Inquiry
This page explores a few ways our community members have worked with the inquiry practice.The Practice of Inquiry
Inquiry questions are found in every program of recovery, and they are an extremely important factor in understanding the true nature of the suffering of our addictions.
In Recovery Dharma, our inquiry questions can be found throughout the Recovery Dharma book. They can also be found listed together in the Index under Questions for Inquiry (pp 92-102). The questions were written with the vision of combining the wisdom of recovery with the wisdom of the Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, and Five Precepts.
Journal
As you read the Recovery Dharma book, you are encouraged to write your responses to the inquiry questions.
Wise Friends and Mentors
Share responses with trusted wise friends, mentors, or fellow inquiry circle participants to receive support while engaging in this practice.
Meetings
Share experiences about the practice and listen to others during Recovery Dharma meetings. Inquiry questions can also serve as a meeting topic discussion.
Meditation
Allow the practices of mindfulness, loving kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and equanimity to support the inquiry practice.
Renunciation
Allow the inquiry practice to either strengthen commitment to, or to find a path away from addictive behaviors and substances.
Growth
Find local or online Buddhist communities and listen to talks on corresponding aspects of the Four Noble Truths or Eightfold Path.
“We’ve found that it’s useful to make inquiry and investigation a normal part of our everyday routine, especially when we’re feeling uncomfortable emotions or facing tough decisions. We can take a moment to pause and sit with whatever it is we’re experiencing, identify our situation, and just allow it to be there, with compassion and without judgment, and then use the Eightfold Path as a guide to go inward and forward. In any situation, we can ask ourselves: “How can I apply the Eightfold Path?” It can also be beneficial to use the different parts of the Eightfold Path as an end-of-day reflection”
Recovery Dharma, Page 21