Some while ago, in Buddhism and Direct Pointing, I touched on the Buddhist Ten Fetters teaching, that has proven itself to be both profound and life-changing for many in recent times. The Odoki Method, draws heavily on this, while adding supporting practices to make inquiry into the Ten Fetters even more impactful.

While there are ten fetters, there are actually just seven inquiries.

Given that our brains are predictive, and that we construct our inner worlds in private, I would expect us all to construct them differently. This aligns with experience - we humans all tend to function differently, and each have our unique ways of suffering.

So, why on earth would we expect to find a fixed set of seven inquiries that apply to all of us, in such a way that they could be documented over 2,000 years ago, and still be relevant and impactful for humans today? What on earth could the common factors be?

I think the answer is language.

I’d posit (totally speculatively) that the most common topic we humans talk about is “me”. We make statements like, “I did this”, “I want that”, “I am like that”.

If I say “I like chocolate”, I’m very clear what chocolate is. I can verify that with others. I experience myself liking it. That’s clear, the pleasure that occurs. Two out of three parts of this sentence are clear and identifiable in experience. The “I” in the sentence we don’t usually engage with. It’s obviously there, until we start looking for it.

Looking at the seven inquiries, we can see how they all revolve around this unclear “I”, in ever more subtle ways:

1. I do this.
2. I want this.
3. Me vs not me.
4. I move.
5. I exist.
6. I should.
7. I know.

This short list encapsulates a set of inquiries that can lead to profound shifts in our experience, significantly reducing suffering. They are based upon language, yet the beliefs they inculcate in us run very deep.