Why should we do Self Enquiry

Seeker: Why should we do Self Enquiry?

Sirshree: Doesn’t every being want bliss, happiness, peace? Behind everything that you do, isn’t it happiness that you seek? Every action that man performs is for this happiness, this bliss. But that bliss is lost in the hurricane of thoughts. Thoughts – be it then positive or negative, good or bad – they always cloud the radiance of the Self. When you are in deep sleep, then there are no thoughts. Then – there is pure consciousness, self, bright awareness.

The way a spider weaves a web out of itself and then takes back everything back into itself, the same way thoughts arise from the ocean of the Self and manifest our world. They disappear during deep sleep and along with them the world too disappears. This illusory game goes on uninterrupted.

To clear the cobwebs of illusion, one has to go to the source of these thoughts. When you do rigorous continuous repeated self-enquiry and see all the facets of the mind and all its colours – then the mind weakens and finally will meet its end. It will disappear. It never truly existed and thus – will become nothing. It is this mind that is ego, it is this that is the false ‘I’. Enquiry is for the death of the mind, the mind that in the ‘Final Truth Discourses’ is called the false ‘I’. It is also called the Contrast Mind, which keeps coming between the seeker and the sought (Self or God).

The meaning of 'God' is Love and 'Love' can never be unhappy.

The meaning of ‘God’ is Love and ‘Love’ can never be unhappy. Man wrongly believes that if one day he forgets to pray to God or prostrate before him, then God becomes unhappy or gets angry. Man thinks that God is like him. If God gets angry, then what’s the difference between God and man? One can say in a lighter vein that ‘God does get angry on this note that Man thinks that God gets angry’. You have to know yourself, only then you will know Him.

Understanding Thoughts with Self Enquiry

Q&A with Sirshree

Seeker: How can we continuously do “self enquiry”? It is but natural for thoughts to arise. They are bound to come. In such a situation, what do we do?

Understanding Thoughts with Self Enquiry

Sirshree: This enquiry is not difficult at all if one understands it properly. Whenever any other thought arises, ask yourself ‘to whom has this thought arisen?’ (Who is the thinker?). It doesn’t matter how many thoughts come to you. When you ask this to yourself (to whom has this thought occurred?), an answer might occur to you, “This thought has occurred to me”. Immediately ask yourself, “Who is this me?”, “Who am I?”. Then you will be thrown back to yourself. When you ask yourself, “Who is this me?” or “Who am I? “, then do not give the answer in words. Don’t answer from the intellect… ‘I am consciousness’, ‘I am self ‘, etc. Beyond these answers, beyond the intellect – one has to experience the feeling – one’s being – the feeling of “sense of presence”. Reaching the experience of the true self is the real answer to this question. In this way, every time, every thought… will take you back to your true self. Right now, if you are getting this thought that “I am not understanding this”, then ask… “who is it that is not understanding?”. If I have not understood, then who… who… who…? Immediately you will see that thoughts disappear for some moments. You become thoughtless. Only the self remains. In this way, by repeatedly contacting your true self, the mind will weaken and the light of consciousness will shine. The mind will learn to stay at its source by repeating this process. By dipping into the self again and again, the mind shall dissolve. It is like the story of the dolls made out of salt. They wanted to dive into the sea to measure its depth, they themselves got dissolved before reaching the bottom.

Seeker: Are there no other ways to quieten the mind?

Sirshree: Quietening of the mind is not the destination; it is just one of the steps. If after quietening of the mind, the required understanding is not achieved, the whole purpose is lost. This understanding does not arise through other methods. Some people try to quieten the mind by regulating their breath (pranayama). Or through chanting of mantras. In all these methods, one does feel that the mind has become quiet for some time. However, the mind returns back after some time with the same old understanding. The doubts of the mind appear again . The mind’s thoughts continue to trouble us. When someone focuses the mind on the gap between two breaths, then also the mind shall become quiet. One feels that along with the breath, the mind too has stopped. In deep sleep, even while the breathing is going on, the mind is quiet, it even ceases to exist. It is therefore, better if we can be on our source while breathing is taking place normally. Self enquiry achieves this naturally.

Seeker: Since there is no end to thoughts, how long should one continue “self enquiry”?

Sirshree:  Do this enquiry until you find out your true identity, as long as your concepts about yourself don’t dissolve. One of the root concept is that you are the body, the moment such concepts / beliefs dissolve, self-enquiry will end because then you would have stabilized on your self. You would have become a sthithpragnya (one who is stabilized in truth). After that, even if there are thoughts, you would have understood that they are separate from you. You are witnessing those thoughts. Thoughts are in your body-mind mechanism. This machine is just a mirror which makes you aware of yourself. If there are thoughts happening to this mirror, then how can they trouble you? The mirror always does its work. It always reveals your presence to you. (It means it always makes you aware of your awareness). Practising self-enquiry and thus being established in oneself is the highest devotion of all. Eliminating thoughts the moment they arise by the process of self-enquiry is the truest sacrifice of all.

How to do Self Enquiry

Q&A with Sirshree 

First ask - "Who I am not?"

Seeker: How does one begin Self Enquiry?

Sirshree: For the right start, first understand a little more about the body. Then about the mind, intellect and the Real Self (Sakshi). Understanding this will help.

Seeker: Should I directly begin by asking “Who am I?”

Sirshree: No. First ask – “Who I am not?”. I am not this body because the moment I say that this is my body, then it is something external. Not me. I am not “my car”. “My house” possibly cannot be me. I say : “Please come to my house”, and not “Please come in to me”.

• Name given to this body is not me.
•  The five elements of this gross body – earth, fire, water, wind and space is not me.
• The astral body within the body is not me.
• The five senses of the body -eyes, ears , nose, tongue, and skin is not me.
• I am not those things that are related to the senses sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
• I am also not the breath due to which this body-mind mechanism functions.
• Neither I am the mind that thinks about what I should be.
• Nor am I the intellect that is absent along with the body during deep sleep.

Seeker: If I am not all these, then who am I?

Sirshree: You are the only one who remains. It was you who were using the five layers of the body. It was you who were the master of the intellect. Now it is you who is the witnessing of the mind.

You are beyond every label

• Now, if you no longer are the body and intellect, how can you be an engineer or a doctor or a leader or a student?
• How can you be a brother or a sister, a father, a mother, a friend, a husband, a wife, a disciple or a Guru?
• How can you be American, Indian, British, Chinese, etc.?
• How can you be a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew?
• How can you be cheerful, intelligent, foolish, positive, active, honest, pious, lazy? Now it is just you who remains – pure, non-state , without any imagination of name or form. Accept your true form as it is. And remain that. You have become something that you aren’t. Now is the time to be established in your consciousness. To be who you really are – the bright witnessing.

Also read:

1. Who am I
2. Self Enquiry with Honesty
3. Thoughts and Self Enquiry
4. Tejam: Bright Witnessing

The Quality of your Life is Governed by the Quality of your Questions

For true transformation to occur, your questions should be of the higher levels.

For spiritual transformation, as you ascend to higher levels of happiness, the quality of the questions that you ask need to change. Your questions are a reflection of your thoughts, feelings, understanding and outlook. There are five levels of questioning. For true transformation to occur, your questions should be of the higher levels.

Level 1 Questions : Questions for the sake of questioning

At the first level, an individual asks questions merely for the sake of questioning. He is not interested in knowing the answer.

Level 2 Questions: Questions for passing time

These are questions where there is an intention to listen to the answer, but no intention to learn. The question is posed just to while away time, just because somebody is available and there is pretty much nothing else to do. These questions could also take the shape of sarcastic or taunting questions.

Level 3 Questions: Questions for utilizing time

These are higher level questions, where there is an intention of learning and using time constructively. You come across someone very knowledgeable. So you ask questions and really learn from the answers. This is done to utilize time positively. These are not aimless queries, but these are questions that make the best use of time.

Level 4 Questions : Incisive Questions

These are in-depth questions on a given topic. These questions are not usually asked by anybody and everybody. Before asking such questions, a person is required to have done a thorough study of the subject. Incisive questions do not arise without reflection. Those who ask such questions always grow. They never stop growing.

Level 5 Questions : Seeker’s questions

These are not questions on just any topic. These are the most profound questions of all. These are questions such as: Who am I? Why am I here? What is eternal joy? What is life? A seeker does not ask them out of curiosity or eagerness. He has intense thirst for getting an answer to these questions. It is a matter of life and death to him.

Level 5 questions are those that elevate your level of consciousness. How many level 5 questions do you ask yourself or others through the day? The more you are focused on level 5 questions, the faster will be your complete transformation. Send in your level 5 questions to Tej Gyan Foundation and you shall receive the answers to them.