What Is the difference between meditation on void and self inquiry

[dvdas]

recently I read a million thoughts by Om swami. one of the techniques he is referring to Is meditation on formlessness or the void which is a concentrative meditation technique and which Im currently practising, (extremely hard). 

self inquiry as Leo describes it in the latest video is very similar and almost the same as swami's meditation on formlessness (with a great deal of mental exertion and relaxation you just stay in a state of thoughtlessness (void) ). Leo said; keeping your attention on the formless as long as you can. 

it's kind of hard for me to find the difference between them. is there any ? am I self-inquiring or am I meditating ? 

@Leo Gura can you enlightened me  ? I know you know the technique I'm talking about.

[ground]

Concentrative meditation has no lasting effects. It's only kind of holidays for the mind. Having said that holidays of course are great and necessary, recreation. Thus concentrative meditation may function as a basis for 'more'.

Edited December 28, 2018 by ground

[dvdas]

yea I see. but I can't see the difference between concentrate on emptiness, and holding to the emptiness. I feel like I do the same when Im meditating. 

[Lauritz]

I encountered the same question lately. I also ask myself how forceful my concentration awareness (or emptiness as you call it) shall be. Usually I find my thought process goes on along with awareness still being aware of itself. There is usually a detachment from thoughts.

I would say, meditation in this way is a form of self-inquiry. If you keep your attention on emptiness/awareness, you are basically looking for your true self. It's different from other self-inquiry techniques though, because you are not coming at it with an attempt to actively see through your currently false believes.

For example in self-inquiry you might ask yourself: "What is the distance between me and an object?", with the purpose to see through the illusory separation of subject and object. In that sense, meditation on formlessness is more direct, because you try to see Truth directly. Whereas other techniques tear down wrong believes. But they both have the same end result.

[Marinador]

In my case self-inquiry leads always to focus completely in the void because i realize that i don't know what are my actual images (thoughts, sounds, body sensation, sight...) and i can't know what they are by thinking so it is in vain to follow inquiring myself

 

@ground why do you say that concentrative meditation has no lasting effects?

[dvdas]

thank ya all for your responses. Through self experimentation I think they are the same. But of course there is more to find.