Self-enquiry (also spelled self-inquiry) (Sanskrit ātma-vicāra) is a practice designed to rapidly bring about Self-realization, Self awareness, spiritual liberation or enlightenment, and is most commonly associated with its most famous modern advocate, Sri Ramana Maharshi. While Sri Ramana said that Self-realisation could be brought about — as it was for him — merely by giving up the idea that there is an individual self which functions through the body and the mind, few could readily do so. When asked for the most effective practice to facilitate Self-awareness, he commonly recommended forms of self-enquiry, along with recommending Satsang, (literally association with Sat or Being), in the form of mental contact with a realized Guru, or more properly the One Guru “within”.

Some Self- Inquiry Questions:

1. How The Work is different from life?
2. How does negative emotions pollute your life?
3. What role has fear played within your life?
4. How can you tell good from evil?
5. What is the difference between the subjective and the objective realms? Why does The Work want you to connect the two?
6. In you experience, how has the concept of aims changed your life?
7. How does The Work’s concept of love differ from the life one?
8. What is the difference between non-identification and self-remembering?
9. How is thinking in third force (Law of Three) different from formatory mind?
10. Why does going against oneself work? What self-observations do you have about going against yourself and its effects in your life today?
11. Where is The Work Within? How do you reach The Work Within?
12. What role does sacrifice play in The Work?
13. What are the student’s responsibilities towards The Work Itself?
14. How can you tell if you have been asleep? How will you know that you have awakened?
15. What does The Work Itself expect of you?
16. What is The Work’s position concerning projection? How are you mastering the technique of taking your projections back?
17. What is one student’s responsibility towards the other? Specifically, how are Work students expected to treat each other?
18. How is a Work solution to a problem or dilemma different from a life decision?
19. How do you know that you are going down in The Work? How can you get yourself back up?
20. If you were standing at your final judgement, what would you see/say?
21. How are sacred acts (music, art, dance, etc.) ultimately different from the profane?
22. How are God, The Absolute and The Work Itself different?
23. What situations trigger your anger? What is The Work attitude towards anger? How can you apply Work attitudes towards you own anger?
24. What does The Work Within say about depression? What role does depression play within your life? How does depression affect all four lower centers? How can you counter-balance the effect of depression within yourself?
25. How can you see yourself as being under someone else’s laws? How do you intend to come out from under them?