RE: Re: Doing Inquiry with the Thinking Mind Only

[Guest guest]

Steve D

I will leave it to Jan to clarify what she meant when she wrote this.

From what I understand her to be saying, I can say this is my experience

too. However the word 'feeling' is a loaded word for me. Do I mean the

anger I feel when I lash out or the sadness, fear and disappointment

that I find can lie lurking underneath? Also, my 'feeling' often seems

like the enemy.

I liked quote from earlier today

'Feeling is the effect of attaching to a prior belief. We think,

experience a feeling, and then act on that feeling in an attempt to

alter it. Because we attempt to alter our feelings, we reach outside

ourselves (relationships, food, alcohol, drugs) for temporary

comfort.

My way is to have the feeling, do The Work (investigate my thinking),

and notice that the feeling changes ---- order replaces chaos.'

The opposite of this seems to me to be

Avoid the feeling and don't investigate.

How do I investigate my thinking unless I am willing to fully experience

how anger feels, how sadness feels?. I think the thought, I avoid the

feeling, I try to change the feeling, I think another thought to try to

make the feeling go away.

I think the thought, I have the feeling, I notice the thought hurts. I

have to know that it hurts.

I find that the work 'works' for me when I am willing to do this. When

I am willing to sit with a feeling and inquire into my thinking without

trying to change either. Sometimes I use the work as a head game,

trying to bybass and fix whatever the feeling is. I realise this may or

may be not be your experience. Maybe we need another word for 'feeling'

Steve N

Re: Doing Inquiry with the Thinking Mind Only

Jan wrote:

" Learning this, I shifted in my method for doing Loving What Is.

Allowing the answers to come up from what feels like my solar plexis

makes all the difference in the world.

(SD) The above is absolutely true for me. It is also my experience.

Jan wrote:

" For me, LWI appears to be about confused thinking, but it's really

about getting in touch with your feelings and the truth of what's

blocking my perception of love/peace/joy.

Blessings - Jan "

(SD) The above is absolutlely not true for me. I never found any

problem being in touch with my feelings. My feelings ran my life. I

continually acted on my feelings without ever realizing what really

caused those feelings. I mistakenly believed that the cause was

outside of me. What The Work has done for me is to put me in touch

with my unchallenged belief in the lies that create the uncomfortable

feelings.

Steve D.