Do you know what waking up really is?
It seems that for most who are involved in the spiritual life, it is really about improving your life. You want to feel better, to be happier, to maybe change your identity a bit. That is a perfectly acceptable life plan. It's very important to be clear about what you are looking for in your spiritual life, or what your purpose or goal is. If self or life improvement is what you are looking for, this website and approach is not for you. And that is good to know, because there are many spiritual approaches out there that will serve your needs better.
However, if you want to really know the truth about what is going on here, no matter what the truth reveals about you and this life, then you may be in the right place. Deep self investigation is about seeing your self as you actually are, and about seeing life as it actually is, without regard for how this may improve your life. You want to know the truth because you have to know what is true, no matter how it may effect your life. If this describes you then please read on.
Are you ready to wake up?
Does life seem like a dream? Do you feel drawn to question your belief in being a separate person, your existence as a body and mind? Have you had experiences where you felt that you exist beyond your life story? Have you experienced states or conditions where you felt that what you are is expansive awareness or consciousness? If these experiences compel you to find a path to real understanding, then deep self investigation may be what you have been looking for.
The deep self investigation (DSI) approach gives specific structure and direction to what is commonly known as the path of “self inquiry.” DSI is the process of investigating the sense of a separate self, what you are actually referring to with the words “I,” "me," or "mine," as well as the present experience of awareness. And this investigation should lead to both the recognition of what you are not, and what actually IS.
The conventional view of our personal life goes something like this: "I am an individual moving about among other individuals, things, places, etc. I seem to be separate from the rest of life. I am involved with the world, but at the same time an individual, subject to the many things that can happen to me. We have been conditioned to think that reality is like this; and specifically, what the nature of our relationship is to it. It can seem obvious. You are here, at the center of things, and the rest of life seems to be out there. But it’s worth considering that maybe this is not at all what you are or what life actually is.
What if there is no separation, no independent “you?” What if the "selfless condition" is the actuality of this experience? When I say that you are not separate from the world, this isn't a statement reflecting new age sentiment like, “we are all one,“ or that you are part of a "world family," or even that we are all similar human beings evolved from the same gene pool. I’m also not referring to what is proposed by modern physics about observers affecting the observed, or the lack of actual object boundaries on the sub atomic levels (although this may be helpful to consider during self investigation).
The point is that there is no “you” in the way that there seems to be. Deeply investigating the assumptions about what you are reveals this to be so. It is possible to find this out directly, in this present experience, based on the evidence available to anyone.
What you find at the end of this investigation is that it has never been a matter of being separate and needing to reconnect to the world. What you are has never been separate because there is no “you” here at all, only “all that is,” only what exists, singular and complete from the start.
Initial practice of DSI involves a great deal of training and practice, however the goal is for you to become your own guide, at which point you will probably need very little outside teaching or guidance.
Cost
We believe that awakening, recognition of your true identity or nature as awareness, is your "birthright." In a very real sense, it is what you already are. Because of this, we offer our assistance in the form of training materials, one on one meetings, group meetings and intensive retreats at very low or no cost. You are always welcome to donate a modest amount to support ongoing work here, however, the focus of our work will always be aimed at assisting anyone deeply drawn to the awakening process.