Self inquiry

[Ali123]

Hello! I have two questions:

1. I have meditated 30 minutes a day for 6 months. Is it ok if i don't feel anything happening with me or?

2. How do you do self inquiry?. Can someone explain it to me or maybe send me a link of a video which explains it well. Thanks!

[fabriciom]

When you get your mind thinking on doing something you end up not being able to. You create this though in your head of what you think it is and if you've never reached it before it obviously is not what it is.

So, if I where you I would just try to relax. Do your "meditation" and just relax. Dont time it, what you are looking for is to relax. 

Observe the mind, watch your breathing. How your chest goes up and down. How the air feels coming into your nose and how it feels when it exists. 

When you eventually get to a point where your mind is blank, no thought, no judging, etc.

Then I would start focusing your attention inward. 

Look into:

What/who am I?

What/Who is asking?

What/who wants to know?

What was I before my parents where born?

 

Hope that helps.

Good luck!

Edited September 12, 2018 by fabriciom

[Ali123]

1 hour ago, Outer said:

Point with self-inquiry is to be without thought, in stillness. For that to happen you simply try and locate the I who is seeing, hearing, thinking, etc, since it's not possible you will just return to stillness for whatever length, and you repeat once thoughts return, over and over.

Ok, i'll take the advice!

 

48 minutes ago, fabriciom said:

When you get your mind thinking on doing something you end up not being able to. You create this though in your head of what you think it is and if you've never reached it before it obviously is not what it is.

So, if I where you I would just try to relax. Do your "meditation" and just relax. Dont time it, what you are looking for is to relax. 

Observe the mind, watch your breathing. How your chest goes up and down. How the air feels coming into your nose and how it feels when it exists. 

When you eventually get to a point where your mind is blank, no thought, no judging, etc.

Then I would start focusing your attention inward. 

Look into:

What/who am I?

What/Who is asking?

What/who wants to know?

What was I before my parents where born?

 

Hope that helps.

Good luck!

 

Thank you sooo much!! I will try it and see what happens.

[Nahm]

@Ali123

Nice!

1. It’s ok either way. 

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

[the_end_of_me]

@Nahm from reading the link you posted:
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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."

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.
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for some reason this confused me at first, but I guess essentially the practice is to learn that the "me" is not my thoughts right?

[Nahm]

@the_end_of_me 

Not trying to be silly, but it’s self inquiry, so that’d be up to you. 

But I think a decent question is, what is aware of thoughts?

[here-now]