don't take it too seriously, it's just a game.