Lack Of Motivation For Self-inquiry

[How to be wise]

Hey,

Just last week I started to do self-inquiry, specifically the Neti Neti technique. One week on, and already I feel like quitting, because it's too much work. The reason I hate myself for this, is because I tried to start this habit exactly this time last year, and I quit one week after. I would like to know how I can motivate myself to successfully start this habit, and to keep it for the next several years. 

Any suggestions are appreciated. 

[Joseph Maynor]

4 hours ago, How to be wise said:

Hey,

Just last week I started to do self-inquiry, specifically the Neti Neti technique. One week on, and already I feel like quitting, because it's too much work. The reason I hate myself for this, is because I tried to start this habit exactly this time last year, and I quit one week after. I would like to know how I can motivate myself to successfully start this habit, and to keep it for the next several years. 

Any suggestions are appreciated. 

The best Self-inquiry is to do do-nothing meditation for 1 hour per day and just look.  The heavily contemplative self-Inquiry stuff is important too, it's not an either/or it's a both.  But Just meditate and look.  Inquire by looking.  This is huge.  Just meditate and be aware.  At the right time, just naturally inquire -- What is the mind?  Where are these thoughts coming from?  Why is the mind flapping around?  What is causing that effect?  Etc.

Dont be too neurotic about Self-Inquiry.  This would be like looking at yourself in the mirror with your nose pressed-up against it for hours.  Take a more leisurely, harmonious approach.  You are looking and seeing what you are.  Don't rush this.  It's a lifelong process.  Enlightenment is a gradual transformation.

Edited August 24, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Pluck]

Hello there!

First of all, I would like to stress how relying on motivation always ends up with one having a bad time with whatever they might be practicing. Habits are created through consistency, which is created by routine, which is made by strategy, which has to include a positive vision as to why you would want to create that habit. 

Does this make sense?

My point is, if you wish to create a habit, you've got to do it consistently - every day. However, if you think it's too much work, it sounds like you probably lack a good reason to keep a meditation habit. This has to be clear to you before you discipline yourself. I hope this helps.

Furthermore, you could resort so some of the less-demanding meditation methods such as the do-nothing method, which I happen to be a huge fan of, because ... well... it demands NOTHING from you!

[Leo Gura]

@How to be wise There is no magic pill. You must go through all the emotional labor involved.

Do you really expect to achieve immortality for free?

I've been doing it for about 3 years now, and I'm still doing it.

[Visitor]

8 hours ago, How to be wise said:

...I would like to know how I can motivate myself to successfully start this habit, and to keep it for the next several years...

Self-inquiry is a way to know yourself, truthfully, from moment to moment. It is a way of life for staying actualized. There is no 'next seven years'.

Many years ago a mentor said to me. "you would expect that the minimal requirement for a human being is to know themselves." I agreed, then he said "Well you don't!" I was crest fallen. Ever since then I have been self-inquiring.

Personally, the hard part is by-passing my own ego-fears of really seeing how afraid I am of being nothing but a deceptive story in my own mind. And how that deception has been purely exploitative of self and others without realizing it. Then realizing I had nothing knowable that I can find that is actually of value, or true, about me without some story of exploitation (promoting self and using others). When I was able to accept this truth, my whole perspective of life started shifting, and still is, to 180 degrees (opposite).

Your motivation:

1. To achieve minimal requirement for a human being _ to know yourself.
2. To discover your Truth _ not facts about your story, but to discover Being.
3. Liberation from ego-fear enslavement _ able to realize when being shackled and then unshackling yourself.
4. The ability to discern what is true about thoughts _ both your own and expressed thoughts of others.
5. A life of serenity and unconditional love.

 

[Space]

@How to be wise Try doing Leo's self-observation. Whilst i'm sure it is an effective technique, Neti-neti can be a little too rigid at times. Also try cutting your session down to 20 minutes. 20 minutes is easily doable. The key is to get the habit in place. So you've gotta do it for long enough that sitting down just becomes part of your normal daily routine. Also very doable.  

Edited August 24, 2017 by Space

[John Iverson]

Even finding the truth ego use that because of the system you make... forget about finding... forget about the "ought to be done" forget about you learn forget about you.. forget about consciousness work.. forget until there is no one left you will see who you are... 

[Afonso]

It's great that you had the fortune to encounter such teaching and practice. Be thankful for that.

Now, allow yourself to experience all the emotional struggle that you're having. The hating, must be doing, having to... that's all resistance. It does not help to fight it, because it only creates more of it. I encourage you to be still and experience all that resistance in the body. It's there as an emotional charge (or probably lots of layers of emotional charge). Keep letting go of those blocks of tension and pain in the body. Do that until you feel free and not that you should do anything.

When you reach that point, decisions will flow easily - you'll either do it or you won't - and there won't be any suffering about it. That decision will not come from struggle and shoulding, rather it will come from your intuitive knowingness.