Self Inquiry -- Let's Go!

A simple approach to self-inquiry that you can apply right now. The end point of self inquiry is resting/knowing in and as pure being/consciousness. This isn't the same as thinking about it or being mindful or present. It is a state of absorption that is fertile ground for awakening.

[@seancasey98]

I love these videos. I can't get enough of them, this is what it's all about for me! I can't see what's in front of my face 😂

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@gribwitch]

Yeah, and I can't see it either !

[@seancasey98]

Ive just realised the constant dialogue commentary in my head is also thoughts 😂😂😂

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

yep!

[@MrSA1829]

Love these videos. Look forward to them. Blessings everyone 🙏🏻

[@kirala444]

Even the noticing of sensations is a thought. It might be preconceptual but it's still a thought. Bingo!!! Sooooo helpful to me right now. Thank you!

[@javon144]

I look forward to your videos everyday! I made a comment on your fb post last night about dreaming and then fell asleep with your channel on autoplay. My dreams were very clear and I felt I was experiencing from a non dual perspective. In this dream I felt excited to tell you when I woke up that I “woke up”. 😂🤷🏼‍♀️ Thank you for your videos🤍 Jada

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Very cool ☺️

[@JakedownUnder_0]

Even the noticing is a thought.....that's so subtle.....this whole time I've missed that subtle labelling

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

it's an important one, beyond that there's no t much to identify with

[@CasenJames]

As always, thank you. I appreciate your time. ❤

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Thanks for watching

[@Phantom.1]

This is like my daily dose of grounding sanity. Now, if you could expand a bit on what a thought is, vs. a feeling or a sensation, that would be awesome. Yes, I’ve Googled “thought vs. feeling” and I’m an educated type, but I’m sensing some definitional overlap that’s confusing me. For example, do thoughts have to be in the form of inner speech? Or can an image in the mind qualify as a thought? Is awareness of a physical sensation a thought or does only an internalized verbal labeling of that sensation count as a thought? Mere neurological activity is not always a thought. Is every cognition a thought? Or are thoughts always based on a dualistic juxtaposition? Is every movement of human consciousness a thought? I’m asking because a ton of what’s being discussed here is about thoughts, so I want to make sure we are all on the same page…if you could go super in-depth on what a thought is-and is not-that’d be helpful.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Well instead of trying to define it or understand it why not just look at abd experience a thought right now and tell me what it is (or Seems to be)? ☺️

[@mat.se57]

This is all it takes, so simple… I will watch this video a couple of times to really let it sink in! Thank you Angelo for all you do for humanity! one love 🍃🕊🤍

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

:) 🤍

[@mat.se57]

Everything is a thought 💭

[@mat.se57]

Everything is JUST thought… how come they are believed in on an ongoing basis? They only believe in them self… it’s a LOOP 🔁 🤪

[@gribwitch]

Nothing's simple about this spiritual stuff.

[@mat.se57]

@@gribwitch its stupid simple. It is so simple that we cannot understand it

[@DeeQu8nT81]

Thank you so much Angelo. I couldn't help but smile quietly from my heart. It felt so good. Hopefully I can see you again in an online retreat.

[@lynbrowne931]

That really cut through the B S 💕

[@germsgermsgerms]

Thanks!

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Thank you so much, very generous!!!!

[@gb98115]

Really nice. Thank you. I’ve been doing a lot of inquiry for the last few months and find some tension/questioning still coming up about whether I’m doing it “correctly” after asking the inquiry question (usually who am I?) Following the advice from the chapter on inquiry in your book, my take is that the move is to simply surrender to whatever the subsequent experience is - giving no particular care if there’s thinking or not etc etc. On the other hand, I feel like things like this video suggest taking a slightly more intentional, somewhat engaged approach to the subsequent experience (recognizing that a thought is a thought and dropping it). I’ve gone back and forth between these takes (and generally played around a lot) and had what seemed like (un)productive meditations with both. So I’m still ultimately left with this kind of residual paranoia around if i’m doing it the best way. Which I know, is just a thought 😊 Any advice would be incredibly appreciated. And thanks for continuing to put out such amazing content for free. 🙏

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

do some inquiry directly into the belief "I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing." Look at it narrowly with regards this process and widely in life. Look into the emotional attachments about being wrong or committing to the wrong thing. This may be helpful

[@gb98115]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake Thank you. I’ll do that.

[@gribwitch]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake Is self inquiry the same as meditation ? And whether it is or not, how do we get answers to our inquiries ? What should we expect in terms of a reply ? Do we hear a voice, or feel impressions e.t.c. ? And how do we decode them if they're not in vocal form ?

[@agniq2067]

There is so much love put in these videos. Awesome, again! 🤙

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

I appreciate that!

[@JP-tq7ni]

Two books useful for practicing awareness: The Way of a Pilgrim. And Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection

[@JP-tq7ni]

If I am aware of a thought is that also a thought?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Yes!

[@taytay6529]

I have a way of doing inquiry well I think it’s inquiry I slow down my speech In my head it give me space to see it brings me to presents another thought comes and I slow keep it slow do you think this is inquiry?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Sure, whatever leads you into presence :)

[@Leena1234-j3c]

The practicing is where I’m at, read, books, and everything, and yet, these approaches that you are pointing to in the book, and this video is where I’m at right now, the sites, smells, taste, the sensations. And then, just resting that attention, Space. I’m finding this very enjoyable and therapeutic.

[@Leena1234-j3c]

And the sounds. A I thought comes, recognize it, and then just put my awareness on for about five minutes and then the sounds. I love the sensations and within that five minutes of rest, There is a feeling of relaxation

[@clintsmith9589]

What do you think of doing Self Inquiry while looking in the mirror and replacing "I" with your name.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

I never argue with what works. If it works for you great. If not try some different approaches. What matters is sincerity and intention as described in the book.

[@thegoblonoid]

"Even the noticing of a sensation is a thought" this confuses me. What exactly does this mean? Being aware of all my sensations in meditation is just all thinking? Or am I missing something? To me, it feels like resting in sensation and realizing the nature of just being aware of any sensation is fundementally without a self, as the "observing self" is an imagined filter on top, and the raw sensation is just there without a "me". Is that direct sensation still a thought? Because then I am way off track with my progress 😂

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Depends on what you are trying to accomplish. This is geared toward pure self inquiry and ultimately awakening. If you experience a pure I Am sense then you can do this spontaneously requiring no inquiry. If that has clarified then resting in senses during meditation is fine but I would recommend inquiry into the perception of subject/object until boundless non-duality is very clearly known to be causeless and just always the case rather than a meditative practice.

[@JackXMULA]

well well well, I am now realized, but what point is there of the idea of me, jack even doing anything anymore if nothing is real and everything is nothing, and nothing is everything. It is all just imagined, even this video. It will disappear after some time and never permanent. Do I stop looking now that I've been pointed to? "I am" in a weird state right now very very confused but not fearful, just confused. It's like knowing another language all of a sudden. I guess the answer doesn't really matter since its all just a whole lot of nothingness, just being experienced as the now in this "body" vessel. Wtf am I ?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

even nothingness is a thought... just rest back in that pure sense of I Am-ness... knowing that anything at all that is said or thought about it or anything else is merely a thought...

[@JackXMULA]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake it is an almost uncomfortable sensation of beginning to even think of starting the resting into it. Is this resistance normal? I routinely "attempt" to rest back into it but find the "furthest" I get is sensing my pulse in different areas of the "body". I guess I can compare it to not wanting to go through an electric fence. The barrier is "strongly" "painful." It is difficult to communicate this. Thank you for always replying.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

@@JackXMULA check out the equanimity playlist, this is the next step to root out reactivity :)

[@stephenn-eq1sh]

Thank you! I will practice this! ❤

[@assmae1520]

I have been doing self inquiry and shadow work for almost 3 months and what I've came to experience is that the more I investigate the nature of I, and the sensations of my body, the intense my body feels from within, there is a lot of tension and contraction in my head area, and my neck, and my chest and gut, and sometimes it is so painful especially on the chest area and gut, should I keep exploring those intense sensations? Because my instinct tells me that it's actually a good thing. Thank you so much for your videos. They are very helpful.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

If you haven't had a fundamental shift in identity (awakening) I would work on pure self inquiry, not so much on body scanning, sensations etc.

[@assmae1520]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake OK I got it, thank you so much

[@Kim-sherie]

Are the senses all one sense, just expressed differently?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

It changes significantly as realization deepens. But no need to come to a conclusion about this or anticipate. So much better to just take what ever is experienced right now as freedom :)

[@lynnhunter4493]

🙏🙏🙏

[@Janny32]

Love the thumbnail on this one!

[@ian799]

From an awakened perspective, how long does a thought last for usually? Is it different if you are out and about in the real world interacting with people vs. alone in silence? Sometimes I have the pull to "finish a thought" even after recognizing, and part of this reason is because I'm not really sure what an ideal version of a thought even feels like.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Good q, it depends how you define a thought certainly. To me its just consciousness essentially so one loooong thought lol. or one long non thought. BUT it doesn't matter bc if you are thinking about that it is just un3ecessarily multiplying thoughts, instead you can just stop thinking about thoughts and get so close that the mind stops. When that happens rest there :)

[@shapaco89]

I just recently started doing intensive self-inquiry with the question "Where am I?". I never went so deep and precise with normal vipassana. "How can I be sure that there is a self somewhere here?". "What indicates with certainty that there is an I here?"

[@earlyoyster2793]

I started seriously doing inquiry this year and all I can say is - if you’re just starting- listen to Angelo here. Just do what’s he’s saying. Dissolve all doubt and just listen to him. Very clear instructions!

[@gribwitch]

"Very clear" ? No it's not.

[@GumbyTheGreen1]

It’s interesting to hear consciousness described as a sixth sense (at 5:08). If that’s the case, does it mean that it’s independent of the other senses and that they aren’t experienced within it?

[@JoeyKastelic777]

I dig the shirt

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

:)

[@mitrarashidi4945]

Thank you for these valuable videos! Deepest gratitude for sharing them 🙏🏻 I have a question about thoughts. Adyashanti says we as egos don’t generate thoughts. I wonder then where the thoughts then come from? Why do they feel so relevant to the ego if they are not generated by the ego? Many thanks again!

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

I agree, thoughts arise spontaneously... to know the "whys" of it you'd have to ask the thoughts, they are great explainers... but that's kind of a trap. I recommend asking Who, what and where, then attune to direct experience

[@gribwitch]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake How are thoughts "great explainers" ? What is that supposed to mean for Christ's sake ? How can thoughts explain anything ? They don't have minds of their own or the capability to speak. It's these sort of statements that baffle me. It's what makes spirituality so hard to access.

[@christianrobison1236]

Hello Angelo. Thank you for your wonderful material. If you have a moment of time to spare, I have a question you may be able to help me with. I am letting go of things that I identify with, such as sensations, thoughts, my body, Etc.. I feel like I’m stuck though. You see, I know that if I were to lose a limb, I still am. However, when I try to imagine losing my mind/brain it seems like everything falls apart and stops. Almost as if my individuality and, more importantly, my awareness cease. I feel like I’m attached to the idea that I cannot exist without my head. Weird, I know. I feel intuitively that consciousness transcends the mind.. but how do I not identify with what feels like “my” consciousness? Do you have any insight that might be helpful for me? I do own your book and can refer to specific sections in it.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Yes, that's still the logical approach, which can get you a good distance. Now it's important to see that there is something there right now whether the thought about being or not being, head or not having a head is there or not. What is that? The mind will spin on this, that stuckness you feel is the frustration (early fear response) of letting go. What is it that is there right now that is not contingent upon what you believe about the limb, head, alive or dead? I don't want a conceptual answer of course... go there. :)

[@adabialynicka9188]

What if you just notice, without any labels or judgments? It's that a thought. My attention often jumps from sensation to sensation, or to sound, or thought when I'm meditating. Is resting it in the whole being while noticing everything at once the way to meditate?

[@adabialynicka9188]

I can see how when you become aware of a noise or sensation the first reaction is a thought, as in imagining what that noise is, where it's coming from or where the sensation is coming from on the body. But after that initial thought it's just awareness. For a little bit anyway. Does that make sense?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Great question. You could just keep looking at that as a koan... where does the thought actually arise in this process... I could give you an answer but the answer really depends on one's insight. Non-dual is very different experientially.

[@josefkobzonovski2]

They're just there, whatever, no thinker, just thoughts. Funny mental chatter with no chatter-er.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

:)))

[@josefkobzonovski2]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake wonder if animals got that too, sort of mental imagery slash chirping in their bird heads or frog heads, and it's just there, no central Frog in there aligning itself with the stream of frog thoughts 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 🐸

[@nickd5325]

How is inquiry different from meditation when it comes to thoughts? For instance, if I am meditating and a thought comes up, it is noticed as a thought and inquired into by asking who is aware of it, or what is it made of, and feeling into that, and then allowing meditation to continue. Other times I hammer the inquiry questions into thoughts one after another with an intensity that doesn’t really allow for that sense of stopping or resting. It seems like whatever the goal starting out it always ends up with some version of inquiry.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

My book chapter on inquiry goes into great detail on the mechanics, function and purpose of inquiry :)

[@nickd5325]

Thanks! I have your book and read through it several months back, but sounds like it’s time for another read.

[@nickd5325]

I re-read the inquiry chapter and it gave me exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.

[@James-mk8jp]

Do our eyes need to be closed for this? Is the goal to not perceive sensations and perceptions?

[@Xyz-etc]

The noticing is a thought 😂❤

[@patriciawills371]

I don’t know how else to contact you. I have a question. Is it normal to feel like you know this experientially but can’t put your finger on the exact experience? Like as you explain something you already feel like you have experienced it and you know it but you jogged memory?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Yes very common

[@patriciawills371]

Do you act in authentic was before realization? I feel like a weirdo thinking and speaking the way I do. But in the same sense don’t care. How do I get in touch with you to have you help in more clarity?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

@@patriciawills371 unfortunately I’m fully booked constantly now. Reading my book is definitely somewhere to start. Can sign up for retreats info at books.SimplyAlwaysAwake.com

[@patriciawills371]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake thank you. I have already purchased your book. I know, I am where I am. I will wait patiently to the unfolding.

[@patriciawills371]

I totally understand. I know I don’t need you to “ wake up “. I will move on. Thank you for responding. Also, thank you for your videos they help more then I can express. I have so many intellectual questions. Do you know where I can get help answer some of my questions?

[@Leena1234-j3c]

Thank you🙏❤️

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Welcome

[@JP-tq7ni]

Then what is difference between thought and awareness?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

depends who you ask for sure. You might like my vid the awareness trap.

[@riellymorton]

I’ve really tried with this stuff for a while, but unfortunately can’t seem to derive any benefit from it. Thoughts are important are they not? If the goal is to not identify thoughts how could you ever make value judgements in order to organize some meaning to your life? I’ve sat with emotions like this and thought I had worked through them but things like depressive and anxious thoughts just keep recurring in almost a cyclical nature. I may have to put this down and come back later but so far not much of my work with these concepts/teachings have beared any fruit. Wonder if anyone else feels this way.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

trust your instincts. Often people will take breaks from this kind of contemplation and later down the road it just lands in a different way out of the blue. I've seen this many times :)

[@gribwitch]

I feel that way too. You can't function without thoughts. So of course they are important. Vital, even.

[@asassa01]

I don't understand how noticing of a sound or a sensation is another thought. What if there is just the experience to it and no thought like "I am noticing a sensation"?

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Then that’s not a thought

[@RevAnakin]

Six videos about self inquiry and still want some steps.

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

Have you read my book, it’s quite precise

[@RevAnakin]

@@SimplyAlwaysAwake still waiting for the movie to come out. Reading stresses me out.

[@stoicafanel]

Thank you,,,,,,just a thought,,

[@citizenenak]

So the thought of I isn't the same as the sense of I

[@brownsuitcase]

hello! I am reading the self inquiry method at the end of your book. Really great! Just one question. Some thoughts don't appear to be about me. e.g. other people or animals, or music or whatevr. But should I treat all thoughts that there is a "me" in there somewhere? best wishes! I am gonna join your subscription now

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

yes because the SENSE of you the thinker is still there :) We're deconstructing the illusory relational nature of thought :)))

[@gribwitch]

I don't see how you can do anything without thinking a thought first. If this weren't the case then we'd be a brain dead vegetable.

[@billypilgrim8903]

If someone unexpectedly throws you a ball, do you think, "I am going to catch the ball." or do you just catch it?

[@gribwitch]

@@billypilgrim8903 You're talking about instincts. Animals live their lives via instincts all the time. It's necessary for their survival from predators. Humans aren't the same. We don't have the same imperative. We use logic and reason - both being of the mind.

[@billypilgrim8903]

@@gribwitch I disagree, I use my instincts all the time, which are also based on thought and memory - they're just more subtle and deep rooted.

[@bkny108]

Thanks!

[@SimplyAlwaysAwake]

💥💥💥💥💥 🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩 🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎 ‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼ 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 Thanks so much!!