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Direct Inquiry Explained - How to Actually Look 🧐 — Transcript

by Leela Muse · 3,500 words · 746 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Hello.
0:03I got an interesting question in a
0:05one-on-one recently.
0:09I was asked,
0:11"How do I look directly?
0:15How do I
0:16sensitively notice?
0:18What do I look with? My eyes?"
0:23And I was struck by this question.
0:26I thought it was a brilliant question.
0:31Because even though I do talk about this
0:34subject
0:36ad nauseam, probably.
0:37>> [laughter]
0:40>> I feel I could go into deeper detail on
0:43what exactly is this mechanism of
0:47direct noticing.
0:49And
0:50in a relative sense, how do we go about
0:54practicing in this way?
0:59We hear, "Look directly. Stop and look
1:02directly."
1:04And there are many things that can come
1:07to mind as to what that is.
1:10Um
1:12looking with your eyes is one.
1:15And of course, that can be there. Of
1:17course, that that can be included, and
1:20it can be very potent to
1:23look at the visual field and investigate
1:26that in different ways.
1:29But that's not necessarily
1:33what I'm pointing to.
1:37And we can get the idea that we're
1:39looking for an answer,
1:41something conceptual,
1:45an aha moment that looks like a
1:47conclusion.
1:51Or that we're looking for a certain
1:52state
1:54that feels
1:55ecstatic or blissful.
1:59Like the glimpses we may have had
2:02before.
2:06But none of these are exactly
2:08what direct noticing is
2:13pointing to.
2:15And before I continue, I want to give a
2:17short disclaimer
2:20that not everybody feels a pull to look
2:23in this way.
2:26It tends to be something
2:29that we can gain interest in once we've
2:32sort of tried
2:33all our trials.
2:35And we have sought in concepts
2:39and in information for a while.
2:42And
2:44this
2:45interest in direct noticing can appear
2:48what when we're at the end of our rope,
2:50so to say.
2:52And this is common.
2:56So if you don't feel a resonance, if
2:59this doesn't interest you at all,
3:02take what resonates, leave what doesn't.
3:06It isn't required that you go into this.
3:09You may find it relevant in the future.
3:15And
3:16when it comes to direct noticing,
3:19which is just another word for inquiry,
3:23there's no need to force
3:25this type of looking if you're not in
3:27the mood for it.
3:29It's not that serious.
3:32Your health and well-being is the most
3:34important thing.
3:36It doesn't have to be a military style
3:39practice.
3:42And
3:44of course there can be frustration when
3:46we are
3:48trying to focus on sense perceptions,
3:50for example.
3:53And
3:55awareness
3:56innocently and naturally goes to thought
4:00over and over and over.
4:02Habitually.
4:04Because that's what it's used to doing,
4:06you know.
4:08That frustration
4:13is a feature of the path.
4:17And if it's very frustrating, it's fine.
4:19Take a break.
4:21Take a walk, take a nap, take a bath.
4:24It'll always be there the next time you
4:27come around.
4:30But just know that that
4:32frustrating feature
4:35to not be able to control where
4:37awareness goes
4:41can be a profound
4:45insight in itself.
4:48When we see directly that, "Oh,
4:52I can't control
4:54what awareness is interested in."
4:58I can notice it,
5:00so to say, but
5:02it's wild.
5:06So,
5:07this type of direct noticing is not
5:10looking in thought for meaning.
5:14Not looking for a conclusion,
5:17a better rhetoric, or a dogma, or trying
5:20to believe the pointers that we've
5:21heard.
5:22It has nothing to do with that.
5:25It's seeing
5:28those thoughts when they arise, those
5:30conclusions,
5:32for what they are. Thoughts.
5:35That's all.
5:38So, it isn't playing in concepts,
5:40although that can arise and be noticed.
5:46So, we're not trying to find this
5:48special state that's maintained.
5:52It's more of a resonance of willingness
5:55to see
5:57and to receptivity
6:01to recognize what is here
6:03in this very instant.
6:05This timeless
6:07now.
6:10It's
6:11marked by a genuine, passionate
6:15curiosity.
6:18A resonance of openness and bravery
6:24to see what we could possibly see.
6:27What is it that I'm looking for if it's
6:30not a thought?
6:32What could it possibly be?
6:36This suspended wonder.
6:41It's a sensitivity that is
6:46so open
6:50that it begins to see
6:52that this is unknowable.
6:55And it's like a landslide once you pick
6:57up on that pattern.
7:01The seeing through the symbols.
7:06The unknowability of this just
7:10takes on a life of it of its own, a
7:12momentum of its own.
7:16This
7:19unfathomable
7:21all readiness that's always been here
7:26begins to become more obvious.
7:29And
7:32of course that can be a little scary and
7:35we can feel that in the body at times.
7:38We're
7:39we're not used to it. We're used to
7:41knowing what this is.
7:43How it works, where I am, who I am.
7:50And all those deep existential questions
7:53or
7:54in this openness seen
7:57to be
7:59unanswerable.
8:02It's futile.
8:07What this is existentially is not found.
8:11That's not what
8:14recognition is.
8:20So, this direct inquiry, this sensitive
8:25noticing
8:27is the equivalent of asking
8:30a burning question like
8:32what is this?
8:37Even though we may conceptually know
8:39there's no answer.
8:42It triggers that resonance of
8:46suspended wonder
8:48and curiosity.
8:52Where you're looking at reality
8:56whatever aspect you happen happen to be
8:58aware of
9:03as if if you look at it with enough
9:06vigilance and openness, it will shatter.
9:09The matrix will shatter before your
9:11eyes.
9:14There there can be an excitement with
9:17it.
9:20Because we can intuitively sense that
9:22there is something that we are not
9:23seeing about this.
9:26There is something that is being
9:27obscured
9:30by my conclusions of what this is.
9:35And how badly
9:37do I want find out what that is?
9:42Is it badly enough
9:44to sacrifice everything that I have ever
9:47learned about this?
9:51This reality from society.
9:54Am I that open and willing
9:58to just
10:00let go of
10:03what I think this is and
10:06how I believe this works.
10:08Who I am.
10:12Where, when, why.
10:20And of course
10:23that can feel like shaky ground and it
10:25can it can bring up
10:29visceral sensations
10:31and even anxiety in the body.
10:34But we have the capacity to feel through
10:36that
10:37and notice that as well
10:41for what it is.
10:44Just innocent
10:47aliveness energy arising.
10:53A survival mechanism that's trying to
10:55hold on.
10:59It believes it has to hold on to this
11:00control.
11:04But the more we notice, the more we see
11:06that
11:07thoughts and actions are spontaneous.
11:11They're unbidden.
11:15And the assumption of claiming
11:18that is wordless
11:22and very subtle.
11:24It doesn't announce itself itself like
11:27I just claimed that. When you drink
11:29water, it it doesn't say I did that with
11:32words or symbols. It's very subtle. It's
11:35a subtle, wordless assumption that's
11:37been there since
11:39childhood.
11:44Are we willing
11:49to see through that and feel
11:51how uncomfortable that feels
11:54to see this?
11:59And of course, if this
12:02doesn't resonate, as I said,
12:04it's okay.
12:07This isn't the right thing to do or the
12:09right way to be.
12:12It's just what happened to
12:14seem to work for me to sort of shake the
12:16energy up and
12:18create that open space to notice
12:23what is.
12:24What's already happening.
12:28While being able to see through the
12:29stories about it, the meaning making.
12:37This is just a discernment between
12:40what is actual and what is imagined.
12:45It's It's not as scary as it may feel
12:47when we approach it.
12:49It's always been this way.
12:53So therefore, there's there's nothing to
12:55fear, truly.
12:59This is safe.
13:04So this is a story and
13:08FYI,
13:10everything I say is not true.
13:14There's no truth in words,
13:17thoughts.
13:19That's not where truth lies.
13:22That's a practical tool to refer to you
13:24and I and this and that.
13:30And that can be seen.
13:34And it can simplify
13:36a lot of things in life.
13:41That
13:43the symbolic layer and mechanism is not
13:47the controller.
13:49The end-all, be-all, powerful
13:51doer of life that I am.
13:58So,
13:59this is the equivalent of
14:03asking your burning inquiry
14:07and letting it answer itself.
14:13Like Adyashanti once said, it's like
14:15dropping a coin in the well.
14:19And letting it drop down, down, down,
14:22down.
14:23You let it go.
14:27And watch it go down.
14:32And you you maintain that open space of
14:35what what could it possibly be?
14:38How will it appear? What What is it?
14:45You know, for for me personally, the
14:47question who am I didn't really
14:49resonate. It may for you.
14:53Or there may be another question like
14:55something more
14:57abstract like what is mu or
15:00whatever the question is. What is truth?
15:06It doesn't matter. Whatever feels alive
15:09for you.
15:12You can ask your question anytime during
15:14the day.
15:18And you'll be surprised. There are lots
15:19of opportunities for this. It doesn't
15:21have to be in a formal sitting where you
15:23sit down. It can be.
15:27And it is
15:29it is good to sit and and
15:32have time for this, but
15:35there are hundreds of micro
15:37opportunities during the day.
15:40This can become
15:43your new baseline where when you have
15:49a free moment, like when you're washing
15:51your hands or walking down the hallway,
15:54walking to check the mail,
16:00while you're taking a shower, doing the
16:01dishes, there's so many opportunities.
16:04Maybe not while you're driving.
16:06Okay, but
16:11For example,
16:13when
16:15I was well into this practice for a few
16:17months,
16:18and it really only took about 6 months
16:20of doing this for me before
16:24I was able to see through thoughts and
16:27see through identity,
16:30and the seeking fell.
16:34And I was watching videos and stuff
16:36during that time, too. You You can You
16:38can listen to whatever you want to
16:40listen to while
16:42inquiring,
16:44you know, and while all kinds of
16:46thoughts are happening. You can
16:48do this while all this phenomenon is
16:51happening.
16:54Sort of stepping back,
16:57taking the backward step and and looking
16:59at this and saying,
17:02"Look at it go."
17:04You know, being open to to catching that
17:08moment where choice actually happens.
17:11You know, where is the doer?
17:17Discerning the feeling of of doership.
17:22What what is that actually?
17:25Is it a person deciding?
17:29Is it just a spontaneous feeling coming
17:31from nowhere?
17:36We can awaken in the dream.
17:41And what I mean by that is we can
17:42recognize
17:44the inherent awakeness that is all
17:46already here.
17:52And
17:53when this practice started to become
17:55sort of second nature to me and I would
17:59I would look in this way in every
18:01available moment that I had during the
18:04day.
18:07What is this?
18:11I would have these very bizarre surreal
18:14states that would come in for just a few
18:16seconds
18:17where it was
18:19it was like an ancient memory
18:22and it was
18:23so obvious and clear
18:27that there was no one here
18:30walking to the mailbox.
18:34It couldn't have felt more effortless in
18:36those seconds.
18:42And it felt as if the world was
18:44moving past me. I wasn't walking through
18:47the world. It was moving
18:49past me.
18:51>> [laughter]
18:53>> And I don't say that
18:55so that you're looking for that state to
18:56happen or
19:00you know,
19:01making a conclusion that that somehow
19:03will be sustained.
19:06We always go back to baseline, whatever
19:08our baseline happens to be.
19:11And the baseline can definitely improve
19:15gradually over time.
19:19But there's nothing to fear.
19:21Even these strange surreal glimpses and
19:25this adrenaline that can happen when you
19:27approach the fear barrier,
19:30it only lasts for a few seconds.
19:34And we get to see firsthand
19:36how the psyche reacts and how the body
19:39reacts to
19:42the direct seeing that
19:46there's no
19:48one
19:49in here
19:50pulling levers,
19:52making choices
19:55that is apart from life.
19:59There's only
20:00life.
20:05This has nothing to do
20:08with conclusions
20:11or
20:12finally finding the perfect pointer to
20:14believe like this is it.
20:18The words this is it isn't it.
20:22This is an invitation and an opportunity
20:27to look for oneself, to look for
20:29yourself.
20:32These deeper insights cannot be given
20:36as a gift from one to the other.
20:39There is a
20:42serious barrier there where it can't be
20:44communicated.
20:48Because
20:50language is dualistic and dream language
20:54and this is
20:57whole.
21:02And even the word whole
21:03doesn't do it justice.
21:07This wordless alive obviousness.
21:16It can answer your inquiry
21:19with a wordless intuitive
21:24not conceptual
21:27knowing.
21:32And we can foster space for that to
21:35dawn.
21:44That openness is a void that something
21:48novel and new can come in
21:53and fill that space.
21:57A different kind of intelligence
22:00that has always been here
22:03beating our hearts
22:05breathing our lungs.
22:07We've never been without it.
22:10And that's why it can be so difficult to
22:13recognize.
22:16Like the fish searching for water.
22:19Now, one thing that I've noticed
22:22and there's nothing wrong with it, but
22:24in the community
22:28the conversation will come up about
22:29direct noticing and
22:33the seeker or the one asking the
22:35question
22:37will will stop and look for a moment
22:41at what's actually here.
22:44And then they'll say, "Thoughts,
22:46feelings, sensations, sense perceptions.
22:51That's it.
22:53This isn't working for me."
22:57And the reason why is because
23:02you went there for a second
23:06and you brought back a conclusion
23:09that I know what's there.
23:11It's only thoughts
23:13sense perceptions etc.
23:16And those are labels.
23:19That's just an idea of what you think
23:22this is.
23:24So
23:26it's very subtle.
23:30There almost has to be a devotion
23:33to looking at this
23:35until
23:37the ineffable nature of this
23:39is all we can see.
23:45And when that is seen directly, it is
23:47like medicine
23:49for the body, the mind
23:53this expression of a person.
23:56It reboots us.
24:00And everything
24:02falls away.
24:06Everything that is of illusion
24:09falls away.
24:16And though that may feel
24:18uncomfortable and there may need to be a
24:20processing and an integration
24:24of that emptiness.
24:27We eventually
24:29begin to realize that that emptiness and
24:34and this alive fullness
24:37this freedom to be this person
24:40in this world with these stories and
24:43preferences and opinions
24:46is not hindered by the emptiness.
24:50It's always been empty.
24:54And so therefore everything will fall
24:56away, even the teachings.
25:00And yet,
25:01nothing was ever missing. Nothing is
25:03missing from this.
25:07And that which remains when everything
25:09falls away is
25:13full. It can be
25:15finally appreciated for what it is, the
25:18mystery,
25:21the miracle
25:24that it is.
25:27So, this is just a practice of of
25:29noticing what is directly obvious, which
25:32can change depending on where awareness
25:34happens to
25:35be interested.
25:38You know, it can it can go to the mind,
25:41wherever.
25:42Sounds, sights.
25:49And as we notice and put our question in
25:52the well and
25:55and uh
25:56are open to
25:58whatever the
26:00recognition may be.
26:04Whatever the matrix
26:06breaking looks like or feels like.
26:13While we're doing this, we are
26:14simultaneously
26:16seeing conclusions,
26:18expectations,
26:22and anything that is conceptual,
26:25w- seeing it arise as it does, freely,
26:28spontaneously,
26:30effortlessly,
26:32with a life of its own.
26:36And and
26:38there's a trick you can do
26:41to sort of notice quickly that
26:44that that is not what I'm looking for.
26:48And what I did was I would just say
26:50that's a thought. Just to sort of
26:55acknowledge it quickly. That's a
26:56thought. It's not what I'm looking for.
27:01Seen it a million times. Heard the
27:02story.
27:04Sick and tired of it. I know that's not
27:06it.
27:07That's what I should see through.
27:10So to say, if I want to see this.
27:14So
27:16it's always free to arise. It will.
27:20And that's fine. But that's just a
27:23thought.
27:25And when we sort of shift
27:28through this phenomenon in that way,
27:30shifting thoughts, acknowledging them
27:33for what they are,
27:38seeing the wild nature of awareness and
27:42how it just
27:43goes to the shiniest object.
27:47And and holding that space of
27:50wonder, that resonance of wonder.
27:54Which which can definitely have a
27:57sensational and emotional element to it.
27:59It's
28:03I mean, think of when you saw something
28:05that you didn't know what it was, like a
28:07plant or an animal you didn't know
28:08existed.
28:11And that feeling of like, what is that?
28:14The mind doesn't know in that moment.
28:17It it hasn't made the label and the
28:19story yet. And that's what that's
28:22a pure
28:23open space. Any anything could come in
28:27and fill that void.
28:34But
28:35labels just aren't meant for what we
28:38think what we were taught they were
28:40meant for.
28:43They are not meant to know the world
28:47or who I am or what this is.
28:51They are meant as a practical
28:55pointing to this and that,
28:57getting from A to B,
29:00saying someone's name so they know that
29:03you're talking to them.
29:08There's a very limited and and very
29:10pragmatic
29:12function to labeling.
29:14And knowing has nothing to do with it.
29:18There's no such thing as conceptual
29:20knowing
29:22in an existential sense.
29:26And that's why
29:28it's good to hold the pointers lightly
29:30because
29:31that's not the truth, either.
29:36The truth is wordless and can only be
29:38seen for oneself.
29:42One must go there to that resonance.
29:48Of of a reverie of awe and wonder,
29:52of anticipation.
29:57Whenever possible, until
29:59there's a satisfaction
30:01and a recognition
30:04and a dropping of the seeking, a genuine
30:07dropping.
30:13Not a I I I must stop seeking, so I'll
30:15just go do that now. That's not genuine.
30:19That won't work. You'll you'll keep
30:20coming back
30:23until you see through it like glass.
30:34And we can we can do it. We can stop and
30:36look.
30:38We can recognize the inherent awakeness
30:41that this is.
30:45If you go to the silence and the
30:47stillness and the noticing the direct
30:50inquiry
30:52and
30:55you resonate with the thoughts that say,
30:58"This is boring. Yeah, yeah, but
31:00nothing's here and what is this supposed
31:02to give me?"
31:05There's nothing wrong with that.
31:07Of course. And it's understandable.
31:10Yeah, it's there's not much going on.
31:13But that's that is the truth
31:16and that is the peace.
31:20That is the fertile ground and
31:25that pregnant space that
31:29something new and novel can come in, a
31:32new type of intelligence.
31:34The prior intelligence
31:37can just appear out of the fog.
31:41That that's always been here.
31:45Anything can be noticed
31:47especially and including
31:51that which is not preferred.
31:54You know,
31:56the emotions
31:58uh and
31:59thought loops that we get into naturally
32:03that are very familiar.
32:05This can also be noticed. It's not a
32:06sign that you've done anything wrong.
32:12These These
32:14states that we don't prefer do lighten
32:17and we are able to be with them and and
32:21have a healthier relationship with them
32:24as this path unfolds.
32:28But they're always free to arise.
32:34And
32:35and
32:36they can be very fascinating
32:39when when we're able to
32:41be with them without the knowing
32:45that we're accustomed to without the
32:48I know what this is
32:50conclusion.
32:53This is that which should go away.
32:57This is that which one day I will be
32:59beyond.
33:02How can you know that?
33:09Any phenomenon, even conclusions, even
33:12expectations,
33:15anything can arise.
33:19It's not that those things need to drop.
33:22Thoughts and conclusions happen as they
33:25do naturally.
33:27And we can take a step back
33:30and notice it
33:32how a scientist would.
33:35And say, "What is this, really?
33:39What am I not seeing about this?
33:43Why is it so compelling?"
33:51And don't accept any words, any story
33:54that comes up that comes up about it.
33:58That's just a thought.
34:01It's not that which
34:05I want to see clearly,
34:07the wordless obviousness.
34:13And this
34:15is a magical resonance, this curiosity
34:18and open wonder.
34:21It's it's it can also almost be an
34:23uncomfortable
34:26feeling of unknowing.
34:30That feeling when you have a question,
34:31but don't have the answer yet, you know?
34:36And and we have the capacity to feel
34:39that uncomfortableness that
34:42we've been running from.
34:44To stories, to disassociate,
34:48to not feel that.
34:51That unknowable nature of this.
34:56We can't force insight,
35:00but we can create a space that is like a
35:03magnet
35:05for insights to dawn.
35:10We can become that openness
35:14that refuses to believe the mind.
35:22Refuses to give interest
35:26to the stories.
35:28Simply because we have tried that,
35:32and it doesn't work.
35:35It's like torture.
35:41We can sense the futility of
35:46trying to fix life with concepts.
35:52Trying to understand this
35:55as if that's a thing.
35:59We can become the availability
36:02or grace and clarity
36:06to dawn.
36:10If this feels deeply resonant to you,
36:14and and you want to support the channel,
36:17you can do this on your own, of course.
36:20But I have guided direct noticing
36:25that I come out with once a month
36:27where there's lots of space in between
36:30the pointers to look.
36:36And we
36:37together discern
36:39the meaning that appears from what is
36:42actual.
36:43I have four guided sessions out already
36:46and it'll continue to grow.
36:50Where we we simply
36:53be with what is.
36:56Whatever it may be.
36:58It's a hands-off
37:01noticing
37:04technique.
37:07For those of you who really enjoy my
37:09scripted videos, I am going to continue
37:12to do those.
37:14Some people do like me on camera, so I'm
37:16going to do both.
37:18Please let me know if there's anything
37:20you want me to talk about on the
37:21channel.
37:23And I want to thank you from the bottom
37:24of my heart
37:27for this awakening work that you're
37:29doing
37:30and for the support.
37:34Thank you.

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This page contains the full transcript of Direct Inquiry Explained - How to Actually Look 🧐 by Leela Muse, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 3,500 words across 746 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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