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Most of you probably already know about Ramana Maharshi and his revolutionary teaching of Self Enquiry.  The question is, what is the most effective way to use the Self Enquiry technique, so that you can, just like Ramana Maharshi live in a constant state of Samadhi.

Let’s look at Ramana Maharshi’s technique:

Self Enquiry at the most basic level is asking yourself “Who am I?”

You are not really looking for a “who.”  You are not really looking for a definition or name.  You are looking to see what really is here.  What you really are that you call “I.”

Because with thinking, you keep referring to this “me.”

“My thoughts, my problems, my body, my desires, my fears, my knowledge, my failures, my achievements.  My, my, mine…”

But who is the owner of all of these things?  Who is this “me” that you keep referring to?

So you look within, using the question “Who am I?” to see what is really here beyond thinking.   And by doing so you will see that beyond thinking, there is no one here to claim ownership of all of these things.

Only in your thinking is there an “I” that thinks, that desires, that is happy or sad.  If you really look beyond the thinking for this “me,” it’s not there.

So self enquiry is really asking “beyond my thinking, beyond all of my definitions, what am I really in this moment?”

If you look, there is no answer, yet there still is the sense of existence, you still exist.  And you are aware that you exist.

If you do not use thought to interpret this moment, then what is left is sensation.  The sensation that you exist.

It is subtle.  It is not the sensation of stubbing your toe or getting a massage, it is what is always here, this sense of existing.  You can let go of everything else except for this sense of existing.

And this sense of existing is aware, awareness and this sense of existing cannot be separated.

So if you consider this, then what separates you from what you truly are is your thinking.  Or rather, your identification with your thinking keeps you from experiencing yourself as you truly are.

But once you identify with the thinking, once you say “I am thinking these thoughts” or “these thoughts are about me, about my life, my reality…”  That is when this thinking “I” becomes real. That is when you become involved with the thinking world.

Try and validate this “me” without using thinking and it disappears.  But the moment you get caught up in thinking again, the thinking world instantly becomes your reality.

So by using Ramana Maharshi’s self enquiry method, you go beyond thought identification and for a moment, you are free from the mind/ego and rest as awareness itself.

Now this is great for a short period, but what happens is again the thought identification takes over after a second or few, and again you are back to this thinking “me.”  So you ask again “who am I?” and again you are free for a few moments.

At first you will need to ask “Who am I?” with every breath, this experience of pure awareness will pulse.  You will ask “who am I?” and for a moment you will experience pure awareness.  Then you will be caught up in your thinking, then using self enquiry again with the next breath return to this state of pure awareness for a moment until again you are caught up in thinking.

So this is how you begin using self enquiry.

But the question is how to remain free from the mind permanently?   How can you remain in this sense of pure existence without getting caught up in your thoughts?

And the answer is by practicing letting the thoughts go as they come instead of grabbing hold of them.  Not to repress the thoughts.  Rather allow them to come and allow them to go.

In this way, thought identification cannot happen.

The more you practice letting go of thoughts, the more powerful this sense of pure awareness will become and you will be able to remain in this state of pure being for longer and longer periods of time.

So you use Ramana Maharshi’s self enquiry technique to help you out of thought-identification.  But once you get use to this experience of pure being, rest there, surrender there, letting go of any thoughts that arise.

Because if you are not involved with the thoughts arising, then automatically, you are resting as awareness.

Then you do not need self enquiry any longer.  You can simply let go of the thoughts arising and all that will be left is the Self, the sense of pure being, pure awareness.

Blessings,
Kip

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