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Yogajan
USA
49 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 19 2008 : 09:05:11 AM
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I'm reading Yogani's book on Self-Inquiry. Its thought-provoking. I'm in AA and have worked the 12-steps and step 10 & 11 are on-going -- "continued to take personal inventory" and "sought through prayer and meditation" really fit well to me this Self-Inquiry practice. I like this part of Yogani's book:
"The task of self-inquiry is not to end thinking, feeling, and action, but to become That which is beyond thinking, feeling, and action. In doing so, thinking, feeling, and action will go on, but the doer is nowhere to be found. For that One is beyond doing. What remains is divine doing." In AA, there is this saying that you work the steps and the steps then work you. In this case, we do the practices and the practices work within us. Self-inquiry then comes about then naturally, becomes organic.
What I'm finding in my work as a counselor with the Eckart Tolle stuff is people are in struggle trying to get somewhere fast. They want to get rid of the ego like its a hot potato and then get into self-flaggelation (sp?) for having the ego <which is just more ego!>. So, just noticing, developing the Witness presence, stepping back and not trying to be somewhere where I'm not seems important. To let the practices work within me. I'd love to hear anybody's thoughts on this slippery topic of Self-Inquiry.
Jan |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2008 : 10:29:20 AM
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Hi Yogajan
quote:
So, just noticing, developing the Witness presence, stepping back and not trying to be somewhere where I'm not seems important. To let the practices work within me.
I think you have captured it pretty much perfectly 
And the developing of the witness presence is not "done" by us either......it simply naturally occurs if we let it. (Usually we are busy with a lot of other stuff ) This occuring is greatly helped by the practise of deep meditation. Simply because the "dipping of our toe" into the silence twice a day.....somehow.....the effect stays with us throughout the "outside meditation time". Slowly....silence imprints our attention. Silence is pure intelligence.
It reveals what is.
This is how I see self-inquiry. It includes everything, and yet transcends everything.
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Divineis
Canada
420 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 03:23:03 AM
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self-enquiry. At it's base I reckon it's just "become the question". It's all (cosmic)Self looking at Self, a whole bunch of questions, potentials... potential for the infinite!!! ... and then comes in wee little self(ego), the glue that holds it all together. I think it's useful to talk about ego, but there comes a point where you just can't see that as seperate no matter how much it seperates (I reckon there's basically two kinds of this, self vs self on a personal level... and then on the "outside" sort of level. They're the same illusion though. It's all about the individual!!! but now I'm just rambling haha).
... sorta like "I am not that" ideas, objects you play with, are looked at more in a "consciousness is speaking" sort of way. Ego seems more just utilitarian... not that you zombiefy logic or anything, just that the attachment to the concepts isn't really there because "I am that" already... It's always by going into, not avoiding. Subtleness of thoughts and emotion presents itself and clear thought\action... comes out of nowhere :) haha. Like you said, there's no forcing this though. It's already this hehe.
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yogibear
409 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 8:59:49 PM
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Hi Yogajan,
This is one of my favorite quotes from Yogani's Self Inquiry book and is much healthier way of looking at the subject.
quote:
In this outpouring divine love there is eternal stillness, and an ongoing transcendence of duality. This is what life is in the non-duality that is described in vedanta and yoga.
Some have claimed that this is the end of the ego. Well, maybe by someones's definition it is, but it is certainly not the end of the person. Rather it is the expansion of the person to the level of divine expression. It is correct to say that enlightenment is the end of identification and the simultaneous expansion of the divine engagement. It is the ultimate example of less becoming more.
I agree with the above view. I have zero desire to get rid of myself. I like my self. I don't agree with the "annihlation of the ego" viewpoint which seems to be that ego is bad and should be destroyed or deleted. Healthy self esteem is not a concept that is permitted in this because for there to be self esteem, there must be ego. They seem to think that they can achieve a state of egoless ego which is an oxymoron. The ego cannot achieve a state of egolessness which would be non-existance.
But why desire this?
There is nothing wrong with us. We are fine. Great, in fact. We just need to accept this. Of what value is self flagellation or targeting oneself for destruction?
Is the goal of yoga to make ourselves go away or disappear? I don't think so. Who gets enlightened? Does non-existance equal enlightenment? How does this help anyone?
Jeepers creepers!
I don't think that the ego named Eckhart Tolle is non-existant altho he may be in a different condition than you and me, i.e., in a state of dispassion.
You are always you, regardless of who you think you are. You don't go away.
Identification, and the resulting excessive self concern, is what needs to be addressed and decreased in my view.
Better to focus on mantra meditation and easy does it Self Inquiry as Katrine says and let this have its automatic effect and not bother about it much beyond that.
The people you mention misunderstand Tolle, as you know. I am a big fan of Tolle. But for all of the great things Tolle says and writes, he falls short on this point of ego. Yogani hits this nail on the head. Self inquiry occurs in stages as the witness develops.
1) Who am I?
2) Not this, not this.
3) That.
Best, yb. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 06:54:10 AM
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| Yes, the mind/ego can never realize itself to be a fake. So ego trying to destroy ego doesn't work. It becomes self-flaggelation as you describe! It is consciousness who makes this "confused mistake" and identifies itself as the ego and believes itself to be limited to be the body-mind identity because it has been taught so by others. When the veil falls off, consciousness leaves that false identification and becomes True to Itself - simply being what it is. What is false is immediately known - so ego/body-mind identity will be known as "fake". And it's somehow much, much more interesting to be True. |
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re; Self-Inquiry ramblings
