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Self-inquiry meditation

A guide to the structured practice of Self-Inquiry Meditation for overcoming fear and achieving harmony.

"Through these circumstances, there are some people who do not feel comfortable in this world. There is anxiety, uncertainty, and a fear to exist that becomes a psychic problem."

"So the first thing is not 'who am I' but 'how am I,' positive or negative."

The speaker systematically outlines the meditation's levels, designed as a therapeutic path. It begins with overcoming fear in the outer world, then within one's home, followed by analyzing and harmonizing with the physical body, sending it energy, and finally contemplating the breath. The aim is to systematically change one's psyche, reduce stress, and progress toward self-knowledge by first understanding one's qualities and condition.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Trencin, Seminar

Some techniques of Self-Inquiry Meditation are already given in your book, Yoga in Daily Life. It is a very effective and useful technique. First of all, we are living in this restless, hectic world. It is full of stress, and we do not feel safe. It does not matter where you are going or where we go. Unfortunately, there are many destructive people. They are happy when they can do something negative. They are happy when they can destroy something, and sometimes they are ready to destroy themselves to destroy others. Our roads are not safe; there is so much traffic. There is a lot of pollution, and there are many, many things in this world where we are existing. Through these circumstances, there are some people who do not feel comfortable in this world. There is anxiety, uncertainty, and a fear to exist that becomes a psychic problem. So, in the first level of the Self-Inquiry Meditation, to win or to gain harmony in our surrounding world, when you are sitting somewhere in a safe place and meditating, or you are leading your life peacefully—you are going to your job and coming home—you do not have to be afraid. So people, those who have fear from all this mess of people and all this traffic and this and that, these people can get great help through the Self-Inquiry Meditation. It means to maintain your life in the outer world, to live without fear. In the second step, it is like many times when you come home, you do not feel safe. Or you come into your flat or into your house, and you see everything is empty. There is no one waiting for you, no one there who welcomes you. Not even a dog. Or you have everyone at home—mother, father, children, friends, partners—but you have fear of the place. You want to go outside; you feel like you are closed in within four walls. There are many people who have this fear. It is called fear of the space or the place. So, how to maintain your happy life in the outer world and in your inner world, it means your home. And that is the second step of this meditation. The third level of this meditation then comes to our physical condition. No one is healthy one hundred percent, and no one is ill one hundred percent. But still, we have physical problems in different ways. Someone is not satisfied with the body. There are some people who want to have what you call plastic surgery, or I do not know, cosmetic surgery, or what they call it. Someone has a problem with the knee, someone has a problem with the veins, digestion, spine, or is tired without energy. So, in the second or third level of the meditation, you have body analyzing. You relax your body, you feel your body. You analyze your body and get harmony with your body. You know, when husband and wife are together, and the husband keeps on saying, "I do not like you, and I do not like you, and I do not like you," then the wife cannot be happy. Then, neither she is happy, nor he is happy. So that man needs therapy to recognize and respect his wife, the value of his wife. That beauty is in your thoughts; that beauty is in your soul. That beauty is in our soul. Everything that God made is very beautiful. Everything that the Lord God created is very beautiful. Get harmony. Understand. One needs to gain comfort, harmony. So first, understand your body. If you do not understand your body, you will not understand your mind. First, one needs to understand the body. When we do not understand the body, we cannot understand the mind. And the fourth level is to send energy to the body and how you then feel your body. Likewise, the fifth level then comes to the breath. Breath is life; life is breath. If all windows are closed and all doors are closed and there is no ventilation, how will we feel in this hall? There will be no fresh air; we can't breathe anymore. That will be our death, so what does the breath mean? What is breathing in us? Why are we breathing? And what does this breath mean for our body? Likewise, very systematically, scientifically, step by step, the Self-Inquiry Meditation is treated. It changes the psyche of the person in a positive way. To understand the world, to understand your existence in this world, understand your life, keep away from stress, come to meditation and develop your spiritual talents, finally to know thyself, who am I. But before that, we have to analyze our qualities. You have back pain; you know only that you have back pain. Now you go to the doctor. The doctor will not give you a painkiller immediately. The doctor will analyze you. What is the cause of your back pain? And there can be many, many causes. It could also be something in the kidneys. It could be something with your nerves or a dislocation of your spine. There can be many, many causes. The doctor knows what the cause is, and whoever knows the cause also knows the treatment. Similarly, you should know what qualities you have, and then you will know why you are unhappy or happy. And then you can help yourself. So the first thing is not "who am I" but "how am I," positive or negative. So we know many things; maybe you know everything. But what do you know about yourself? About your body, your mind, your thoughts, your consciousness, and your existence in the outer world and inner world. So Self-Inquiry Meditation is also a kind of therapy or way to the Self. Utilize this. Recording location: Czech Republic, Trencin, Seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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