I Love The Variations of The Work
You could ask the same question a number of different ways.
For example, if you think poison ivy is terrible, you could ask, “Poison ivy is terrible, is that true?” You could ask, “Are you sure?” Or you could ask, “Can you see a reason to drop that thought?” Or you could ask, “Poison ivy is terrible, how’s that working for you?”
Basically, all these questions are pointing to the same thing. Each question points us back to our experience. Each one helps cut through the exaggeration of mind, in this case that poison ivy is the enemy here on earth! 🙂
One Reader Experimented with this Recently
She writes, “Today one of the questions really got to me, ‘Can you see a reason to drop that thought?’
“I was doing The Work commuting to the airport, and that question came to me through some work I was listening to, and I saw my suffering vanish! So powerful!
“I noticed in an instant that all the ways I was suffering were the reason to drop the thought. And that really made sense to me, and I got free. It just dropped like a leaf.”
Basically, We Don’t Want to Suffer
All that self-inquiry does is get us to notice what we’re doing. By simply questioning our thoughts, we notice how we’re hurting ourselves with our thoughts, and naturally we stop.
So, try out this reader’s subquestion for yourself. “Can you see a reason to drop that thought?” I sometimes use it when a client is answering question 3.
All in all, though, I still find the four basic questions of The Work to be the most consistently powerful questions to ask when working with myself and others.
To read more about subquestions, I suggest reading the chapter entitled, “Deepening Inquiry” in Loving What Is , pp. 81-103, especially page 92 (which deals especially with “Can you see a reason to drop that thought?”)
Have a great week,
Todd
“It’s important to realize that inquiry is about noticing, not about dropping the thought. That is not possible. If you think that I’m asking you to drop the thought, hear this: I’m not! Inquiry is not about getting rid of thoughts; it’s about realizing what’s true for you, through awareness and unconditional self-love. Once you see the truth, the thought lets go of you, not the other way around.” — Byron Katie, Loving What Is
