Jonathan Foust

A Question: Why are these two goofballs smiling?

This week’s talk was on “The Power of Inquiry.”  (If you missed it, it’s available on my podcast).

The questions we ask ourselves can dramatically reframe our experience.  They can be used in the realm of self-improvement and problem-solving as well as inquiring into the nature of the self and accessing the non-dual.

All inquiry questions require a particular internal attitude:

1. Drop all expectations of ‘getting it right.’
2. Inquire with a sincere desire to know the truth
3. Be prepared for unexpected
4. Look for a ‘feeling tone’ or an experience that is outside the linear mind

The Five-Problem Solving Questions have gotten me out of jams quite a few times.  Credit to Tony Robbins, who turned me on to this.  As promised, here they are.  The following is my personal adaptation:

1. What’s great about this situation?  What could be great about it?
2. What’s not perfect yet?
3. What am I willing to do to resolve this situation?
4. What am I no longer willing to do to resolve this situation?
5. How can I resolve this situation and have a great time doing it?

While questions can help us in the relative, they can open up a sense of what lies beyond the mind itself.

Ramana Maharshi claimed that sincere inquiry into two questions could help reveal your true nature:

1. Who am I?
2. What do I really want?

Inquiry requires a curious blend of not just a high degree of sincerity and openness, but an intensity and desire to know what is true.

For more on inquiry meditation, check here.