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Self Inquiry Meditation Techniques

Self inquiry is an ancient meditation technique used to achieve self realization and enlightenment. It involves focusing attention on the inner feeling of being oneself, and using questions like "who is experiencing this thought?" to redirect attention back to that feeling when thoughts arise. Practicing this helps break bonds of suffering by realizing one's true nature. It was popularized by Ramana Maharshi and provides benefits like relaxation, enhanced experience of life, and a sense of joy. The technique involves sitting comfortably and letting go of thinking to place attention on the feeling of being oneself.

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125 views3 pages

Self Inquiry Meditation Techniques

Self inquiry is an ancient meditation technique used to achieve self realization and enlightenment. It involves focusing attention on the inner feeling of being oneself, and using questions like "who is experiencing this thought?" to redirect attention back to that feeling when thoughts arise. Practicing this helps break bonds of suffering by realizing one's true nature. It was popularized by Ramana Maharshi and provides benefits like relaxation, enhanced experience of life, and a sense of joy. The technique involves sitting comfortably and letting go of thinking to place attention on the feeling of being oneself.

Uploaded by

muitasorte9
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© All Rights Reserved
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  • Self Inquiry

Self Inquiry

Date / Time So far today, have you brought kind awareness to your:
Thoughts? Heart? Body? None of the Above

PURPOSE/EFFECTS

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.

METHOD

Summary

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

Long Version

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.

HISTORY

Self inquiry or atma-vichara is an ancient Indian meditation technique. A version of it


can be found, for example, in the Katha Upanishad, where it says:

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mindfulness
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Self Inquiry
The primeval one who is hard to perceive,
wrapped in mystery, hidden in the cave,
residing within the impenetrable depth
Regarding him as god, an insight
gained by inner contemplation,
both sorrow and joy the wise abandon. (K.U. 2.12)

Here the primeval one is the Self, which is to be contemplated. The cave is the
body, in which the feeling of the self arises.

Self inquiry was popularized in the 20th century by the great Indian saint Ramana
Maharshi, who made it the centerpiece of his teaching.

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.

NOTES

The Sanskrit term atma-vichara can also be translated as self investigation or self
reflection. Due to Ramana Maharshi, the translation self inquiry has become
standard.

Some notes on the technique, from Wikipedia:

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 in-
vokes 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.

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mindfulness
[Link]
Self Inquiry

thank you for your mindfulness practice

May I continue to look deeply into


my mind, my heart and body.
May I see things and meet things
AS THEY ARE
and may this clear and sustained knowing free me

FOR THE SAKE OF


ALL BEINGS.

Get more free mindfulness worksheets, talks, eBooks and meditations at

mindfulness
[Link]

Self Inquiry mindfulness MindfulnessExercises.com (http://mindfulnessexercises.com/) Get more free mindfulness worksheets, ta
Self Inquiry mindfulness MindfulnessExercises.com (http://mindfulnessexercises.com/) Get more free mindfulness worksheets, ta
Self Inquiry mindfulness MindfulnessExercises.com (http://mindfulnessexercises.com/) Get more free mindfulness worksheets, ta

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