Introduction to The Work (excerpt from the "Little Book" Loving what is)
The work of Byron Katie is a way to identify and question the thoughts that cause all of the suffering in the world. It is a way to find peace with yourself and with the world. The old, the young, the sick, the well, the educated, the uneducated—anyone with an open mind can do this work.
The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is.
A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It is not our thoughts, but the attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it's true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we've been attaching to, often for years.
Most people think that they are what their thoughts tell them they are.
The first step in the work is to write down your judgments about any stressful situation in your life, past, present, or future—about a person you dislike or a situation with someone who angers or frightens or saddens you. (use a blank sheet of paper;
or you can download a judge-your-neighbor worksheet and print.)
Investigate each of your statements on the judge-your-neighbor worksheet using the four questions and the turnarounds below. The Work is meditation. Its about opening to your heart, not about trying to change your thoughts. Ask the questions, then go inside and wait for the deeper answers to surface. Download the facilitation guide for helpful sub-questions.
In its most basic form, the work consists of four questions and turnarounds. For example, your statement might be “[name] doesn't listen to me.” find someone in your life about whom you have had that thought. Then take that statement and put it up against the four questions and turnarounds of the work.
Inquiry: the four questions and turnaround
1. is it true?
2. can you absolutely know that it‟s true?
3. how do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. who would you be without the thought?
and
turn the thought around. Then find at least three specific, genuine examples of how each turnaround is true for you in this situation.
The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is.
A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It is not our thoughts, but the attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it's true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we've been attaching to, often for years.
Most people think that they are what their thoughts tell them they are.
The first step in the work is to write down your judgments about any stressful situation in your life, past, present, or future—about a person you dislike or a situation with someone who angers or frightens or saddens you. (use a blank sheet of paper;
or you can download a judge-your-neighbor worksheet and print.)
Investigate each of your statements on the judge-your-neighbor worksheet using the four questions and the turnarounds below. The Work is meditation. Its about opening to your heart, not about trying to change your thoughts. Ask the questions, then go inside and wait for the deeper answers to surface. Download the facilitation guide for helpful sub-questions.
In its most basic form, the work consists of four questions and turnarounds. For example, your statement might be “[name] doesn't listen to me.” find someone in your life about whom you have had that thought. Then take that statement and put it up against the four questions and turnarounds of the work.
Inquiry: the four questions and turnaround
1. is it true?
2. can you absolutely know that it‟s true?
3. how do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. who would you be without the thought?
and
turn the thought around. Then find at least three specific, genuine examples of how each turnaround is true for you in this situation.
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Instructions for "The Work"
Facilitation Guide for "The Work" The Little Book Judge your Neighbor Worksheet Judge your Body Worksheet One Belief at a time |
