Rupert Spira self inquiry > Ramana Maharishi Self inquiry. *Questions on self inquiry

[Fountainbleu]

I like Rupert's method of self inquiry which he says to ask, "what is aware of this thought/sensation?" Where Ramana says to whom has this thought arisen. To me. Then you ask who am I? Then from there you'll go to the source. Rupert's way with one question on takes you straight to the source. With repeated practice the mind will develop the power to stay in it's source. 

ChatGPT in regards to Maharishis method says when inquiring who am I one is inquiring into the limited self and thus never finds it showing you it's illusury bringing you back to the self. I tried it and it goes deep. So in self inquiry, is the idea to go straight to the self with Rupert's method for example, or maharishi's method with a few questions that will take you to the self or inquiring into the illusury self like chatGPT says? 

It took me 6 years to warm up to the idea of self inquiry. Can one still function in the world if continuously abiding in the self? Will we lose our thoughts needed to be identified and function in this world? Do we need to have a deep rooted understanding of the self first before losing identity with thoughts? If so is self inquiry advised? Do we need to be deeply rooted in this world before becoming identified with the self?

-on another note: the self will always take care of us. Provide us home and shelter and whatever else we need. But what if we want to eat good organic food and buy natural detergent, shampoo, etc. Because that's what's best for us, that's how we'll function best in this world. If we're not working or preoccupied with money will the self provide us all that? Thank you. 
 

[VeganAwake]

There is no higher self though.

All the selfs & or sources are illusions. 

If there is a higher self or an ultimate source, that is just the ego attempting to identify as that.

❤️ 

[Fountainbleu]

1 hour ago, VeganAwake said:

There is no higher self though.

All the selfs & or sources are illusions. 

If there is a higher self or an ultimate source, that is just the ego attempting to identify as that.

❤️ 

Not sure I'm following you. Are you saying none of this exists? But your saying there's an ego? Doesn't implying there's an ego imply there's something besides it/the self? 

[Yimpa]

2 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

But what if we want to eat good organic food and buy natural detergent, shampoo, etc. Because that's what's best for us, that's how we'll function best in this world.

Who told you that? How do you know that that’s what’s best for you?

[Fountainbleu]

19 minutes ago, Yimpa said:

Who told you that? How do you know that that’s what’s best for you?

Besides scientific and conventional wisdom, through direct experience it's what makes me feel best. I've eaten gluten, simple/high carb, processed, foods with pesticides/GMO's, and I know the way they make me feel. 

[Osaid]

3 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

Can one still function in the world if continuously abiding in the self?

Yes, you are doing that right now. I assume you are talking about the "true self" here? Engaging in being functional is not going to "counteract" the truth of what you are once it is realized, no such thing is going to happen.

3 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

Will we lose our thoughts needed to be identified and function in this world?

No, but they won't make you forget what you are anymore. They are recontextualized.

3 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

Do we need to have a deep rooted understanding of the self first before losing identity with thoughts?

No, in the same way that you do not need an understanding of the color red to perceive the color red.

3 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

If so is self inquiry advised?

Self-inquiry is probably going to be required, but it is just your minds tool for locating what is already "hiding" in your experience. It is not the thing itself, so it is possible for it to be unnecessary. 

3 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

Do we need to be deeply rooted in this world before becoming identified with the self?

Don't know what you mean exactly, but it seems irrelevant. 

3 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

on another note: the self will always take care of us. Provide us home and shelter and whatever else we need. But what if we want to eat good organic food and buy natural detergent, shampoo, etc. Because that's what's best for us, that's how we'll function best in this world. If we're not working or preoccupied with money will the self provide us all that? Thank you. 

Everything stays the "same" perceptually, it is just recontextualized. Like an optical illusion where you can flip from one image to the other, but the image itself stays the same. You do not stop engaging in thoughts and wants and needs, but they are realized to have nothing to do with you.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Osaid

[VeganAwake]

6 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

But your saying there's an ego? Doesn't implying there's an ego imply there's something besides it/the self? 

There seems to be, but its not real, I refer to the ego as the illusion of self or the conditioned character one seems to grow into from a baby. That "ME" character/ego isn't really there!

The self/higher self or whatever is just a delusional identification game the ego attempts to play because it wants to survive, just like anything else!

❤️ 

Edited September 17, 2023 by VeganAwake

[Princess Arabia]

5 hours ago, Osaid said:

Yes, you are doing that right now. I assume you are talking about the "true self" here? Engaging in being functional is not going to "counteract" the truth of what you are once it is realized, no such thing is going to happen.

No, but they won't make you forget what you are anymore. They are recontextualized.

No, in the same way that you do not need an understanding of the color red to perceive the color red.

Self-inquiry is probably going to be required, but it is just your minds tool for locating what is already "hiding" in your experience. It is not the thing itself, so it is possible for it to be unnecessary. 

Don't know what you mean exactly, but it seems irrelevant. 

Everything stays the "same" perceptually, it is just recontextualized. Like an optical illusion where you can flip from one image to the other, but the image itself stays the same. You do not stop engaging in thoughts and wants and needs, but they are realized to have nothing to do with you.

Thank you for guiding others and helping them to see through their inquiries; because in doing this, you are also helping others who need guidance in recognizing these Truths. You show up with such eloquence and I truly appreciate you for being here and it's because of people like you and a few others here why I still find value in making this forum a part of my life both in giving and receiving.

[Osaid]

11 minutes ago, Princess Arabia said:

Thank you for guiding others and helping them to see through their inquiries; because in doing this, you are also helping others who need guidance in recognizing these Truths. You show up with such eloquence and I truly appreciate you for being here and it's because of people like you and a few others here why I still find value in making this forum a part of my life both in giving and receiving.

Thank you, I enjoyed reading this ❤️

[Water by the River]

12 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

Can one still function in the world if continuously abiding in the self? Will we lose our thoughts needed to be identified and function in this world?

Perfectly. The Infinite Intelligence that constructed the former illusory separate-self now runs the show. The small separate self just gets out of the way. 

The Intelligence of Reality itself can run the show on a relative level way better when the filter/distoration of the separate-self-illusion (of being not the whole Enchilada but only a separate-self fragment in it) is gone. At least my experience.

Besides, one gets for the first time a real shot at cutting off the negative emotions that regularly arise as a necessary building block of any separate-self (to keep it busy chasing experiences to get good emotions to easy the suffering/bad emotions, aka as keeping the illusion going).

Imagine you could just produce your own bliss by resting in a nondual impersonal uncontracted state of awakened awareness, and just let the relative self do its job/daily life without interfering? Runs by itself, way better than before.

12 hours ago, Fountainbleu said:

Do we need to be deeply rooted in this world before becoming identified with the self?

I believe it is way better to have ones relative life sorted out (as much as possible) before crossing over. The chance is high that crossing over will only happen when the relative stuff is more or less sorted out and handled. And the separate-self is not squeaking in suffering all the time because its lower levels of manifestation (emotional needs, safety needs, job, relationships and so on) are more or less sorted out.

One tends to continue exactly as before on a relative level/habits, but the fear-driven motivations drop away. Imagine that you needed fear-driven emotions before to keep your relative life going, and not doing it out of self-actualization.

Then there can be quite some havoc if the fear-based-motivations (like fear of loosing job or fear of being lonely) drop away. Or: The cave. Or Eckhart Tolles 2 years on a park bench.

I prefer an integrated life. Not that Enlightenment needs it. After waking up from the dream, one can still have a lucid nightmare or a beautiful lucid dream.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Water by the River

[Breakingthewall]

@Fountainbleu . Life is better in every way from an awakened state. Before that, you needed hundreds of evasion strategies to face life, since it was not really possible to face death. We really live in a psychotic state, that is why it is said that enlightenment is the end of suffering, because it is the end of resistence to the now. Furthermore, from an awake/open/enlightened state, there is inspiration, one knows which path to follow, where to rectify. You direct the path because you are one with reality, you flow, and wherever that takes you is where you were meant to go.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Breakingthewall

[Princess Arabia]

10 hours ago, Osaid said:

Thank you, I enjoyed reading this ❤️

you're most welcome

16 hours ago, Osaid said:

 

 

[OldManCorcoran]

I find "who am I" completely useless. It's crap really.

[SeaMonster]

On 9/16/2023 at 5:02 PM, Fountainbleu said:

It took me 6 years to warm up to the idea of self inquiry. Can one still function in the world if continuously abiding in the self? Will we lose our thoughts needed to be identified and function in this world? Do we need to have a deep rooted understanding of the self first before losing identity with thoughts? If so is self inquiry advised? Do we need to be deeply rooted in this world before becoming identified with the self?

You're not giving up your intellect and your ability to function in the world.  You're just giving up the artificiality of an illusory identity for spontaneous living.

One functions better without the false self.

[SeaMonster]

43 minutes ago, OldManCorcoran said:

I find "who am I" completely useless. It's crap really.

You're not supposed to engage with that at the level of thinking.  It's supposed to pierce the veil of thinking.

In other words, go deeper.

[Fountainbleu]

12 hours ago, Water by the River said:

I believe it is way better to have ones relative life sorted out (as much as possible) before crossing over. The chance is high that crossing over will only happen when the relative stuff is more or less sorted out and handled. And the separate-self is not squeaking in suffering all the time because its lower levels of manifestation (emotional needs, safety needs, job, relationships and so on) are more or less sorted out.

Then there can be quite some havoc if the fear-based-motivations (like fear of loosing job or fear of being lonely) drop away. Or: The cave. Or Eckhart Tolles 2 years on a park bench.

Thank you! This is where I currently find myself. I feel a strong inclination towards non-duality but I'm also focused on finding my path in life, which makes me wonder if I should be practicing self-inquiry.

[Francis777]

1 hour ago, OldManCorcoran said:

I find "who am I" completely useless. It's crap really.

Try it on psyches, ask yourself what is an absolutely definitive answer I can find to this question. 
 

I did this on 250mics of LSD, not intentionally albeit but my ego started dissolving and I could no longer get a firm grasp on who I was, so I instinctively started asking myself this question and ended up having my first complete non dual ego death. It shattered everything I knew in a single moment.

A key insight to making it work that I realised from that trip, is that you having to ask it in the most literal sense. If there is one single thing that defines and encompasses my entire identity, what is it?

Edited September 17, 2023 by Francis777

[SeaMonster]

13 hours ago, Water by the River said:

I believe it is way better to have ones relative life sorted out (as much as possible) before crossing over. The chance is high that crossing over will only happen when the relative stuff is more or less sorted out and handled. And the separate-self is not squeaking in suffering all the time because its lower levels of manifestation (emotional needs, safety needs, job, relationships and so on) are more or less sorted out.

I actually disagree with you on this one.  Most people need serious motivation to awaken and having your life suck donkey balls is suitable for this purpose.  Plenty of famous examples of depressed, suicidal, poisoned, ill, jailed, betrayed, sexually violated etc. (i.e. people in dire straits) awakening.

If your external life is semi-ok, the ego can get complacent.

Edited September 17, 2023 by SeaMonster