Just One Look Forum Archives

First of all, thank you for the wonderful work that you do. Like many other spiritual seekers, I have traveled on many paths and found different things, but I was never totally satisfied. I don't know how I was lucky enough to find one of your books. Again lucky I was to actually try what you proposed. And, though I still tried other techniques, methods and paths, I always come back to just looking at myself. Nothing else lasts more than a few days, afterwards becoming useless... so I keep looking at myself.

I find in that peace, stillness; I find in that the taste of being. Not being someone or something, just being, the strongest feeling of being, like everything could be held in it. Somehow, I get that this is all there is, or I just think that this is all there is. When I look at myself, everything else becomes at the same time not as important as that and a part of that. So I will keep it up as much as I can.

I do have one question, though. I would really appreciate if you could take the time to give me your advice. I have always been kind of a sensitive person. I "contaminate" very easily from other people's emotions and thoughts. It is enough for someone angry to sit near me, and the energy of anger reflects in me too. I wouldn't mind that too much, it is a part of this personality, it's ok... but when something like this happens, I can't focus anymore... my attention becomes hazy... I can still look at myself, but everything becomes blurry... and I would like to keep the work going for as much as possible.

Could you give me your advice? What should I do in order to keep the looking going? Thank you for your time and for all your work.

My gratitude is not worth much, but for now it's all I have.

All the best.

Dragos

I read this post and talked about it at the Worldwide Meeting on April 9, 2011.

You can listen to the entire recordingin our podcast. Please let me know if more is needed.

In love,

John

in love,

John

Dear Mr. Sherman,

Thank you very much for your reply. I listened to your answer and to the rest of the podcast with great delight.

There is one other thing that I noticed. It's very easy, in the beginning of the looking, to grab on to the first thing that offers safety. You talked about it. It is easy to grab onto the presence, to the feeling of something safe. It happened to me too. I would get this pleasant feeling of safety and deep presence, like intense beeing. But that's just another object of perception, right? It cannot be me, I am the one looking at it and enjoying it and indulging it. And, of course, if this feeling of presence didn't show up, I would end up thinking I`m not doing it right. But that's not it.

When I look at myself, truly, when the attention is turned onto the source of itself, there is no object-subject duality, there's no experience. It's a non-experience. I cannot describe it. It has no quality. It cannot be put into words, and even that's a lot said... I hope this is right, but, ultimately, I don't know if there is anything else anymore... that's just it... I can't understand it, the mind cannot get it, it's just there... hope this is consistent with your own experience... If there's something else that can be done, please let me know. Thank you.

D. (Romania)

I read this post and talked about it at the Worldwide Meeting on May 7, 2011.

You can listen to the entire recordingin our podcast. Please let me know if more is needed.

In love,

John