Bob Ford
Bob Ford
Sep 1, 2018 · 2 min read

Well done, Caitlin. I especially resonated with the parts about the nature of consciousness and self. This is the core of our identity as individuals. You are exactly right about the need to turn our attention to the field itself. I liked your set of questions there: “What is all this? How is this experience occurring? From where do these thoughts arise? To whom do they appear? What is it that this field of experience is arising to? What the hell am I, anyway?”
And the nature of the experiencer. As you say, “you’re investigating the investigator. The appearances of sensory impressions, thoughts and feelings are clearly appearing, but what is it that they are appearing to?”
I found, in meditation, that if I turned around, so to speak, to see who was doing the seeing, there was no one there. There was (is) no seer. There is only the seeing. If I let go of the ego self, which is really only an outfit I put on for interacting with the world, and then let go of the inner self, which is my ideas about this entity called “me,” then there is no self left to latch onto. There is no seer. There is only “no-self.” If I sit with “no-self” for a while, things begin to open up to a much, much broader perspective.
And you were right, Caitlin, to emphasize the importance of applying these insights to our behavior, our conditioning, and to our lived world. This is where we as a society, perhaps as a species, will begin to change.
You’re not my guru. But you are my fellow seeker. (And, yes, if I find you on the satsang tour trying to gain adulation or lots of money, I will use an ice pick.)

    Bob Ford

    Written by

    Bob Ford