What is self enquiry all about?

Question

Im not asking about self discovery.
Which is totally different.
Can anyone be original with this question?
Im not talking higher self or lower self etc etc.

To clarify a little, self discovery appeals to someone who thinks they can improve the self. Self enquiry appeals to someone who questions the self and its validity. One is concerned with the expansion of the self the other is not.

So the question is directed towards anyone who is active in either. But as always we will get opinions from some who have never really engaged with either. But thats ok to.

Answer 1

self enquiry stems from an interest in humanity..with the assumption that the self is somewhat of a mirror of everyone. ie: when i feel depression and try to understand it, i am also understanding my fellow man. Self enquiry honors humans, self discovery honors your own self.

it is "all about" fascination and love of what human beings are.

Answer 2

Through self enquiry one realizes that he and the plants and the stones, the rivers, the ocean, the sky, ofcourse the people, the birds all what exists is the same energy. just one energy in diffrent forms & diffrent shapes. also through self enquiry one realizes first time, when jesus says I am the son of god.Not from the listening from others but by ones own enquiry. through self enquiry one realizes that not only son, I am that. all is just one energy(empty space). The way this function(the energy)the circle from birth, growth to death,The process(not only people,all what grows plants stones all) of that circle is god.for me.There is no god as a one being.
Through self enquiry one realizes that all what happens is for reason,All. Every moment, every where with everything which exist all is for reason, yes,that reason is far beyond from our understanding.Every thing is helping everything and all is needed what exist. All is valueable what exist,all.
Through self enquiry one realize that one scientist will never- ever will be able to prove god through his scientific ways.All what scientist has discoverd just 1% of that.
Through self enquiry one understands, perfection doesn't exist,life is unperfect,god is unperfect.To accept this unperfection is to be god. And then, one realize that ALL IS PERFECT,ALL IS PERFECT.How it is.
Through self enquiry one realize, I am sitting this side and you are sitting other side of the computer, we are connected,I feel it and we are one.
A big hug

Answer 3

Inquiry of the self about the self? If this is what u mean, I think it is the process of the thinking mind to analyze the past activities piece by piece. It is the recollection of the memories trying to correct the errors in the future. It seems that this activity is the same when one is doing confession to a priest for atonement of his sin (catholic).

Answer 4

its a process of knowing ur self a little better. looking in detail into ur own morals, values and belief. The important thing to remember is through what glasses r u looking at ur self. r u looking at ur self from logic perspective or spiritual perspective. they both will give u different answers. whatever the answer is at the end of the inquiry, the answer should always going to be helpful

Answer 5

The present work in prose consists of forty questions with answers covering the entire range of spiritual disciplines required for the gaining of release (moksha). The questioner was Gambhiram Seshayya, one of the early devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. He was a Municipal Overseer at Tiruvannamalai about 1900. Besides being an ardent Ramabhakta (worshipper of Rama) he was interested in the study and practice of Yoga. He used to read Swami Vivekananda's lectures on the different yoga's as also an English translation of the Rama-gita. For resolving the difficulties which he came across while studying these books and in his spiritual practices, he approached Bhagavan Sri Ramana from time to time. Bhagavan, who was only twenty-one years old, was then living in Virupaksha cave on Arunachala Hill. As he was keeping silent at the time not because of any vow taken but because he was not inclined to talk - he wrote out his answers to Seshayya's questions on bits of paper. These writings over the period 1900-1902 were later copied in a note-book by Seshayya. The material thus gathered was published by Sri Ramanasramam under the little Vichara-sangraham which literally means 'A Compendium of Self-Enquiry.' A digest of the teaching contained in this work was later printed in English bearing the title 'Self-Enquiry'. In that English version, the questions were omitted and the substance of Bhagavan's teaching was given, classifying it in twelve short chapters with appropriate headings. The present English translation is of the entire original text Vichara-sangraham as it is in Tamil. The Vichara-sangraham has unique value in the sense that it constitutes the first set of instructions given by Bhagavan in his own handwriting.

A careful study of the instructions given by Bhagavan here will reveal that they are based on his own plenary experience as confirmed by the sacred texts which were brought to his notice by the early devotees and which he perused for the purpose of clearing the doubts that arose in the minds of the devotees. In the course of his instructions, Bhagavan makes use of such expressions as, 'the scriptures declare', 'thus say the sages,' etc.; he also cites passages from texts like the Bhagavad-gita and the Vivekachudamani and once he mentions by name the Ribhu-gita. But it is quite clear that these citations are offered only as confirmations of the truth discovered by Bhagavan himself in his own experience.

The basic teaching is that of Advaita-Vedanta. The plenary experience of the non-dual Self is the goal; enquiry into the nature of the self is the means. When the mind identifies the self with the not-self (the body, etc.), there is bondage; when this wrong identification is removed through the enquiry 'Who am I ?' there is release. Thus, Self-enquiry is the direct path taught by Bhagavan Ramana. The 'I'-experience is common to all. Of all thoughts, the 'I'-thought is the first to arise. What one has to do is to enquire into the source of the 'I'-thought. This is the reverse process of what ordinarily happens in the life of the mind. The mind enquires into the constitution and source of everything else which, on examination, will be found to be its own projection; it does not reflect on itself and trace itself to its source. Self-discovery can be achieved by giving the mind an inward turn.

Answer 6

wow, some really deep answers to this very shallow question. self enquiry is the simple task of asking yourself who you are, and i expect you will get your reply when you work it out, but only you can give that answer. when you get it let me know, i'll be waiting!

Answer 7

Question yourself and your motives, try to make your true intentions match your egotistical belief in trying to do the right thing. I find that the deeper I pursue my motives the less they impress me.

Hypocrisy is at the core of all human endeavor

Answer 8

it's about finding out who you really are? a virtually impossible task whilst living in society as we have to create roles to be accepted.

Answer 9

be your self.
know the meaning of 'mine'. mine is the pronoun means belonging to me.
hence know 'the philosophy of mine'

Answer 10

i have no idea