Self Inquiry

[vincent]

Hi,
I have a question about self-inquiry and the self-inquiry process.. is this similar to vipassana or insight meditation where one observes thoughts? I've been using the AYP deep meditation techniques for almost a year (it seems similar to TM and ACEM etc.) with satisfaction. I know other methods teach concentration and insight meditation practices seperately -and am wondering if 'self-inquiry' is an insight type practice to be used with deep meditation. I am interested in purchasing the book if this is the case - as I feel an insight type practice would be helpful along with the deep meditation. I feel that an insight type practice would be beneficial for me along with deep meditation - but am unsure of how to put the two together in this type of system.

Any help would be appreciated - thanks for the great site!

Vincent

[jthabuddha]

question the questioner

when you ask "who am I"..who is asking? find that.
deep meditation will become ordinary life
then ordinary life will become ordinary

start by asking the question (inquiring into one's self)
then you find no questioner
you will only find "I AMness"

the I AMness is not permanent
not there before birth
not there during deep sleep
it is like the sun passing through a blue sky
the blue sky is not affected

so when you find it
hold on to it like a guru
or a teddy bear

soon you will not know a difference
between ordinary life and deep meditation

[Shanti]

Hi Vincent,
Welcome to the forum.

I don't know much about vipassana meditation.. so wont be able to help you much in that aspect. In AYP, our main focus is on deep meditation and spinal breathing. This is done to increase our inner silence. As the inner silence increases we get more and more inclined towards self-inquiry. You can start off with any kind of self inquiry if you feel the draw to do so. At first, when there is not much resident inner silence (or what Yogani calls "witness") a lot of the self inquiry becomes mindy and ego driven. Here is where you tend to understand the mind with your mind. However, as you continue with your practice and your inner silence increases you will find your self inquiry changing and more and more answers coming from within. You will not have to use your mind to "get" concepts.. and you will also realize, there really is nothing to understand.. you know it all. I have talked a bit about my experience with self-inquiry here five stages . Yogani's book covers this process too.

As to what techniques to use for self inquiry. I am not familiar with what is available really. Many at the forum started off with "The Work" by Byron Katie. (The book is called "Loving What Is - By Byron Katie). It is an excellent technique (IMHO ) for people with any level of inner silence. Another good technique is asking questions and letting go.. like we do in Samyama.. but you do need some inner silence and also be able to "let go".. without trying to "let go" for this technique to work (again IMHO).

I hope this helps. sorry could not help you with the vipassana meditation question. Someone else may chime in on that.

Wish you all the best.

[Jim and His Karma]

Sorry to slightly derail the thread, but fwiw I've stopped letting go in samyama. letting go is an active action, and I've stopped making "letting go" be the thing I do after intoning the sutra. Instead, I just GO.

[Christi]

Hi Vincent,

Welcome to the forum.
 

quote:Hi,
I have a question about self-inquiry and the self-inquiry process.. is this similar to vipassana or insight meditation where one observes thoughts? I've been using the AYP deep meditation techniques for almost a year (it seems similar to TM and ACEM etc.) with satisfaction. I know other methods teach concentration and insight meditation practices seperately -and am wondering if 'self-inquiry' is an insight type practice to be used with deep meditation.

Great replies from Shanti and ThaBuddha, but I thought I would chime in on the vipassana question. I have practiced vipassana (insight) meditation for many years before coming to AYP. Yes, it is a form of self-enquiry and there are many other forms. In the self-enquiry book Yogani does not concentrate much on different types of self enquiry. Instead, most of the book covers the issue of how to relate to self enquiry as we progress on the path (whichever system we are using).
Basically Yogani suggests that not everyone is yet ready to start practicing self-enquiry, and he gives guidelines to let us know when we are ready. Then he shows how our relationship to the practice changes over time as we progress, until finally there is no need for it.

Years ago I was living in a Buddhist monastery in the U.K. as a layman and we were being taught to meditate on anata (the non existence of a permanent self). A senior monk was visiting from Thailand and he asked what was being taught. When he heard that non-monastics were being taught to meditate on anata he was dumbfounded and expressed his concern. At the time I thought that he looked on us westerners as being pretty stupid and materialistic and simply not up to the more advanced stuff. Looking back I can see now why he was concerned. To most people there it probably made little or no sense (myself included) and just served to add confusion. Everyone was kind of wandering around wondering if they existed or not, and trying hard not to think about it too much!

Read the book... if you are interested in continuing your vipassana, then it will add a great deal of light to the whole process.

Christi

[vincent]

Thanks for all the replies - I need a little more clarification is 'self inquiry' an actual meditative technique to use alongside deep meditation - or is it more of a series of questions to contemplate?

Thanks again,

Vincent

[jthabuddha]

you start by asking questions
then you ask, "whos asking?"
but dont just ask, LOOK.  TRY TO FIND THE ANSWER.

when you find nothing, notice the I AMness.  how else do you know you are?
you can notice the I AMness... so who is noticing? what is the nature of the noticer?
this regression continues to infinity.

because you cannot find the subject witnessing the objects it will become obvious that there are no objects, and therefore, if it were to be described, it would be as pure subjectivity without the slightest bit of subject.

given the fact that you dont need to look at a mirror every 10 mins during the day to make sure you still exist, similarly you dont need to continue to ask the inquiry. you cannot witness yourself, you can only be it.

[AYPforum]

Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement

[Shanti]

quote:Originally posted by vincent

Thanks for all the replies - I need a little more clarification is 'self inquiry' an actual meditative technique to use alongside deep meditation - or is it more of a series of questions to contemplate?

Thanks again,

Vincent

Hi Vincent,
Self inquiry can be used either way. OK.. let me correct that... you do not do anything other than your mantra repetition during meditation.. however after meditation you can take that inner silence you cultivated during meditation into some self inquiry. One of the techniques I know of is Samyama... you ask a question and let it go into silence. Don't wait and look for an answer.. let the answer come to you. This technique will get better with time and practice and with the increase in inner silence.

You can also do self inquiry during the day... between your practice sessions. You can start off with small things that bother you.. see what is really causing the irritation.. observe how your mind makes stories to get you to feel or react in certain ways.. observe the mind at play.. watch how you react.. etc. You could use Byron Katie's The Work to identify stories your mind creates and turn them around so that you can let them go.  

There are many other techniques discussed in this thread.. maybe something there will sound appealing to you.  
Self-Inquiry -- A Practice Between our Meditations

I hope these help.

[ymladris]

quote:Originally posted by jthabuddha



so when you find it
hold on to it like a guru
or a teddy bear

;-) Teddy bear is a fascinating approach! I'll try it, thank you

[vincent]

Thanks for all the info - will look into it further...

Vincent

[jthabuddha]

no more guru
no more teddybear