Mike Knapp:
It looks like you’re saying that in a situation where there is a piece of sense-data, like a sensation on my foot, there is often, but not always, a corresponding piece of sense-data with a “felt sense of observer” to it. Let me know if I’ve gotten this wrong, but so far, I think I’m with you.
Correct.
]Where I get confused is where you suggest noting “the phenomenon being read as self as an aggregate, and direct the mind to start seeing it simply as so.” Do you mean “bare noting”, like “aggregate” or “not-self”, or; do you mean something more complex, like which specific aggregate it is? Also, what do yo mean by “direct the mind to start seeing it simply as so”?
Any clarifying explanations or examples would be much appreciated.
I mean noticing and then noting/labeling what is being blindly assigned a 'sense of being self'. notice that it is nothing other than one or more of the aggregates i.e. a sense consiousness i.e. sound, sight, smell, physical sensation, with feeling tone (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) or thought (image or string of words, a word, belief, view, mental overlay/projection/proliferation), as well as any 'urges' to act/fabricate/proliferate. Such 'urges' in my experience are the hardest to catch as they are occuring a million miles per second at all times. Sitting still with the intention to notice what initiates any action of body speech or mind helps. In my experience, they were sensations that if not observed dispationately would trigger acts of body speech or mind.
The 5 aggregates in a nutshell with some overlap (rupa-the physical and nama-the mental-feeling tone, consciousness, volitional urges, perception). All the below are wrapped up neatly under 'nama and rupa'.
Nama & Rupa
The physical sense doors (sound, sight, smell, touch and other physical sensations)
Physical sensations within and on the surface of body.
The feeling tone that accompanies sensations of any kind ( pleasant, unpleasant, neutral)
Thought and all its possible manifestations (image, string of images, word, string of words, mental overlays, beliefs, manner of holding any object/s, views, mental proliferation, fabrication, mental projection)
Urges to act via body, speech but more importantly mind. Mind comes first.
When you see what is being noted like so, you can also notice at the same time that such phenomena arise and pass continuously, and arise and pass without any help from a supposed 'self' and to take any of it as pertaining to a supposed 'self' simply sucks. Noting will make the mind honest about what it is noticing. There is no sense of self in any of it. If there is a felt sense of being self, look closer at the qualities of the phenomenon being blindly assigned such a title. Does it arise and pass continuously, does it stay the same, stay in the same location, does it move about, morph, change, shift about, never staying static? And if so, does it do all of this continuous movement and dissapearing acts with or without any help from a 'you'?
Nick