I'm reading a book called 'Self-Inquiry' by Advance Yoga Practice founder Yogani. Self-Inquiry is not particularly Buddhist - it is utilized in Buddhist traditions (e.g. Ch'an Master Hsu Yun, and many other previous Zen masters), but also in Hinduism and other religions. Though the experience of I AMness and then non-duality is discussed, the realisation of emptiness is not reached through self-inquiry. For that we have to go into Buddhism. However, the following article which is a slightly modified form of a particular chapter in the e-book, and the e-book/book itself is very relevant to me because self-inquiry is one of my main practices currently.
http://www.aypsite.org/327.html
Lesson 327 – The Evolutionary Stages
of Mind
From: Yogani
Date: May 3, 2009
New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the
web archive, as previous
lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first lesson is, "Why
This Discussion?"
As we have discussed in the previous lesson, there are many styles
of
self-inquiry, embodying a variety of systems of practice. Each may
emphasize
a particular angle, with its own philosophy, terminology and mental
algorithms.
The styles can vary widely, from
prescribing
complete conscious engagement in the minutest details of the
identification
of awareness with objects of perception (sometimes called mindfulness),
to letting go of life altogether, including all seeking. Whatever
the
teaching may be, it will always reflect the experience of the
particular
teacher who is transmitting the knowledge. There will be a bias, and
the
teaching may or may not resonate with all students who come to study
that
approach. It is up to the student to find a teaching that does
resonate.
All self-inquiry teachings have one thing in common – they seek to
dissolve
the identification of awareness with objects of perception,
including all
thoughts, feelings and objects of the world. The goal of
self-inquiry is to
eliminate the bondage of "me and mine," as fabricated by the mind.
We all come at different stages of readiness to undertake this
unwinding of
the ego, as it has been called. In truth, it will not make any sense
at all
to most of us, until we have tasted the peace of inner silence
within us.
Then we know there is something more to us than the many props we
have used
to create our identity in the world – the identity
that we all know will end as the body
decays and
dies. As soon as we have glimpsed the eternal within ourselves, it
is a
whole new ball game. There is something more than the limited and
ever-grasping ego. To know it we must make a journey that
encompasses heart,
mind and body. Nothing less will do.
Times are changing. Now it is time for spiritual teachings to serve
the
people, instead of the other way around. And in order to do so, the
teachings must be open, flexible, and, most importantly, effective.
To be
effective, such teachings must be capable of addressing every
student at
every level of readiness. If the student has the desire to grow and
is
willing to make a commitment of time and some discipline, then the
teaching
must be able to deliver viable means, or it will be in need of some
improvement. This is okay. If teachings are flexible, they will
serve the
people where they are, and evolve as the people evolve.
Self-inquiry is a particularly tricky one for application for
different
levels of students. In the case of AYP, we begin with daily deep
meditation,
which will cultivate inner silence. Additional methods of yoga are
be added
as appropriate. A foundational knowledge of self-inquiry is also
necessary.
First, it is good to know that in our essential nature we are
unbounded pure
bliss consciousness, and that all we are doing in practices is
unfolding
what we already are in our daily life. It is also good to know that
this
will lead to many practical benefits. So, it is a worthwhile
endeavor to be
on the path.
Next, it is also good to know that there is a natural progression in
our
spiritual unfoldment which occurs over time, usually over a long
time,
except in the rare cases of people who are born near enlightenment.
In spite
of what we may have heard, enlightenment is not an overnight event
for most
people. There is no getting around this, because each of us must go
through
a process of inner purification and opening, and it takes time, even
with
the best of teachings. Along the way, there are grades and stages,
and the
journey never ends, even for those who are very advanced. Perhaps
especially
for them, because they become much more aware of the wider need for
rising
inner silence in the community, world and beyond, and find
themselves on the
front line of that great endeavor. We all help as we can, and the
enlightened can help so much more. The more we can do, the more we
will be
called to do.
For the individual, there is a progression of integrated practices
that is
mapped out in a step-by-step way throughout these lessons for
cultivating
the necessary purification and opening. For self-inquiry, there is a
progression also. Not that it is required for everyone to go through
a
progression of self-inquiry methods. One may not even use structured
self-inquiry methods at all, and still be going through the process
of
self-inquiry based on the natural emergence of inner silence and the
increasingly clear perceptions of Self (witness) in relation
to the
objects of experience.
Regardless of structured self-inquiry methods, or the lack of them,
some
recognizable stages of mind will evolve, and it can save time and
some
confusion to be aware of these, particularly for those who have a
tendency
to try and run to the end before covering the beginning or the
middle. The
beginning and the middle can be just as fulfilling as the end if we
are
reasonably well in touch with where we are on our path. It does not
have to
be so mysterious. With some basic knowledge, we will do much better,
and not
be so much exposed to the hazards of taking blind leaps led by our
over-eager mind (more on the "pitfalls of the mind" in an upcoming
lesson).
Assuming one is engaged in daily deep meditation, here are five
stages of
mind that self-inquiry may play itself upon as we move along in our
development:
Pre-Witnessing – Information and intellectual assessments about truth provide inspiration, and a tendency to build mental castles in the air, ideas reacting with ideas, which is non-relational self-inquiry. So we do what is necessary to cultivate the witness.
Witnessing – Perceiving the world, our thoughts and feelings as objects separate from Self. It is the beginning of relational self-inquiry, chosen or not.
Discrimination – The reversal of identification by logical choices based on direct perception rooted in stillness. This is more advanced relational self-inquiry which is able to discern the real from the unreal.
Dispassion – Rise of the condition of no judgment and no attachment. The process of self-inquiry becoming automatic to the point of all objects and self-inquiry itself being constantly dissolved in the witness.
Unity – The merging of subject and object: "I am That. You are That. All this is That." Ongoing outpouring divine love and service to others as universal Self.
While progress
on the road to enlightenment may be
erratic, difficult or non-existent when engaged in self-inquiry as a
stand-alone approach, it is quite a different story when
self-inquiry is
used in concert with a path based on an integration of tried and
true yoga
methods.
The cultivation of inner silence (the witness) in deep meditation
assures
that our perception will be expanding from within over time, and
this
provides for an increasingly fertile field for the process of
self-inquiry
to occur. So too, does our experience in daily samyama practice
cultivate
our ability to release in stillness and live more from the level of
our
abiding inner silence.
As purification and opening proceed within us, our self-inquiry
methods will
change and refine over time, as we migrate from pre-witnessing to
witnessing, discrimination, dispassion and unity.
The steady emergence of inner silence and our ability to release our
intentions and perceptions within it are the dynamics behind the
progression
of self-inquiry from non-relational to relational, until the
experiencer and
the experience have merged to become One, self-sufficient,
active in
the world, and free of the bondage of identification and suffering.
Pre-Witnessing
How meaningful is self-inquiry of the absolute (non-duality) kind when we are still in the pre-witnessing
stage of
mind? This is when all things are still considered primarily on the
level of
thinking and logic. In this state, what does it mean to us when we
hear,
"All this you see here in the world is illusion, and you are the
reality
behind it."
We might have some inspiration, a desire may be kindled to know
more, to be
more. Hopefully. But the more we think about it, the more layers we
will
create around that essential desire to know the truth. How many
times will
we have to repeat the question "Who am I?" before we will
have a
glimmer of who and what we really are? And how many books will we
have to
read? This is why we call pre-witnessing the stage of inspiration
and
building castles in the air. Not much more than this can happen
until we
move to the next stage. With suitable inspiration, we will be
compelled to
take action beyond pounding the idea against the infinite with our
tiny
brain! The mind can only run in circles for so long before we
realize that
we must add something else to the mix.
Once we are inspired to uncover the truth, it is important to take
action,
intelligent action. Self-inquiry purists will say, "Take no action.
Do
nothing. Just be!" Well, we can attempt to do that for a very long
time in
pre-witnessing mode. No doubt we can develop some witness quality by
working
on just being. But there is a much faster way.
If we commit to take action using all the tools that are available
to us, we
can travel very quickly along the road of realizing what we already
are –
our inner most Self. With deep meditation and a full battery
of
supporting practices we will move surely into the witnessing stage.
Witnessing
As mentioned before, the witnessing stage is a whole new ball
game. It
should be pointed out that there is witnessing and there is
witnessing.
There is a continuum of development as witnessing emerges. It begins
as a
passive inner condition perceived as a separation from the events
going on
around us, often first noticed during the occurrence of dynamic
events.
Everyone has had the experience of time standing still when a
dynamic
event occurred, like a car crash, explosion or other sudden change
in our
physical environment. When the witness begins to emerge, ordinary
events are
gradually experienced more in this way also. As witnessing continues
to
advance, our body, thoughts and feelings become objects of
perception that
are separate from our sense of self, our witness. This is an
important
development.
Before the witness has developed to the point where our thoughts and
feelings become objects of perception, self-inquiry will be mostly
non-relational, meaning not fully connected with who we are – pure
consciousness. The dawn of the witness sets the stage for real
self-inquiry,
and an ongoing change in our life experience, for this is when the
process
can move beyond ideas to the direct experience. And the direct
experience is
beyond all experience. In the initial witness condition, we
are
experiencing, but we are not the experience. We are beyond it,
seeing from
the point of view of separate pure awareness.
There are a few more steps beyond the emergence of the witness that
we must
go through. It is not enough to be strongly established in inner
silence,
seeing the changing world as separate from ourselves. We must do
something
with it to move it forward. Evolution compels us to do so. With a
little
nudging, it happens naturally enough. This is where self-inquiry can
have
its greatest impact on our over all path to enlightenment, because
we are
able to make conscious choices based in our stillness. We see our
thoughts,
feelings and perceptions of the world for what they are, without
being
entirely identified with them. We are then able to engage in a way
that is
liberating rather than binding, both for ourselves and for others.
Other yoga practices are an aid to this process, such as samyama,
spinal
breathing pranayama, and additional practices that cultivate
ecstatic
conductivity (kundalini awakening) in the body. As we become more
established in both inner silence and ecstatic conductivity, we
experience
refinements in perception and the movement of dynamic stillness into
our
thought processes. These developments support steadily increasing
effectiveness in relational self-inquiry.
Discrimination
When we think of discrimination, the normal interpretation is
that we
are choosing between this or that thing – choosing between this or
that
idea. Non-relational self-inquiry is like that, choosing between
things,
ideas, and ways we imagine we would like for life to be. This kind
of
discrimination is circular, goes nowhere fast, and may go nowhere
for a long
time. Even choosing not to think is a gigantic task when undertaken
non-relationally, without the witness present to support our
endeavor.
With the rising presence of the witness, the entire dynamic of
self-inquiry
changes. Then we are choosing between that which is object (things,
ideas,
emotions) and that which is subject (witness, Self). And that
kind of
choosing is not a doing at all. It is a letting go. A surrender,
even while
we are being active in the world.
We all know what we want. We want to know the truth. We want to be
happy. We
want to be free. Since childhood we have been told that the truth
will set
us free from the burdens of this life. So we want That.
As the witness becomes more and more abiding and quietly observing
every
thought and feeling, we come to know ourselves as That,
unshaken and
independent of all of our experiences, including our own thoughts …
then we
are finally in the position to make choices that will unwind the
habitual
identification with experiences and the dream we have been in up
until now.
It is a new perspective from which we can clearly see what is real
and what
is not. At the same time, it is both as profound and as simple as
directly
perceiving what is eternal and what is not. And we can discriminate
accordingly, making logical choices that are grounded in stillness,
unwinding the lingering habit of the mind to identify itself with
the
objects of experience, both outside and inside us.
In the language of advaita (non-duality), it is called neti neti,
which means not this and not this. When the witness is
sufficiently
present for relational self-inquiry to occur in the form of
discrimination,
then neti neti becomes a reality. We directly perceive what is true
and what
is not, and we can easily choose. Before then, neti neti will be an
exercise
of the intellect, and can be as ineffective and exhausting as any
other
non-relational self-inquiry. We will know the witness is dawning in
earnest
when discrimination becomes easier. It is a telltale sign.
A certain excitement comes with the realization that we have arrived
at the
point of being able to choose with certainty that which is real over
that
which is not. There can even be an enthusiasm to the exclusion of
all else,
and we have to guard against throwing out the practices that have
brought us
to this point. There can be a tendency to plant our flag on the
notion that
we are That, and fixate on the idea that all we have to do
from then
on is hang onto That.
If this happens, it can be slipping into non-relational self-inquiry
again.
It can happen to advanced practitioners. Much better we should
continue with
the practices that brought us to this point and strengthen the
presence of
the witness beyond all tendencies we might have to imagine that we
have
attained anything. Even the most advanced practitioners must guard
against
falling into non-relational self-inquiry.
Certainly we can take giant leaps toward realization when our
ability has
risen to clearly discriminate between objects (external and
internal) and
the subject (the witness – our Self). It is prime time for
self-inquiry. But it will not be the only thing going on, assuming
we have
been wise and continue with our daily routine of yoga practices. All
methods
combined will assure our rapid forward progress.
Self-inquiry is useful, but it cannot be trusted to operate alone.
Certainly
not at the discrimination stage, or at any prior stage.
There will come a time when discrimination begins to give way to
something
else. It is the letting go of the need to make choices anymore. The
subject
(witness) becomes so well established that choices no longer need to
be
made. We just are, and we can allow everything in our field of
awareness to
just be, even as we are interacting normally in every day living. We
call
this the dispassion stage. It is the stage of being completely
unruffled by
anything that happens inside or outside us.
Dispassion
The condition of dispassion is one of the primary goals of
self-inquiry.
Those who are very enthusiastic and dedicated to self-inquiry are
very
passionate about developing dispassion. This is non-relational
self-inquiry,
of course. We all have to begin somewhere. We can’t begin at the
end, though
we may certainly be passionate about the ideal we have chosen, and
that
serves a purpose. It is our bhakti (devotion to our chosen ideal).
Dispassion is not a doing at all, and is beyond self-inquiry itself.
It
isn’t even a letting go, for it is beyond choice. Dispassion is a
state of
being. It is the subject (the witness, our sense of Self)
developed
through an integration of practices to the point where all the
objects of
experience are taken in stride, without identification. This applies
to
events, relationships, and all that is going on in the body, heart
and mind.
Is dispassion a state of indifference, a state of uncaring? Does it
mean we
do not act or react in the world? It does not mean that. It is just
the
opposite. Much of spiritual development is paradoxical, with less
becoming
much more.
The gradual emergence of dispassion means we are becoming more free
to act
for the good of all. Inner silence will move to do this
through us
more and more, the further we travel along the path. It is the
paradox of
enlightenment. The more we have gone beyond, the more engaged we
will become
for the benefit of others. This is the nature of divine
consciousness.
We really have to give credit where credit is due. Deep meditation
(if we
are doing it) is the primary cultivator of dispassion, because
dispassion is
an advanced stage of the witness. A stand-alone path of self-inquiry
can
lead to dispassion also, but it is rare. To succeed, self-inquiry
must
ascend to the level of meditation, the transcendence of all objects
of
attention. If self-inquiry is done like this over time, then the
witness
will dawn and, in more time, there will be dispassion. It is a
difficult
path, because it lacks a structured and efficient routine of
practice. The
concept of practice itself may be lacking. Self-inquiry of
the
stand-alone variety will be about constantly remembering to release
all
objects of perception, including all thoughts, feelings and
perceptions of
external objects. When self-inquiry becomes a deeply ingrained
habit, then
that will be a kind of ongoing meditation. How an approach like this
will
fit into daily life is another question, since it requires ongoing
self-inquiry to be incorporated into every nook and cranny of our
daily
life. This may not be practical for someone with a family and
career. There
can be direct conflicts, particularly before the witness has dawned.
On the other hand, if deep meditation and other sitting practices
are undertaken in a structured twice-daily
routine, and life is lived normally, the witness will be coming up
naturally
as a support to family and career, and also as a support to
undertake
self-inquiry in a way that does not disrupt the normal flow of life.
Deep
meditation provides the witness, and self-inquiry provides the
perspective
in a way that is not replacing everyday life and activities, but
enhancing
them.
Dispassion is at home in the marketplace, as well as in the remote
retreat.
It is all the same. The combination of daily deep meditation and
gradually
emerging self-inquiry provides flexibility for living, and is a much
faster
path as well.
Unity
No one knows what the true nature of existence is outside the
realm of
time and space. Yet, oddly enough, we can experience it directly.
The reason
we say "We cannot know" is because the reality we are all able to
experience
through deep meditation and self-inquiry is outside the field of
knowing. It
is That, and thousands of volumes have been written
attempting to
describe That.
In the end, the best we can do is say, "I am That." Then we
can carry
on with the many descriptions of That – pure bliss
consciousness,
void, Tao, God, Allah… It doesn’t really matter what we call it. That is as good a word as any, and we are That. All that exists is
That.
If it sounds a little impersonal, it is not intended to be. For That is the source of all love, compassion, goodness, creativity and
happiness in
the world. That illuminates us with these divine qualities,
and is
the source of all good deeds.
There is a misunderstanding that has been perpetuated by some
teachers – the
premise that becoming That is the only thing of importance
and
nothing here on earth matters at all. In fact, according to this
premise,
nothing here on earth exists. In a philosophical sense this may be
true. We
learned it in high school quantum physics, yes? Yet, when taken on
the level
of intellect, it is one of the biggest traps for getting stuck in
non-relational self-inquiry.
There is the idea that it matters not one bit what becomes of this
earth or
the multitude of life that is on it. There is a distinction between
one who
is truly enlightened and one who has created a division between
themselves
and the rest of the world through non-relational self-inquiry,
enforced by a
rigid intellectual view. With clear relational self-inquiry based in
stillness, we can reject this out of hand. Neti neti!
The enlightened one will be he or she who remains engaged for the
benefit of
all as That. Advancement on the path to enlightenment brings
with it
the perception that we can only be free when all are free, for we
are One with all who are suffering.
The image of the lone sage on the mountaintop, indifferent to the
travails
of the world, is fiction. If a sage is not engaged in some way for
the
benefit of others, their condition will be in question. True
enlightenment
is the spontaneous outpouring of divine love, which is working
constantly to
uplift everyone. The sage becomes a willing and wide open channel
for That, which does nothing even while doing everything.
So, while yoga and self-inquiry are often viewed as a going beyond,
never to
return, it is not so. We can never leave what is here and now, for
it is
what we are in our own Self. The journey of yoga, and of
self-inquiry, is a journey beyond all that is, ending in a return
and full
engagement for the betterment of humankind – a journey from here
to here.
This is the highest knowledge, and its highest manifestation in this
world.
"I am That. You are That. All this is That."
It is an unending outpouring of divine love, whose fundamental
nature and
ultimate fruition is life everywhere residing in the Oneness of
unity. It has always been That and will always be That.
The
witness and self-inquiry lead to direct realization of That.
The guru is in you.
Note: For detailed discussion on the
practical
utilization of self-inquiry, and how to avoid ineffective uses of
self-inquiry, see the
Self-Inquiry book.
I think the e-book is really quite complete and a good guide for those practicing self-inquiry.
Posting another small excerpt from the book:
Practical Applications of Self-Inquiry
We know now that self-inquiry is practical when it
is relational, and not very practical when it is nonrelational.
What does this mean?
If we are inquiring about who we are (Who am I?),
or making affirmations about who we are (I am That),
and these are only ideas making more ideas, rather than
releasing into the actual presence of inner silence (the
witness), then the inquiry or affirmation will be nonrelational,
and therefore not very practical. From this, it
stands to reason that the level and kind of self-inquiry
we are doing will, by necessity, be matched up with the
degree of witness we have present in our awareness.
The more prevalent the witness, the more far-reaching
our self-inquiry will be, while remaining relational.
So, logically, the first step on a path of self-inquiry
will be the ongoing cultivation of the witness. In the
approach we use in AYP, that will be via deep
meditation. In any effective system where self-inquiry
is employed, some kind of meditation will be present,
whether it be in the form of a regular sitting practice, or
an aspect of the self-inquiry itself.
Once we have been cultivating the witness, the next
step will be to notice its presence. It may be noticed as
a calmness – events occurring without leaving
impressions as they did before, more happiness, a
bubbling up of creative energy, increased desire to
know the truth via more study and inquiry. Or we may
notice a silent wakefulness in-between our waking
thoughts, during dreaming while we are asleep, or
while we are in dreamless deep sleep. Any or all of
these.
Once we have noticed the witness, we may still find
the absolute philosophical tenet of non-duality to be
quite foreign – the idea that there is only That, and all
this I experience in the world and in my mind is
illusion, unreal. Hammering on this idea will not help
us much to see that it is so, though anyone is welcome
to do that. It will likely remain non-relational for some
time before the truth begins to peek through.
Much better to continue with daily sitting practices,
and then take on self-inquiry right where we are in
more mundane ways. If we learn to crawl first, and then
stand up while holding on to something, we will be
much less likely to fall flat on our face when we try to
walk. If we take it step-by-step, we will be running
before we know it. At some point we may find
ourselves having the time to notice who is noticing. It
doesn’t take any time at all really – only the witness. It
begins in the many gaps of stillness that occur inbetween
everything that happens in our daily
experience, between our thoughts, feelings and
perceptions of the world. Eventually, the gaps expand
and merge to encompass our experience twenty-four
hours per day. Then we notice our stillness has become
the blank movie screen upon which the entire drama of
life is being projected.
Let’s consider the five stages of mind discussed in
the previous chapter. When we get to the point where
we begin to witness our surroundings, thoughts, and
feelings as being somehow outside ourselves (see last
chapter, stage 2 – witnessing), then this is not
necessarily the time to drop our active engagement in
the world in favor of asserting, “I am That!”
It isn’t necessarily the time either for pressing hard
in our every waking moment with the inquiry, “Who am
I?” While noticing and becoming identified with the
witness puts us in the position to discriminate between
the objects of our perception and the witness (stage 3),
it does not mean we are ready to jump straight into
dispassion (stage 4) and full realization of “I am That”
(stage 5). It would be nice, but it seldom works that
way. For those who try and leap that far immediately
when they find a taste of real discrimination, it can be a
rocky road with a lot of confusion and non-relational
backsliding. Or is it forward sliding?
Either way, instead of taking the leap, we will be
wise to inquire about our every day experiences in the
here and now first, and begin to find relational selfinquiry
in those. By bringing in the witness through
daily deep meditation and gradually taking a different
tact in our relationship with our own thoughts, we can
improve our effectiveness and happiness in daily living.
This kind of self-inquiry has tangible benefits, and is
worth doing. Then we will be on our way to a more
ultimate kind of self-inquiry. There is a natural
progression in it.
We all know how difficult it can be to change our
life by thinking alone, and some of us struggle with it
constantly. It seems no matter how hard we try, our
relationships seem to keep going along the same tracks,
and the realization we are working to achieve may
elude us for a long time. The reason is because we are
wrapped up in the ways we relate and in the ways we
pursue our objectives in life. In short, we are identified
with the life we have been living, including our style of
thinking and relating. Deep inside, we believe that this
is who we are.
The witness is beyond these deep-seated beliefs, so
when we begin to inquire from that perspective, the
identification begins to unwind. Then we begin to see
beyond our dream, and can interact in ways that may
have seemed impossible to us before.
Freedom! It is very practical.
We don’t have to worry about realizing the ultimate
truth, because once we begin to get our every day house
in order with relational self-inquiry, the big picture will
not be far from us. It is important to avoid overextending
ourselves. We should learn to stand up and
walk before we try and run.
There is great truth in the advice that if we want to
measure the merit of a sage, we should look first at
their ordinary relationships, rather than at their mystical
attainments.
There are a variety of self-inquiry systems and
they fall into two categories:
􀂃 Inquiry about our every day interactions and
activities, with the aim to live in greater harmony
and happiness.
􀂃 Inquiry about the ultimate nature of existence, and
who we are in relation to That.
To be honest, the various kinds of self-inquiry
systems in these two categories will work equally well
if the witness is present. If there is a grain of truth in
them, the witness will know, and self-inquiry will be
good. Even if there is only little truth in a particular
angle of inquiry, the witness will find the truth in that
also. All inquiry for truth, whether on the level of every
day living or the cosmic level, depends on that kind of
resonance with truth (the witness). The presence of that
resonance in self-inquiry is what makes it relational and
practical.
Not everyone is inclined to engage in structured
self-inquiry, using specific mental algorithms, or
formulas. That is okay. Structured self-inquiry is not
mandatory if we are cultivating the witness. Our
ongoing desire for truth and the presence of the witness
will be enough to bring us along into full realization in
good time. In that situation, we will know the truth,
whether we are deliberately inquiring or not.
Ironically, those who are the most enthusiastic
about doing self-inquiry will often be those who will
gain the least from it. These are people with very
curious and analytical minds, constantly testing mental
algorithms, but perhaps with less inclination to bring
the mind to stillness in daily deep meditation. So there
will be a lot of non-relational inquiry and analysis
going on there, but very little relational self-inquiry.
There are numerous systems of self-inquiry that are
offered in the spiritual marketplace these days. All will
be effective if they are done relationally, with presence
of the witness. And not one of them will be effective if
it is done non-relationally, with thoughts manipulating
and interacting with thoughts. For this reason, we are
not laying out specific schemes of structured selfinquiry
in detail here. The effectiveness of self-inquiry
does not rely very much on the particular mental
algorithm we happen to be using.
Therefore, it is not necessary to examine the many
structured systems of self-inquiry in this small book. It
will be easy enough to look them up and gravitate
toward approaches that suit our nature. Or perhaps we
will evolve our own way of inquiring deep into the
nature of things in relation to the rise of our own
witness consciousness. In self-inquiry especially, the
natural approach is usually the best approach, because
it carries no pretense. We call it as we see it. We will
know the approach to self-inquiry we are using is
relational by its ease and effectiveness.
Until we have found our own way by direct
experience in stillness, this book can be a help in
understanding the underlying principles of self-inquiry,
and put us in a better position to evaluate any system of
self-inquiry, or any philosophy and its mental strategies
for unfolding full human potential. In taking a wise
approach by cultivating the witness first, we will be
able to easily distinguish useful methods from those
that are not so useful for us at every step along the way.
We will find the truth everywhere when we have the
inner witness to see it.
In discussing self-inquiry here, we will make a
fundamental distinction between how we regard our
every day experiences, and how we might regard the
ultimate truth of existence and our role in it. These are
different categories of self-inquiry directly related to
the stages of mind discussed in the last chapter. Both
are essentially about the same thing, and are leading to
the same realization.