This Moment

What's Happening - Now?

There is always a place for reflection, subtle or deep. There is also a place for bringing a more mindful attention to our reflection. When we reflect, we are working within the confines of the ego-self. We are, more than not, thinking, and are thus limited by our inherent judgments, perceptions, blind spots and what we think we know. We do have a capacity for deeper work that is made possible by moving beyond the ego and into the knowing that is inherent in "being-ness." This mode allows us to use the mind instead of the mind using us. This mode, called "inquiry," is fueled by interest and curiosity. In reflection, there is a risk of becoming fixated on the topic or issue. Fixation can be described as holding or grabbing. It evokes a quality of solidness, and we know that nothing of the mind is solid. Curiosity and interest, on the other hand, soften any hardness. Interest is open and flexible. Interest is more fluid.

Inquiry is a spiritual practice. It is the art of applied interest or curiosity. Inquiry is an opening to "what's happening now?" As a practice, it is a form of spiritual unfolding, an increasing movement toward intimacy with our own truth. It is a questioning: "What is this? What is that? Where is it going? What am I aware of right now?" Ultimately, it is a challenge to what we think we know. We believe that we know who we are, what we are, what we perceive, what we are going to do, what life is about or what should happen. Do we really know? Inquiry helps us to learn how to navigate through our not-knowing. Its method is an investigation and exploration of the reality of our personal experience in the moment.

Love is at the heart of inquiry when there is a love of finding out what's truly here. Love makes the process dynamic and says, "Yes! I'm not only open to seeing what's here, but I'm also going to become engaged in this. I'm going to jump into the middle of this experience with curiosity and really become engaged, because I love to explore."

When we inquire, we investigate to find out what the truth of a situation is. We don't try to change anything, but simply work to open the situation and inquire into it until it reveals its meaning. Thus, inquiry is an investigation to apprehend the truth or meaning of what's going on.

Frequently, the truth is hidden or not seen, or is distorted by our positions, beliefs, and identifications. Inquiry is for those who want to see through the fog and to find out what is actually happening.

In any inquiry, one must consider that everything is constantly changing, that experience never remains fixed. For example, I might be experiencing a certain anxiety. As I inquire into my experience, I might encounter some kind of tension or a particular judgment. I have to take this into consideration in my inquiry. I cannot keep investigating the anxiety and disregard these new factors, for the experience is no longer just anxiety. Defenses arise, or different states and feelings emerge, so inquiry must intelligently modulate itself to respond to this constantly changing scenario.

We can inquire into our emotional experience, our physical experience, our spiritual experience. We can inquire into our thinking and thought processes. We can inquire into our body and physiology. We can inquire into our actions and interactions, our lifestyles and beliefs, our fears and interests. We can inquire into creativity and into stability. There really is no limit. Inquiry is a process of opening and opening and opening, endlessly and freely. And it opens from any place, level, or direction. There is nothing that is beyond exploration.

Suppose you are experiencing a certain feeling such as anger. If you want to really inquire into it, you cannot do that by trying to make yourself not angry or less angry. If you really want to inquire into your anger, you want to be there with it, and then you can investigate it. An example of the inquiry process might look something like the following:

Inquiry: So, what does this anger feel like? Response: Like a thick, dark mass in my chest. I: So, what does that feel like? R: A lot of pressure, tight, can't breathe. I: So, what's it like, not being able to breathe? R: It feels frightening. Oh, now I feel something starting to move. I: Something's moving? R: Yes, now that I start to acknowledge it, it's somehow shifting a bit. I: Now what are you aware of? R: The heaviness seemed to drop more to my belly. I: Oh, so what's that like?...

Inquiry is the application of the Socratic method to the immediate reality of our lives. It is a manifestation of the creative dynamic within each of us. The aim is not to arrive at conclusions but to enjoy the exploration and thrill of discovery. Ultimately, in the long run, inquiry can reveal all truth, so the source of whatever problems one may have will be revealed. As with any spiritual practice, it develops over time. For inquiry to work, it must focus right here, at this moment. It investigates what is going on now. If the problem happens to be what is arising in the moment in your experience, then the problem becomes part of what the inquiry explores. So, what are you aware of right now?

Note: "Inquiry" is a practice inherent in the Diamond Approach, a contemporary spiritual teaching path founded by A.H. Almaas. This article is the result of this teaching.

Cheryl Rapose, M.Ed., L.I.S.W., is the Behavioral Health Programs Coordinator for the Elizabeth Blackwell Center, Riverside Methodist Hospital. She teaches the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on a quarterly basis. She can be reached at 614-566-4448.