Technical Question On Self Enquiry

[John]

I set the timer for twenty minutes.

I ask internally, "Who am I?"

Answers arise. I see these vague dark images of myself sitting there in the room, I see memories of friends. I see vague images of the room I am sitting in. Sometimes, because these images are so vague, I label them. "I am the image of myself I see right now", "I am this room", "I am this thought", "I am this memory", "I am the one doing the inquiry right now", "I am the one asking the question", "I am me", "I am this thought", "Am I just a thought?"

Is it OK to let my attention rest on these thoughts? Are they helpful? they haven't produced any insight yet. 

Or should I avoid all distraction and keep coming back the question, "Who am I?"

It's very difficult to do it!

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

John

[AlwaysBeNice]

You already know you're not these things, it happens instantly, what's there to find?

You continue to focus on the sense, the feeling, of I am.

[Ananta]

You may find this helpful to your inquiry.....

 

"An Inquiry Into The Nature of the Seer and the Seen, the Way of Inquiry and the Nature of Truth"

The Dŗg-Dŗśya-Viveka

 

www.scienceandnonduality.com/dṛg-dṛsya-viveka-wisdom-of-the-seer-and-the-seen/

Edited June 13, 2017 by Anna1

[Ananta]

http://www.scienceandnonduality.com/dṛg-dṛsya-viveka-wisdom-of-the-seer-and-the-seen/

Ok, this link works!

 

Edited June 13, 2017 by Anna1

[John]

One thing that I am still strongly identified with is my self image. 

Its this dark, amorphous, subtly changing image of my physical self. My contour, my face, my head. It's always shadowy but there and it's as though it has a hook in my awareness. Even questions like 'who am I?' seem to unfold on top of it.. 

There is so much resistance. I did Leo's guided neti neti method and found myself grasping for some experience. Some massive bliss and relief.. of course that did not happen and I was left with anger and frustration and that stuck to me like glue....

[Leo Gura]

@John You're doing good. It just requires massive amounts of looking. Try to get very clear about what you're identified with as your core self. Is it a feeling in the body? A sight? A mental image of your head? Memories of yourself? A combination of the above? Try to really get clear about that. Notice the mind will waffle and handwave. Push past that to get clarity. Force your mind to specify what it's identifying with. And then when you're clear on that, start to wonder... "Why am I identified with that experience? What if I'm none of that at all? What could I be?" And then just sit there, looking, with a very open mind. It's important that you stop knowing who you are. There cannot be an insight unless you realize first that you don't know who you are.

Slowly keep at it. It takes massive persistence.