In inquiry – whether it’s sense field exploration or The work – I find it very interesting to look at images. What images are here? What do they look like? What’s the stories that goes with them? If they are taken as true, what happens? How do I live my life? What feelings come up? What thoughts come up?
Images are nonverbal thoughts, and they seem more basic and primal than verbal thoughts. If I only do inquiry on verbal thoughts, it’s very easy to skim along and stay within what’s familiar. If I take time and look at what images are here, I am often surprised. The images are often different from what I expect.
Thoughts may say they are uglier, more crude, more judgmental, more primitive. And yet, I also find they are innocent. They are all worried or confused love. I may even find genuine love and appreciation for them, as they are.
And they help me understand my reactions. They make up, in a very real sense, my more basic beliefs and assumptions of the world. When these images are taken as true, when they are identified with, my feelings, views, and actions follow. I feel, see, and live as if they are true.