Deep Inquiry: Not for the Faint of Heart
by Gangaji
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 Authentic spiritual inquiry reveals the joy of fresh insights and revelation, just as artistic or scientific inquiry does, but if we cling to the latest insight as a thing we know, that thing grows stale.
To be of real spiritual value, inquiry must be alive and fresh. Regardless of what we remember or have discovered from the past, each time we truly inquire, we return to not knowing what the outcome will or should be. No doctrine is needed for discovery. No concepts of multiplicity, duality, or non-duality are needed. In fact, we must put aside all of our doctrines and concepts for our inquiry. All that is needed is the willingness to be unattached to the outcome, conscious, and truthful.
Deep inquiry is not for the fainthearted or weak-minded. It is for those who are ready and willing, regardless of fears and discomforts. It is the challenge and invitation to mature. It is the invitation to give up past reliance on others’ discoveries while allowing those discoveries to encourage and even push us into our own inquiry.
Inquiry is not a coping mechanism. It is not present in human consciousness to provide certainty or comfort, except the sublime certainty that one has the capacity to discover truth for oneself. It is a stretching mechanism. It calls on the mind to stretch beyond its known frontiers, and in this way inquiry is support for maturing and evolving the soul. It frees us from the need to define ourselves to experience being ourselves. It is both humbling and a source of profound joy, but it does not provide a neat package of new definitions and stories.
The challenge in inquiry is to be willing to directly discover what exists with no reference points. Inquiry is no small challenge, for it requires facing the death of the inner and outer worlds as they have been constructed with no knowledge of what will take their place. We have the experience of releasing our constructed world when we fall into sleep, and we cherish and need this experience for our well-being on all levels.
The challenge of inquiry appears in releasing the constructed world while remaining conscious.
– Gangaji
Latest Community Insights  |
Deep Inquiry: Not for the Faint of Heart
What does deep inquiry mean to you? Can you share a personal story around fears that you had to overcome in order to engage in authentic deep inquiry? What do you understand by “releasing the constructed world while remaining conscious?” |
| Kokil wrote: For me deep inquiry means questioning within and not outside. In my journey of introspection the biggest fear that I am now coming to terms with is the fear of the unknown. Everytime I would th… |
| Jagdish P Dave wrote: To me, inquiry is a curiosity to understand me and others in my life. The starting point and the continuing point is me and that ongoing process includes the outer world the people I relate to…. |
| Conrad P Pritscher wrote: In the past I thought I knew what inquiry means. Now I do not know. In the past I was afraid of not knowing. Today I am much less afraid of not knowingand often cherish not knowing. What I unde… |
| Conrad P Pritscher wrote: I forgot to mention that if one notices one is faint of heart, that may be a condition for them to become less faint if that is what they wish to be. I do not know how faint in the sense the au… |
| david doane wrote: That’s quite a thorough and excellent statement about inquiry. I like the author’s emphasis on releasing one’s constructed world, being detached from any doctrine or expectation of what t… |
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Editor’s note: In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are taking a moment to reflect deeply on his life, his wisdom, and the message of nonviolence, hope, and equality that he delivered to the world. As we continue on our journey spreading smiles and small acts of kindness, we are doing our part in sharing in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream for a better world. Keep doing what you’re doing and have a lovely week!
