WEBVTT

NOTE
This file was generated by Descript 

00:00:00.070 --> 00:00:03.549
Joe: What we take to be a
self is tentative, fictitious,

00:00:04.165 --> 00:00:06.599
constructed by clinging,  temporary

00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:09.309
identification with some
parts of experience.

00:00:09.725 --> 00:00:14.365
Self arises, solidifying itself, like ice

00:00:14.365 --> 00:00:15.115
floating in water.

00:00:15.811 --> 00:00:18.507
Ice is actually made of the
same substance as water.

00:00:18.815 --> 00:00:19.695
Identification

00:00:19.695 --> 00:00:22.895
and clinging harden the water into ice.

00:00:23.121 --> 00:00:25.271
In a similar way, we sense ourself as

00:00:25.271 --> 00:00:27.434
separate.” t

00:00:27.450 --> 00:00:32.011
This realization that the separate self is
an illusion must be one of the most useful

00:00:32.021 --> 00:00:33.111
things I've ever learned.

00:00:33.467 --> 00:00:36.383
I spent most of my life
I was a separate self-

00:00:36.383 --> 00:00:41.252
contained unit and I felt
disconnected from those around me.

00:00:41.562 --> 00:00:42.552
From the universe as a

00:00:42.552 --> 00:00:43.022
whole.

00:00:43.620 --> 00:00:47.120
But where exactly is
this seat of the self?

00:00:47.628 --> 00:00:50.108
Where's the little Joe who's up there

00:00:50.108 --> 00:00:52.115
in my head, directing everything?

00:00:52.875 --> 00:00:54.705
Where is the seat of attention?

00:00:55.303 --> 00:00:56.523
If I look for myself,

00:00:56.553 --> 00:00:57.963
where do I find myself?

00:00:58.501 --> 00:01:07.050
I find a constant flow of sense data,
sights, sounds, smells, temperature.

00:01:07.813 --> 00:01:09.033
I find thoughts.

00:01:09.468 --> 00:01:12.449
But who are these thoughts occurring to?

00:01:12.479 --> 00:01:18.254
As Kornfield says, identification and
clinging harden the water into ice.

00:01:18.947 --> 00:01:19.077
The

00:01:19.077 --> 00:01:22.817
closest thing I can find to a
separate self is this contraction

00:01:22.817 --> 00:01:24.613
in my chest that seems to

00:01:24.613 --> 00:01:28.447
create some kind of
locus in time and space.

00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:31.100
But actually I am in no way separate

00:01:31.110 --> 00:01:32.955
from the flow.

00:01:32.955 --> 00:01:35.515
This has been seen through
for me in meditation.

00:01:36.205 --> 00:01:37.065
What I find in

00:01:37.075 --> 00:01:44.134
meditation, if I have a good session,
is I drop into a much larger, possibly

00:01:44.194 --> 00:01:47.391
infinite, ocean of awake awareness.

00:01:47.913 --> 00:01:51.117
Which mostly has a fairly
neutral quality, but there's

00:01:51.147 --> 00:01:52.927
actually a lovingness there.

00:01:53.587 --> 00:01:58.297
A gentle sense of And I
find this encouraging to

00:01:58.297 --> 00:01:59.117
say the least.

00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:03.219
Of course, I have a social
self and I need to function.

00:02:03.461 --> 00:02:05.439
And go to work and perform my

00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.159
roles in society.

00:02:07.394 --> 00:02:14.203
But there's no need to constantly reify
the separate self, this particle, somehow

00:02:14.203 --> 00:02:16.253
split off from the rest of the universe.

00:02:17.177 --> 00:02:20.727
What I actually find is an openness, a

00:02:20.727 --> 00:02:26.199
sort of infinite openness, where I
used to imagine my separate self to be.

00:02:27.070 --> 00:02:29.592
Jack Kornfield talks about ice and water.

00:02:30.352 --> 00:02:32.924
heard it talked about in terms of a

00:02:32.924 --> 00:02:33.644
wave.

00:02:34.134 --> 00:02:36.804
A wave that somehow thinks
it's separate from the ocean.

00:02:37.600 --> 00:02:38.530
Or a Sunbeam

00:02:38.540 --> 00:02:40.200
that's forgotten it's part of the sun.

00:02:40.970 --> 00:02:43.711
I'm a part of something
much bigger than I always

00:02:43.711 --> 00:02:44.851
took myself to be.

00:02:45.576 --> 00:02:47.696
But it's also something incredibly simple.

00:02:48.476 --> 00:02:49.336
It's just the present

00:02:49.336 --> 00:02:49.846
moment.

00:02:50.504 --> 00:02:52.124
I'm not separate to
you who's reading this.

00:02:53.287 --> 00:02:55.973
I really am just part of this flow.

00:02:56.402 --> 00:03:00.543
I only care about this because I guess
I've always just wanted to know the truth.

00:03:00.843 --> 00:03:00.903
I

00:03:01.093 --> 00:03:05.515
guess I've always suffered feeling
so separate from things around me.

00:03:05.929 --> 00:03:06.369
I's a great

00:03:06.369 --> 00:03:12.791
relief when I realize and drop into the
fact that I'm this open, loving awareness.

00:03:13.690 --> 00:03:13.940
And I

00:03:13.940 --> 00:03:18.726
can then accept everything just exactly
the way it is in the present moment.

00:03:19.645 --> 00:03:22.446
After all, what other
choice, do I really have?

00:03:25.681 --> 00:03:27.871
What did we take to be yourself?

00:03:28.591 --> 00:03:28.801
Is.

00:03:29.791 --> 00:03:30.391
Start again.

00:03:31.741 --> 00:03:33.121
What did we take to be itself?

00:03:33.151 --> 00:03:35.431
Is the tentative fictitious.

00:03:36.751 --> 00:03:37.441
Start again.

00:03:39.181 --> 00:03:41.701
That we take to be yourself is tentative.

00:03:41.821 --> 00:03:42.751
Fictitious.

00:03:43.531 --> 00:03:44.911
Constructed by cleaning.

00:03:45.961 --> 00:03:49.441
Uh, temporary identification
with some parts of experience.

00:03:50.461 --> 00:03:53.311
Self arises, solidifying itself.

00:03:54.031 --> 00:03:55.801
Like ice floating in water.

00:03:56.911 --> 00:03:59.911
Ice is actually made of
the same substances water.

00:04:01.711 --> 00:04:05.581
Identification in clinging
harden, the water into us.

00:04:06.691 --> 00:04:08.041
In a similar way.

00:04:11.461 --> 00:04:13.111
We sent ourselves as separate.

00:04:16.681 --> 00:04:18.601
We sent ourself a separate.

00:04:20.821 --> 00:04:21.391
That's Jack.

00:04:21.391 --> 00:04:23.431
Kornfield the wise heart.

00:04:26.791 --> 00:04:27.991
This revelation.

00:04:29.761 --> 00:04:30.901
For me that.

00:04:31.501 --> 00:04:32.701
The separate self.

00:04:33.901 --> 00:04:34.891
Is an illusion.

00:04:37.831 --> 00:04:40.411
Uh, persistent illusion that I've had.

00:04:41.071 --> 00:04:43.201
My whole life until quite recently.

00:04:45.001 --> 00:04:47.221
He's maybe the most important
thing I've ever learned.

00:04:48.841 --> 00:04:51.751
And I learned it through experimentation.

00:04:54.361 --> 00:04:58.231
Closing my eyes and looking
for the state of attention.

00:04:59.641 --> 00:05:02.191
Looking for what's looking.

00:05:04.801 --> 00:05:05.821
Is there a little.

00:05:06.601 --> 00:05:07.471
Mini Joe.

00:05:08.221 --> 00:05:09.271
Up there in my head.

00:05:10.411 --> 00:05:11.731
Controlling labors.

00:05:15.031 --> 00:05:16.501
I'm moving my body around.

00:05:18.061 --> 00:05:19.621
And making me act in the world.

00:05:22.531 --> 00:05:25.441
If I look to find myself my separate self.

00:05:26.401 --> 00:05:28.321
Where exactly is it located?

00:05:34.741 --> 00:05:38.701
I've seen other writers use this
metaphor of like ice in water.

00:05:40.351 --> 00:05:43.231
I've also seen the metaphor of a wave.

00:05:43.981 --> 00:05:44.701
In the ocean.

00:05:46.051 --> 00:05:48.451
But our lady that imagined itself.

00:05:48.871 --> 00:05:49.801
To be separate.

00:05:56.521 --> 00:06:01.351
Or a bane of sunlight that plays itself
to be completely separate from the sun.

00:06:05.101 --> 00:06:06.541
I take this to mean that.

00:06:09.211 --> 00:06:10.591
There's only one entity.

00:06:11.911 --> 00:06:12.991
And I'm a part of it.

00:06:15.271 --> 00:06:18.451
And what I actually am
is an open awareness.

00:06:20.191 --> 00:06:22.951
Experiencing a whole bunch of sense data.

00:06:23.911 --> 00:06:24.991
In the present moment.

00:06:28.951 --> 00:06:30.121
But what I'm not.

00:06:30.871 --> 00:06:32.671
Is something separated off.

00:06:33.781 --> 00:06:35.761
Somehow apart from.

00:06:38.011 --> 00:06:39.901
From you, who's listening to this.

00:06:41.551 --> 00:06:43.351
Well from anything else in the universe.

00:06:50.191 --> 00:06:51.481
What I experienced.

00:06:53.191 --> 00:06:54.301
In meditation.

00:06:55.591 --> 00:06:57.391
Is that I am loving awareness.

00:07:08.851 --> 00:07:11.791
I'm not on part of this
huge ocean of consciousness.

00:07:15.301 --> 00:07:18.511
Which mostly has a pretty
neutral feel to it.

00:07:20.011 --> 00:07:22.051
But there is a very subtle.

00:07:22.621 --> 00:07:23.071
Well,

00:07:24.571 --> 00:07:25.921
And there's a very subtle.

00:07:26.821 --> 00:07:29.341
Kindness to this ocean of awareness.

00:07:30.691 --> 00:07:31.621
Which I am.

00:07:36.631 --> 00:07:37.981
That's a wonderful.

00:07:39.121 --> 00:07:40.441
Thing to connect with.

00:07:42.901 --> 00:07:44.311
And it's a great relief.

00:07:48.691 --> 00:07:50.941
And this identification and clean.

00:07:52.411 --> 00:07:56.461
That Jack Kornfield talks about
that hardens mortar into ice.

00:07:57.901 --> 00:08:00.331
That's where most of my
pain in life comes from.

00:08:02.131 --> 00:08:03.211
Well, I can feel.

00:08:04.261 --> 00:08:05.101
I'm not chest.

00:08:05.791 --> 00:08:06.931
It's like a little.

00:08:07.711 --> 00:08:08.401
Hook.

00:08:11.401 --> 00:08:12.481
That you could almost.

00:08:14.551 --> 00:08:15.691
Hook something on to.

00:08:21.271 --> 00:08:23.011
That is the seat of my.

00:08:23.881 --> 00:08:25.591
Clinging clenching.

00:08:26.941 --> 00:08:27.931
Contraction.

00:08:31.801 --> 00:08:34.351
Which tells me it's a separate self.

00:08:36.211 --> 00:08:37.501
And what I'm working on.

00:08:40.141 --> 00:08:41.131
Is releasing that.

00:08:43.291 --> 00:08:45.241
Letting go of that hook.

00:08:48.511 --> 00:08:50.971
And just resting in open.

00:08:51.841 --> 00:08:53.941
Awareness in the present moment.

00:08:56.671 --> 00:08:58.381
And accepting things.

00:08:59.551 --> 00:09:00.721
Exactly as they are.

00:09:05.071 --> 00:09:06.031
Because what are the choice?

00:09:06.061 --> 00:09:06.931
Do I really have.