Hello Deanna,
Do this exercise before reading my feed back:
Here is how to distinguish truth from lies.
We often lie every day & don't realize it.
For example, the grocery clerk asks, "How are you?" You reply, "I'm fine." While, yes. there is a sense in which we are always fine, even in the middle of suffering, at that moment, you were grieving the death of your dog, you had a slight sore throat & you had a headache, but you didn't feel like sharing all of that with the grocery clerk, so you lied, "I'm fine."
Also, it matters none at all how "distant" the remembered lie is. Besides the fact that time itself is fictional, a kind if lie, as we recall the lie it becomes present in this moment, as if it were happening now. This brings the body Sensation that accompanies lying.
Lies can be intentional or unintentional, conscious or unconscious, even so automatic that we ourselves are fooled.
The story of a separate "self" is a lie.
This is the lie you came here to see through. Therefore, it is helpful to notice the body Sensation of lying as one of the tools for finding the truth of no self.
You want to be in touch with body Sensations & able to clearly express them in words. This will help.
Lies are usually felt in the heart or solar plexus as a contraction that we may label as tight, heavy or tense.
In contrast, truth is usually expansive. We may call it loose, light or relaxed.
First, can you remember a time when you lied to someone you loved?
Here we count anything, lies we think of as "big" or "small" that "matter" or don't "matter."
How are you? I'm fine. No, your knee hurts, but you don't feel like discussing it with the grocery clerk.
It's a lie. A seemingly "bigger" one will work better for this exercise.
Find the lie. I don't need the whole story, just a few key words to refer to it.
Then scan your body for any Sensation (DE or Direct Experience), particularly in the gut or maybe the heart. Check very closely.
What is found?
If you think the memory you used wasn't clear enough, find another one or lie to yourself right now, make something up.
1 + 1 = 14 is a lie.
I love eating worms is (probably) a lie.
Or call up a video of a lying politician & notice what Sensations arise as you listen.
I will give you a clue: it is not that peaceful Sensation you felt before when you omitted "I." (refers to an exercise I gave before this one)
Please report back with what body Sensations (not interpretations) you feel. Bodies can feel hot or cold, heavy or light, contraction or expansion, etc.
"Peaceful" is an interpretation of a body Sensation, not the Sensation itself, for example.
Do you see that?
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Feedback
1. Is one truer than the other, and If so, which one?
The statements without “l am” feel more true because there’s no “l”
Does it feel truer or this is a mental conclusion?
2. What is here without labels?
Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, thinking. I almost wrote, “objects” but then asked, ”what are objects before labels”? Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, thinking.
Yes, you are right. ^^ Nice
All words and concepts are misleading but they can be useful. To me, it is perfectly fine to call everything that arises in your awareness as "object" as long as we are clear that those "objects" are not physical, solid things in a material world.
Which you seem to be clear about.
3. Do labels affect the experience or just describe it?
I don’t know. Labels seem to make everything about me.
Try to share more about how it feel at the level of sensation.
The question is more oriented toward how do labels affect your body sensation.
Can you answer from that perspective?
4. Did you notice any differences in the body? There are some. Check your Sensations, particularly in your gut/ solar plexus
.
Without the “I am” body feels more open and less resistant to experience. Writing the “l am” statements felt different, tension, a little contraction. More “in the head” less embodied.
Great, follow this openness!
