Why is it that "if you can perceive something, you are not it"?

[Recursoinominado]

Recently i am going deep into self-inquiry, even did a 3 days retreat using only my direct experience, dropping all knowledge, ideas, beliefs, concepts etc, i have made some progress but this is bugging me. Usually, it is said that we are not our thoughts because we can perceive them (or anything else) but i cannot grasp this on my direct experience and never saw any explanation for this, only this dogma vibe this seems to be a basic premise of self-inquiry. I mean,  why couldn't i see myself? 

I am not even doubting this statement, it is just not my experience, how can i grasp this?

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

You can't see yourself in a sense because you are a formless shapeshifter, but everything you see and perceive is also yourself because there is no subject/object duality in the absolute sense. An analogy in one of Leos videos is: you are like a flashlight in a dark room projecting light, but cant see the source of the light. Theres a self reference problem because anything you point with to see yourself is also yourself. 

A good way to see in direct experience that your thoughts aren't you (in a sense) is to notice that they pop up out of nowhere whether you are consciously trying to control them or not. 

[Nahm]

4 hours ago, Recursoinominado said:

why couldn't I (1)  see my self (2)

Because you are not-two.

4 hours ago, Recursoinominado said:

how can I (1) grasp this (2)

Ditto. 

[Recursoinominado]

@Nahm Holy shit, this is beautiful!

[Nahm]

@Recursoinominado That’s what she said. 

[Leo Gura]

It works like a TV screen.

The TV screen is not Mario and it is Mario.

If Mario dies, the TV screen is untouched.

Your human form is like Mario. Your God-Self is the TV screen.

[Anton Rogachevski]

@Recursoinominado

You are describing neti neti. (not this not that)

The point is detaching from all to get to a point of total detachment - shunyata, which in turn will go full circle into everything, at which point you realize you are indeed all that you see, but to get it you must first see that you are also not it. You are also both and many more facets, It's a strange loop.

You are doing some fine introspection here. Keep at it, and godspeed.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Anton Rogachevski