Self inquiry method

[Nahm]

https://sites.google.com/site/psychospiritualtools/Home/meditation-practices/self-inquiry

 

Self Inquiry

This is a meditation technique to get enlightened, i.e. "self realization."  By realizing who you are, the bonds of suffering are broken. Besides this goal, self-inquiry delivers many of the same benefits as other meditation techniques, such as relaxation, enhanced experience of life, greater openness to change, greater creativity, a sense of joy and fulfillment, and so forth. 

Focus your attention on the feeling of being "me," to the exclusion of all other thoughts. 

1. Sit in any comfortable meditation posture. 
2. Allow your mind and body to settle. 
3. Now, let go of any thinking whatsoever. 
4. Place your attention on the inner feeling of being "me."
5. If a thought does arise (and it is probable that thoughts will arise on their own), ask yourself to whom this thought is occurring. This returns your attention to the feeling of being "me."
Continue this for as long as you like. 

This technique can also be done when going about any other activity. 

CAUTIONS:
Many people misunderstand the self-inquiry technique to mean that the person should sit and ask themselves the question, "Who am I?" over and over. This is an incorrect understanding of the technique. The questions "Who am I" or "To whom is this thought occurring?" are only used when a thought arises, in order to direct attention back to the feeling of being "me." At other times the mind is held in silence. 
 

This practice of Self-attention or awareness of the ‘I’-thought is a gentle technique, which bypasses the usual repressive methods of controlling the mind. It is not an exercise in concentration, nor does it aim at suppressing thoughts; it merely invokes awareness of the source from which the mind springs. The method and goal of self-enquiry is to abide in the source of the mind and to be aware of what one really is by withdrawing attention and interest from what one is not. In the early stages effort in the form of transferring attention from the thoughts to the thinker is essential, but once awareness of the ‘I’-feeling has been firmly established, further effort is counter-productive. From then on it is more a process of being than doing, of effortless being rather than an effort to be.

[Nahm]

@tsuki Obviously.

[Charlotte]

Thank you all you lovely lot! ❤️❤️

@Nahm Thann you Nahm for your detailed response. Great read ?

[zoey101]

On 5/9/2018 at 3:43 PM, Nahm said:

@tsuki Obviously.

Lol Duh!

[robdl]

On 5/9/2018 at 3:25 PM, brovakhiin said:

Just say "I" and focus on what that points to. Abide in the stillness. Repeat "I" every couple breaths to maintain.

I dunno....I'd say that self-inquiry isn't intended to be in the form of a (repetitive) mantra like "I" or "who am I?"

[Lynnel]

@Charlotte

A little off topic but it may be useful.

You've been having a lot of forum activity recently. Like 600 post in something like 2 months.

Be careful : about spreading your attention on so many different aspects so much. Unless you're growing really fast you can't catch so many rabbits so fast.

Also be careful about posting on the forum as a way to avoid doing the real work.

I mean, how important is it really at this very moment of your life to focus and understand self-inquiry ? Would you maybe prioritize ? I hope you can appreciate what I'm saying at least a little bit.
 

Good luck and I wish you the best

[Charlotte]

@Lynnel  Who are you the forum Police? 

I joke I joke ?

I appreciate what your saying and the message behind it. 

Although I haven't got 600 post counts in 2 month's, it's been from like October I believe? 

11 hours ago, Lynnel said:

about spreading your attention on so many different aspects so much. Unless you're growing really fast you can't catch so many rabbits so fast.

I understand. 

11 hours ago, Lynnel said:

Also be careful about posting on the forum as a way to avoid doing the real work.

I also get what you mean here but I do do the real work. I dedicate my life entire life to this. 

11 hours ago, Lynnel said:

I mean, how important is it really at this very moment of your life to focus and understand self-inquiry ? Would you maybe prioritize ? I hope you can appreciate what I'm saying at least a little bit.
 

I'll be going down the route of psychedelics shortly so I feel self enquiry is necessary as a basic foundation for psychedelic use. Plus I feel drawn towards it so ?

Thank you and you too 

[Lynnel]

11 hours ago, Charlotte said:

@Lynnel  Who are you the forum Police? 

I joke I joke ?

Yeah It's kinda part of my personality and I'm working on that. I have a very judgemental vibe sometimes like all things imperfect/unefficient must die

Also I'm very good at noticing what is "wrong" ("bad" or not efficient/good/perfect enough) to amazing length in situations which makes me a very effective douche That's why I very rarely critique or underline anything in people unless I believe it could be helpful in some way.

11 hours ago, Charlotte said:

 

I'll be going down the route of psychedelics shortly so I feel self enquiry is necessary as a basic foundation for psychedelic use. Plus I feel drawn towards it so ?

I would not mix practices but that's up to you. Psychedelic are amazing by themselves. But again however you feel !

[Charlotte]

24 minutes ago, Lynnel said:

Also I'm very good at noticing what is "wrong" ("bad" or not efficient/good/perfect enough) to amazing length in situations which makes me a very effective douche

??????? At least you have humour!? Humour is important ?

24 minutes ago, Lynnel said:

I would not mix practices but that's up to you. Psychedelic are amazing by themselves. But again however you feel !

Sorry I've not explained properly. I'm not mixing practices. I feel it would help when I'm trips. Also like I've stated I feel drawn towards doing so. 

[Ether]

On 09/05/2018 at 2:47 PM, Faceless said:

What is thought ?

Words, images, sounds in your mind.

[Preetom]

Just now, Mikael89 said:

Self inquiry feels so pointless to me that I can't practice self inquiry.

We all already know the answer anyway so why even ask it, I'm nothingness or pure consciousness.

When I ask myself "What am I?" it doesn't get me anywhere, the question itself becomes meaningless. I might aswell ask: "Hi?", pointless.

You've totally missed the point of self inquiry. The whole point of self inquiry is to keep you looking/observing until you break free from delusion. What you call 'me', 'reality' are layers of stories glued together. They can only sustain if they are unexamined/unobserved. The moment you look, shit start disappearing like empty air. Doesn't that ring some bell? maybe you and your whole life stories and constructs are just a house of cards.  

What is the purpose of Self-inquiry? Its to deconstruct yourself, your beliefs about being a human/alien/nothingness and your world. Observation is the only direct spiritual practice and self inquiry is just a technique to keep you oriented and focused. There are other techniques like spiritual autolysis, mindfulness with labeling, Guided Neti Neti, staying with the I AM etc which basically facilitates the same observation with slightly different spin.

Until?? Until all that can be deconstructed is deconstructed. And what is left? 

That which is Real. 

The unreal never existed and the real can't be destroyed.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Preetom

[Preetom]

@Charlotte

I would recommend reading Leo's practical guide to enlightenment again whenever you feel the need for more clarification about self inquiry. If you read that article once a month I can pretty much guarantee you'll end up finding new deep pointers everytime and think to yourself, ''How could I have missed this important point before?'' 

[Faceless]

1 hour ago, Mikael89 said:

Self inquiry feels so pointless to me that I can't practice self inquiry.

We all already know the answer anyway so why even ask it, I'm nothingness or pure consciousness.

When I ask myself "What am I?" it doesn't get me anywhere, the question itself becomes meaningless. I might aswell ask: "Hi?", pointless.

That's all you do? 

You ask who am I and then fill in the blank with an idea that you acquired from the stream of thought? 

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Faceless

[Faceless]

1 hour ago, Preetom said:

The unreal never existed and the real can't be destroyed.

Edited 46 minutes ago by Preetom

What would be an example of the unreal? 

And what would be an example of real?

Are you using real as in independent of thought? 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Faceless

[Preetom]

Just now, Faceless said:

What would be an example of the unreal? 

that which does not have a distinct reality. All experiences.

Just now, Faceless said:

And what would be an example of real?

My true self which can't be communicated.

Then again.. The distinction between "real" and "unreal" is an illusion

Like Nisargadatta Maharaj said, these cock and bull stories are provided until the truth is realized 

[Faceless]

15 minutes ago, Preetom said:

that which does not have a distinct reality. All experiences.

So anything that thought thinks about right? 

I just want to see if we are on the same page

[Faceless]

4 minutes ago, Mikael89 said:

I just meditate as normally after the question, so it feels like normal meditation, so that's why I have difficult to see the point in asking the question.

What do you mean you meditate after the question? 

[Faceless]

1 minute ago, Mikael89 said:

Normal meditation. But when a thought arises I ask myself again "What am I?" and then resume the meditation, repeat.

So who is asking who am I once a thought enters? 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Faceless

[Preetom]

1 hour ago, Faceless said:

So anything that thought thinks about right? 

I just want to see if we are on the same page

Yes. Thought always says it's telling truth. But when observed, its just another experience with added story

[Faceless]

2 minutes ago, Preetom said:

Yes. Thought always says it's telling truth. But when observed, its just another experience with added story

We are meeting then