Meditative Inquiry

Periodically we engage in Meditative Inquiry in our Tuesday night gatherings. Meditative Inquiry can be done alone or in groups. In any given night in which we are engaging in this practice, you may find some members sitting silently, tuning into their own inner experience, while others work in groups of twos or threes quietly. This practice is beautiful both ways and adds to our Dhamma study and silent meditation practice. It is another way of entering the Dhamma, specifically fostering the establishment of wise view and wise mindfulness. It is a relaxed practice and there is NO way of doing it incorrectly. In addition, this practice has the benefit of deepening our Sangha connection.

Meditative Inquiry is fresh, it is about what is arising in this present moment. It is an embodied practice in which we turn awareness toward the whole body. We bring the attitudes of kindness and curiosity to the experience. It is about coming into what is not known yet. It tends to free the mind of the suffering often connected to autopilot - the stories, views, and core beliefs in which we tend to spend a lot of time.

Meditative Inquiry is not about regurgitating old ideas or preconceived notions. It is about tuning into the heart-body-mind complex in this moment, and being open to what is here.

What arises may not be fully formed, may arise in the form of the felt sense, and it may even seem tangential. But, in quiet, in silence, we trust what emerges. It is about making space for this deeper and more intrinsic knowing to come forth.

Inquiry or investigation sits at the heart of ehipassiko, the Pali word for “come see for yourself.” This was the Buddha’s powerful instruction that leads us out of blind faith and into an interest in a deeper knowing of what is true in this moment right now. This furthers the development of our self trust..