Learning Self-Enquiry

December 26, 2007

I just visited Cliff's blog at

http://cliffordshackforum.blogspot.com/

<http://cliffordshackforum.blogspot.com/>

and was intrigued to see that he quoted the following snippet of an

interview I did with David Godman about six years ago.

RS: If someone wants to learn self-inquiry, what should they read?

DG: I don't know what book I would recommend to new people who want to

start self-inquiry. Be As You Are is certainly a good start since it was

designed for Westerners who have had no previous exposure to Bhagavan

and his teachings. There is also a book by Sadhu Om: The Path of Sri

Ramana Part One. It is a little dogmatic in places but it covers all the

basic points well. Self-inquiry is a bit like swimming or riding a

bicycle. You don't learn it from books. You learn it by doing it again

and again till you get it right.

Seeing this quotation at this time, in this context, makes me smile

because of synchronicity. The reason I'm thinking of starting the

website up again is that after eight years of fairly strenuous efforts,

I've finally begun to get somewhere with Self-Enquiry. To use David's

metaphor, I've finally started to learn to ride the bicycle. The

turning point actually came about three years ago but I wasn't certain

until recently. This has given me the urge to talk about Self-Enquiry

with other people.

By the way, two new books have come out recently about Self-Enquiry

which are also very good:

1. Being and the Art of Happiness by Michael James, which can be

downloaded for free at the author's website at

http://www.happinessofbeing.com/happiness_art_being.html

<http://www.happinessofbeing.com/happiness_art_being.html>

2. The Most Direct and Rapid Means to Eternal Bliss by Michael Langford.

(Disclosure: I gave editorial about the fifth edition of this book to

its author.) This book can be ordered from Amazon.

December 27, 2007

just my 2 cents: I have the 2 books you mention below; I would highly recommend

the first one, " Happiness and the Art of Being " , it is a very thorough

introduction to Nondualism, Self Enquiry, and especially the teachings of the

great Ramana Maharshi, who is the real Master of Self-Enquiry.

The 2nd book you list I can't recommend. While it does repeat some useful and

well known Jnana Yoga themes; the way its presented, I.e. the format and

repetitions are not good reading IMHO. Better to just read a bunch of Ramana

books. " It " is all there.

Orva

-

Rob<editor

Realization <Realization >

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 11:22 PM

Learning Self-Enquiry

I just visited Cliff's blog at

http://cliffordshackforum.blogspot.com/<http://cliffordshackforum.blogspot.com/>

<http://cliffordshackforum.blogspot.com/<http://cliffordshackforum.blogspot.com/\

>>

and was intrigued to see that he quoted the following snippet of an

interview I did with David Godman about six years ago.

RS: If someone wants to learn self-inquiry, what should they read?

DG: I don't know what book I would recommend to new people who want to

start self-inquiry Be As You Are is certainly a good start since it was

designed for Westerners who have had no previous exposure to Bhagavan

and his teachings. There is also a book by Sadhu Om: The Path of Sri

Ramana Part One. It is a little dogmatic in places but it covers all the

basic points well. Self-inquiry is a bit like swimming or riding a

bicycle. You don't learn it from books. You learn it by doing it again

and again till you get it right.

Seeing this quotation at this time, in this context, makes me smile

because of synchronicity. The reason I'm thinking of starting the

website up again is that after eight years of fairly strenuous efforts,

I've finally begun to get somewhere with Self-Enquiry. To use David's

metaphor, I've finally started to learn to ride the bicycle. The

turning point actually came about three years ago but I wasn't certain

until recently. This has given me the urge to talk about Self-Enquiry

with other people.

By the way, two new books have come out recently about Self-Enquiry

which are also very good:

1. Being and the Art of Happiness by Michael James, which can be

downloaded for free at the author's website at

http://www.happinessofbeing.com/happiness_art_being.html<http://www.happinessofb\

eing.com/happiness_art_being.html>

<http://www.happinessofbeing.com/happiness_art_being.html<http://www.happinessof\

being.com/happiness_art_being.html>>

2. The Most Direct and Rapid Means to Eternal Bliss by Michael Langford.

(Disclosure: I gave editorial about the fifth edition of this book to

its author.) This book can be ordered from Amazon.

December 27, 2007

Hi Orva,

I understand how you feel about Michael Langford's book. It's

written in an unusual style that many people find offensive, but I

think it has two great virtues that make it worth reading.

First, Michael emphasizes that self-enquiry is about awareness. The

words that Michael chooses to describe self-enquiry, " awareness of

awareness, " may not be perfect, but I think they get the idea across

more accurately than most verbal formulas chosen by other writers.

Second, Michael warns his readers that virtually all of us have a

tendency to misinterpret the instructions in a way that turns the

practice into a purely intellectual exercise. We do this because our

egos want to convert the practice into something that does not

threaten them. I think Michael is correct about this, and his

warning is valuable.

> While it does repeat some useful and well known

> Jnana Yoga themes...

I think it does a lot more than repeat well-known themes. For

example, I don't know of any other books that discuss the second

point above. Please tell me if I'm overlooking any.

Rob

Realization , " orva schrock " <otsclu wrote:

>

> just my 2 cents: I have the 2 books you mention below; I would

highly recommend the first one, " Happiness and the Art of Being " , it

is a very thorough introduction to Nondualism, Self Enquiry, and

especially the teachings of the great Ramana Maharshi, who is the

real Master of Self-Enquiry.

> The 2nd book you list I can't recommend. While it does repeat some

useful and well known Jnana Yoga themes; the way its presented, I.e.

the format and repetitions are not good reading IMHO. Better to just

read a bunch of Ramana books. " It " is all there.

> Orva

December 27, 2007

Hi, Rob,

No offense, brother, but it seems to me the idea of us seekers " misinterpreting

the instructions...into a purely intellectual exercise " is such an obvious

truism re the ego, it barely needs to be mentioned to anyone who who has

seriously pursued spirituality or self-knowledge.

No, I can't put my finger on the book which spells out that simple idea, but

again I do think it is such an obvious statement as to barely merit much

consideration because the sincere seeker will discover that early on in any

case. I guess we disagree, and that's totally o k with me, I have nothing to

sell or teach.

My other problem with the book, [i don't have it on hand; I gave it away] is the

on and on instructions such as, and I write purely from memory, " read the

following section 3 times, very slowly, for 30 days before going on to the next

section, " etc, etc, etc....I tried imagining ANYONE actually following all those

rules. I have to assume that the number of readers who followed all those

instructions is extremely small. I dunno, am I way off base here?

I do love books very much, I just can't recommend one that grated on me.

No offense intended to anyone.

sincerely,

orva

-

Rob<editor

Realization <Realization >

Thursday, December 27, 2007 9:53 AM

Re: Learning Self-Enquiry