Silent Sunday #3 - Self-Inquiry
Silent Sunday #3
Self-Inquiry
is the greatest service
you can render the world.'
Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry method is a way of detaching the self from what is called the 'I -thought'. He believed that by constantly observing the idea of the 'I' or the 'I am', one will reach a state of effortless awareness of being and will experience true liberation.
The practice of self-inquiry is quite simple in nature; one is to focus their attention on the 'I' and remain focused on the 'I-thought' as long as possible. Naturally, one's mind will begin to drift away from the 'I', and one will become distracted, but whenever that happens and one becomes aware of one's unawareness, one must simply come back to that state of self-inquiry.
"Self-enquiry should not be regarded as a meditation practice that takes place at certain hours and in certain positions; it should continue throughout one's waking hours, irrespective of what one is doing. Sri Ramana Maharshi saw no conflict between working and self-enquiry and he maintained that with a little practice it could be done under any circumstances. He did sometimes say that regular periods of formal practice were good for beginners, but he never advocated long periods of sitting meditation and he always showed his disapproval when any of his devotees expressed a desire to give up their mundane activities in favour of a meditative life."
~ David Godman.
In next week's post, I will begin looking into Rumi's poetry.
