Practice What is the essential part of self inquiry and how to do it

6 Upvotes

I have read different metaphors and instructions for self inquiry and I'm confused what the essential part is that I shouldn't mess up. Im also curious how self inquiry is different than other forms of meditation like mindfulness, both can bring you to the present moment, but mindfulness will not bring awakening, which is what I'm after. Here are a few I have heard

These two I have practiced and I'm not sure which is more correct

Ask, try to find, but don't land on anything. Like you're stuck trying to remember something. Almost like you're trying to pull a thought but a cant

Ask, then enter present moment, be receptive to answer, presumably from the universe, and the answer can come from anywhere

But I've also heard along the lines of

Keep asking until you move beyond the words and see the impulse that is asking the question... The word head. Investigate the word head? Huatou

Stay with sense of I am. This one I didn't try, since I'm not sure what that means

10 comments

r/streamentry • u/LifeIsImpermenance • 2h ago

Energy I cant overcome restlesness

5 Upvotes

Hello, first I will say I have adhd and don't want to use it as an exusce as that only harms my progress bur i think it may provide context to diagnose the issue

So my current path so far has been inconsistent

I have been meditating for a bit over 2 years now but was very inconsistent at first. In the past 2 months I've taken it more seriously. Meditating anywhere from 30m to 2h a day, I've fortunately seen very fast progress. I no longer easily react to anger , stress is like 20% of what i used to feel, I seem to be able to feel strong yet very short moments of non duality where the "I" suddenly seems like an illusion. It lasts 2 seconds exactly never lasts long, however these moments increase in frequency and sometimes now happen in daily life without meditating and I feel like they changed my default prespective now. I noticed this the most when i noticed insults from my friends or family that used to hurt me now seem meaningless

initially i was so happy at how much i felt like i was doing some form of progress then I started being stuck and maybe even regressing a little bit

Restlessness is the main thing that prevents me from being able to focus. All my practices involve scanning the body or walking meditation. I do breath meditation for only 10minutes because I cannot do it

I even physically notice it when body scanning when going down to my pelvic floor and feet i feel this very intense almost electric sensasion and if i mentally focus on it hard it causes me to clench my pelvic floor.

Also my lower stomach is very hard to detect it takes me 10 minutes of being in my body to finally have a clear sensation of it.

Thanks for reading please share if you have any idea what causes this

3 comments

r/streamentry • u/HaleyDourronPhD • 11h ago

Science Seeking study participants - Would you like to contribute to research on how meditation or psychedelic use may influence your beliefs?

4 Upvotes

We are seeking adult participants who regularly practice meditation and/or have previously used psychedelic substances.

This study aims to investigate how regular meditation practice and/or psychedelic use influences beliefs, cognition, and well-being.

What does the study involve?

The study is conducted entirely online. Participation takes approximately 35 minutes.

You will be asked to:

Complete questionnaires about your mental health, substance use, experiences, and beliefs.
Complete two cognitive tasks involving looking at pictures.

What counts as a regular meditation practice in this study?

A regular meditation practice is defined as having practiced formal meditation for at least 20 minutes per session, at least 3 times per week during the past 12 months, OR for a total of at least 52 hours during the past year.

What counts as a psychedelic substance in this study?

LSD, DMT, ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, San Pedro, peyote, mescaline, 5-MeO-DMT, “bufo,” ibogaine and iboga, and analogs of these substances (such as 1P-LSD and 4-AcO-DMT).

Would you like to participate?

Email: [BeliefsCognitionStudy@liu.se](mailto:BeliefsCognitionStudy@liu.se)

You will receive an automatic email containing a link to the participant information sheet and questionnaires.

The email will not contain any information about substance use.

Compensation?

No compensation is provided.

Ethics approval number: 2026-04680-01

Principal investigator: Rebecca Böhme, PhD

Posted with permission of moderators. :)

2 comments

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streamentry - the practice of awakening

r/streamentry

A place for open, friendly and serious discussion related to the practice of meditation and other techniques aimed at developing concentration, increasing the power of conscious awareness, and producing insight leading to awakening. We try to understand Awakening to be a practical and attainable goal that can be from many paths or directions; we welcome all practitioners, including those from Buddhist, Secular, and other backgrounds.

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Welcome to /r/streamentry

⚠ Please read the rules below before posting.

This is a place for discussion of practice and conduct concerned with Awakening. While people use this word in different ways, this subreddit is concerned with the following definition: the path to achieving a direct, experiential understanding of reality and the human mind, as it actually is; and the path to permanently eliminate stress, suffering, and unsatisfactoriness in our life.

These paths can be considered to be two sides of the same coin, although different people may find themselves more drawn to one side or the other.

Awakening is not a trivial matter, because, as part of our journey, those who investigate deeply and sincerely invariably come to the conclusion that our most fundamental unconscious beliefs and assumptions about the nature of self, mind, and reality are false; and that these misunderstandings are causing us stress. Reality is not what it appears to be, we realize, and to fully grasp this is to radically transform our relationship to life. Indeed, we may find territory beyond even this.

The dissolution of ignorance is not an intellectual exercise. It usually requires a willingness to look both inwards and outwards over a sustained period of time so we can explore, question, confirm, and challenge what we think reality and the mind is; what we think, on a fundamental level, is 'going on'. We call this often joyful work practice.

Many traditions throughout history have provided systems of knowledge and practice that can be of great help to those who walk this path. More recently, Awakening is being examined through secular and even scientific lenses.

Here you'll find a community that values honesty, compassion, and thoughtful discourse. We aim to keep discussion practical, civil, and constructive. Thanks for visiting!

Rules

1. All top-line posts must be based on your personal meditation practice.

This can include the wider aspects of practice that take place off-the-cushion, such as conduct (Sīla); as well as theory, so long as it's in the context of your personal meditation practice.

In contrast, generalised theory, advice, or wisdom all belong in the weekly Practice Updates, Questions, and General Discussion thread, and all community resources such as podcasts, interviews and course offerings should be posted in the weekly Community Resources thread. Both threads are pinned to the top of the subreddit.

There may occasionally be times when members feel a topic that doesn't meet this requirement would still be appropriate as a top-line post, because, for instance, it is particularly important or relevant to our community. In such cases, please first message the moderators, who will decide whether or not to approve the post on a case-by-case basis.

2. Top-line posts must be written thoughtfully and with appropriate detail, rather than in a quick-fire fashion.

Please see this posting guide for ideas on how to do this.

3. Comments must be civil and contribute constructively.

This is a place for mature, thoughtful discussion among fellow travelers and seekers. Treat people with respect and refrain from hostile speech, unhealthy conflict, and low-effort noise.

4. Post titles must be flaired.

Flairs provide important context for your post. For most users, this is automatically required before reddit allows you to submit a top-line post. View the available keywords.

Recommended Resources

The /r/streamentry Beginner's Guide, a practical workbook for starting out on the path. The guide explains what practice is about, addresses common questions and difficulties, and provides a complete 12-week starter course.
The Mind Illuminated by Upasaka Culadasa. An abridged meditation guide (pdf) is freely available. Also see the dedicated subreddit /r/TheMindIlluminated.

For an alternative, freely-available guide to the same style of meditation, see Thanissaro Bhikkhu's With Each and Every Breath (preview the main practice instructions).
Seeing That Frees by Rob Burbea, a deep exploration of insight for the experienced practitioner. Rob's many outstanding audio talks are also freely available.
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram (free online, also available in print). Also see the Dharma Overground forums.
Our Pristine Mind by Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche is a pragmatic and secular guide to Dzogchen specifically written for Westerners. Enlightenment is clearly defined and the stages of awakening as understood in Dzogchen are thoroughly explained in plain language. This is a recommended resource for anyone interested in an "awareness-based" approach to Awakening.
Right Concentration by Leigh Brasington, an accessable and comprehensive guide to jhāna practice. Jhāna (meditative absorption) is sometimes described as one of the two wings of awakening, the other being insight practice. See also the book's website, which contains supplementary material.

Also see our wiki resources.