Self Inquiry Guide

Simple step-by-step instructions for deep

Self inquiry practice

Contents

Page 2 Steps for practice

Pages 3-6 Explanation of steps

Pages 7-9 Bonus Tips

Page 10 Frequently Asked Questions

Page 11 Helpful Resources

Pages 12-19 The 7 Pillars of Spiritual Practice

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 Steps
Step 1: Put forth the question, Who am I?

Step 2: Consider where the question “Who am I?” is pointing you.

“Go” to that place. Go there with your attention. Wordlessly,
thoughtlessly, look at what you feel the question “Who am I?” is
pointing you to.

Step 3: Keep your attention rooted in your sense of self “I.” When
thoughts arise, instead of pursuing them, notice the awareness in
which they arise. Wordlessly, thoughtlessly notice “I am aware of this
thought." And once again return your attention to your sense of self,
“I,” which is aware.

Step 4: "Stay there” without expecting something to happen and

without the desire to realize something. Rest in and AS your concept-
less Being.

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 Step 1
Put forth the question, Who am I?

Hint #1: Don’t keep asking "Who am I? Who am I?" Self inquiry meditation is not a thinking
exercise. Pose the question once, and then move onto step 2.

Hint #2: It is very important that you understand that this question does not need to be
intellectually answered. The mind asks the question and does not know the answer.
Understand that anything the mind can say is just another concept. Therefore, do not go
looking in mind for an answer. You are not supposed to find an answer to this question in
words(language).

Hint #3: Other variations of this question that you can use:
What am I?
Am I aware?
As what am I aware?
As what do I know my experience?
As what am I here?
What knows this experience?
What is this “I” or "me" that is aware of thoughts?

Pick the question which connects with you the most. Different pointers out of this list will
resonate with you at different times in your journey. The important thing to see over time is
that all of these questions point you in the same direction(inward to yourself).

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 Step 2
Consider where the question “Who am I?” is pointing you. “Go” to that
place. Go there with your attention. Wordlessly, thoughtlessly, look at what
you feel the question “Who am I?” is pointing you to.

Hint #1: This is a SELF inquiry. Your sense of self “I” is in question. Go to your
sense of “I.” Notice what the word “I” refers to in experience.

Hint #2: Just like the word “table” is not a table - it is referring to the physical
object that you know as “table.” The word “table” is a concept, a label.
Whereas, the physical object that the concept is referring to in experience is
the actual thing being spoken of. Just like that, bring your attention to what the
word “I” is referring to in your experience.

Hint #3: Do not entertain any concerns such as “Am I doing this right?” Or “Is
this what the question is pointing to?” Notice how when you fall for such
thoughts, your gaze once again turns away from “I” and gets focused in
thoughts. And then you are no longer practicing self inquiry. When such
thoughts arise, simply have no interest to pursue them. Move onto step 3.

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 Step 3
Keep your attention rooted in your sense of self “I.” When thoughts arise, instead
of pursuing them, notice the awareness in which they arise. Wordlessly,
thoughtlessly notice “I am aware of this thought." And once again return your
attention to your sense of self, “I,” which is aware.

Hint #1: During this practice, have no interest in pursuing thoughts, no matter how
compelling or important they may seem. You have to start to look past the seeming
importance of thoughts during moments of practice. Have no interest in what they
say, have no interest in the content of those thoughts. Instead, be more interested in
your awareness, in which they arise.

Hint #2: Learn to discern between awareness and thinking. Thinking is mental
chatter. Awareness is the bare seeing, knowing, looking IN WHICH thoughts are
seen. Here’s a practice to see this clearly: Notice that sometimes there are thoughts,
sometimes there are no thoughts. When thoughts are there, awareness is there.
Because without awareness, thoughts wouldn’t be known. And even when thoughts
are not there, awareness is still there. Because even the absence of thought is
registered in your knowing, in your awareness.

So understand, that awareness is subtler than and prior to the thinking which
appears and disappears in it. Awareness is your bare looking, bare observing, bare
knowing. Thinking is the mental chatter which is seen to come and go by me.

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 Step 4
"Stay there” without expecting something to happen and without the desire
to realize something. Rest in and AS your concept-less Being.

Hint #1: Expectation keeps you stuck in thoughts, in personal identity. During
this practice, if there is any expectation present, you must notice it and discard
it as not-self. Instead of being interested in the expectation, be interested in
the awareness of it. “There's awareness of this expectation." What is this “I” or
"me" that is aware? Once again return to self-awareness.

Hint #2: In Self-awareness, all notions, all concepts, all conditioning, all
personhood comes to a halt. In that moment, it all dissolves in silence. And this
silence(absence of concepts) is the source of wisdom, it is the true teaching. In
silence, all identifications and misunderstandings gradually come to and end.

Hint #3: Keep repeating this: When thoughts arise, just let them go and return
to noticing the awareness which knows. Now again, do not worry "am I
practicing this correctly?" Simply do your best to follow what is being taught.
Even if your practice is not perfect, life will gradually correct it by itself if you
stay consistent.

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 Bonus #1
As you grow in your practice, see that you are not maintaining awareness or
Being. Every time you return to Self-awareness(noticing your sense of self “I”),
see that this is not lost when you are engaged in activity or conversation. It
only appears to have been lost because we get hypnotized in the limited
perspective that thoughts impose on us.

But see that awareness does not disappear or change. Actually, even that
contracted state of mind identification is something that there is a pristine
awareness of. It is only because of the awareness of it that I know it in the first
place!

Awareness or Being is always present. It is the changeless background upon

which all the thinking, feeling, and doing are appearing as momentary
appearances.

Seeing this more and more clearly will help you realize that you are not
maintaining your being, you are yourself always. And by realizing this more
and more, your identification with the changeful objects of perception will
gradually diminish.

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 Bonus #2
Over time, as you become more comfortable with what is means to
"abide in and as Being or Awareness," start to see that “I” am not present
as any particular thing.

I am not an object of perception. I cannot know myself as an object that I

can point to and look at. I am not anything particular inside of experience
that appears as a "this" or "that",

Whatever experience that appears is seen BY ME as a changeful object,

meanwhile I myself never appear phenomenally.

Begin to confirm in your experience that Being cannot be defined by any

objective quality such as size, shape, color, duration, etc.

“I” have no name, no form.

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 Bonus #3
Also over time, notice that because “I” have no objective quality and I’m
not present as any particular thing, I am incapable of preference or
resistance, desire or fear.

It is similar to how the space of this room is incapable of liking one object
and despising another. It is incapable of clinging to one object and
resisting another.

Space is incapable of even conceptualizing like, dislike, good, bad, right

wrong, etc. It simply is. Just like that, my Being is inherently free from all
such notions and is therefore free of suffering.

I am pure awareness, pure acceptance, pure allowance, simply Being.

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 FAQ
Is the sense of “I” not coming from the body?
No, “I” am aware of the body as sensations and sense perceptions. The sensations
and sense perceptions that I know as “the body” change, while I do not change.

Is the sense of “I” not coming from the mind or personality?

No, “I” am aware of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and perceptions. They change
while “I” remain the same.

Can I just keep repeating “I” “I” “I” “I” or “I am” “I am” “I am” “I am”
Although this may be helpful initially when you begin this practice while you get
used to noticing the sense of self which the word “I” points to, you have to
eventually let go of this clinging to words. The sense of self is there with or without
you saying the word “I.”

I just don’t get this at all. What do I do?

I would recommend that you continue to try. If this teaching is coming into your
experience, it means you are ready to explore it. However, your perception may
need to become a little more subtle before you can really understand this practice.
For that, I have an easier meditation that I would recommend to you to practice
twice per day for 20 minutes each session for at least a few months. That will
prepare you to be receptive to these Self inquiry pointers. Click here to learn that
meditation.

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Still Need More Help?
Consider these resources:

Free Self-inquiry Mini Course: In this course we go deeper into Self

inquiry practice. It also includes guided Self inquiry meditations. To enroll,
you need to join my free community group. Once you join, you will be
able to access the course in the classroom tab. Click here to join.

School of Awakening: This is my day-by-day Self inquiry meditation

program which helps you dissolve mind identification and discover your
true Being.

In it, I guide and support your through your entire journey. This program is
very experiential and practice driven. It helps you bridge the gap
between intellectual understanding and lived experience. Click here to
learn more about the program.

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 7 Pillars Of Spiritual
Practice
The information on the pages that will follow will discuss what
your daily spiritual practice should consist of.

It will give you a clear picture of what the direct spiritual path
entails and guide you on how to live in a way that will help you
uncover spiritual truths.

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 Pillar #1
Daily sit-down meditation practice

This is the foundation of your entire spiritual practice. It cleanses you,

replenishes you, makes your perception subtler, and keeps you from
getting entangled in personal concerns. It makes you capable of
practicing and living a spiritual life through all the ups and downs of
personal life.

The sit-down meditation practice dissolves the veil to understanding. Do

not avoid it, because then all these teachings will remain conceptual for
you. Silence is the main ingredient which softens intellectual
understanding into experience.

Your sit down practice will either consist of object focus meditation or
self inquiry meditation. If you are unsure about which one is right for you,
please ask me inside of my free community group here.

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 Pillar #2
Strong determination to be be present during the day.

It will be hard, but you must be adamant and diligent in letting go of

psychological chatter the moment you notice yourself in it.

During the day, experience as many moments of silence(absence of

thoughts). Begin to clearly discern between awareness and thinking. Drop
thinking as often as you remember and rest as silent awareness.

Think when you feel you have to for work and for accomplishing tasks
etc. But most of the time when thinking is just happening compulsively
and unconsciously, you must practice.

In every moment of remembrance, just let go of thoughts by bringing

attention to yourself (the awareness which is aware). The more you
practice in the moments of remembrance, the more frequently you will
remember to practice. And gradually, thoughts will lose their capacity to
pull you into identification.

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 Pillar #3
Non reactiveness through self observation.

Rather than identifying with your thoughts, feelings, and triggers, you
now have to observe them and see that they are not you. You do not
need to cling to or resist emotions/feelings. You no longer need to
believe in the thoughts of story about who wronged you and what
happened etc etc.

Whatever triggers you on this path is your friend, not your enemy. It
brings up all your conditioning little by little, and through observation of
those triggers, through judgement-less awareness of those feelings, you
break identification with them.

Let all your mental impressions unravel in this way. If you’re unsure on
how to master your emotions and dissolve your triggers, please ask me
inside of my free community group here.

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 Pillar #4
Acceptance of what comes and goes

Stop clinging to what is. Stop resisting what is. Have your plans and do
what you wish to do in life, but do not resist what happens. You can have
your plan, but ultimately, surrender to Life’s plan. Trust in life’s wisdom
more than you do in your own ideas of what is right or wrong for you.

Take everything that you’re experiencing as exactly what you need in this
moment to awaken to your true self. Take all circumstances, people, and
things that you encounter on your personal journey as the gifts and
messengers that God has sent to you to help you awaken to your true
Self. Therefore, live in total acceptance of what is.

By remaining in conflict with what is, you remain in bondage.

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 Pillar #5
An ongoing discernment of change vs changeless, seen vs seer.

Discern between “I” the changeless awareness vs objects(what I am

aware of as changeful experiences). Let go of identifying with anything
that appears. You are nothing that can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted,
touched, felt, thought or perceived as an experience.

The Self cannot be found as an object within knowledge. You cannot

know the Self, you can only Be the Self.

If you’re unsure on how to conduct this ongoing discernment between

Self and not Self, please ask me inside of my free community group here.

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 Pillar #6
Letting go of desire for pleasure and wealth. Pursue wisdom instead of riches.

Keep seeing through your own observation that desire for transient experiences
binds you in a limited identity(personhood). If you want to discover the truth of what
you are, you will have to start seeing your personal desires more as surface level,
superficial wants that are not really of much importance. They will steer your
personal journey from here to there, and that is fine, but don’t be so invested in
them, don’t identify with them, don't need them to be fulfilled.

Pursue your personal desires if you wish, but know that what it's all really about is
awakening to who you truly are. The journey that unfolds through the pursuit of your
desires will teach you many lessons if you are more invested in the pursuit of
wisdom rather than pleasurable experiences.

No longer are your work, relationships, health, or personal life about what you can
achieve in those areas. Instead all those are now only avenues through which you
will encounter what you need to experience and go through in order to become
aware of and let go of all limited identifications.

Make this adjustment in your attitude. It will greatly serve you.

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 Pillar #7
Total faith in the teaching and devotion to its practice.

If you feel a sense of truthfulness in these teachings, then go all in

without clinging to your current beliefs about what you are and what
life is.

Take the teaching on its word and act accordingly. You have nothing
to lose. Waste no time on doubting and rejecting the teaching. This is
the easiest way. Make your entire life your spiritual practice.

Don’t just engage in mental gymnastics and creating ideas about the
true self and awareness etc. Instead, give everything you have to the
practice of the principles of the teachings that you are encountering.

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 Thanks For Reading!
I hope that this was helpful to you. Do you still need more help?
Consider these resources:

Free Self-inquiry Mini Course: In this course we go deeper into Self

inquiry practice. It also includes guided Self inquiry meditations. To enroll,
you need to join my free community group. Once you join, you will be
able to access the course in the classroom tab. Click here to join.

School of Awakening: This is my day-by-day Self inquiry meditation

program which helps you dissolve mind identification and discover your
true Being.

In it, I guide and support your through your entire journey. This program is
very experiential and practice driven. It helps you bridge the gap
between intellectual understanding and lived experience. Click here to
learn more about the program.

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