In 1986, Byron Katie discovered four simple questions and a turn-around that helped her learn to be at peace. She realized that all suffering is caused by believing our thoughts, and the only way to relieve the suffering is to question our thoughts. She calls these four questions and the turn-around “the work” or “self-inquiry”.
The questions are:
1) Is it true?
2) Can you absolutely know that it is true?
3) How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4) Who would you be without the thought?
She then has you turn the concept you are questioning around.
Bryon Katie has written several books and made many audio and video recordings on the subject and we HIGHLY recommend them!
Here are the titles of some of her books and recordings:
Loving What Is: This book tells the story of how Katie discovered the work. It also teaches the process of how to do the work and gives examples of people doing the work with Katie. This is a great introduction to the work.
Your Inner Awakening: This isn’t a book, but an audio recording of Katie explaining all about the work and sharing examples of people doing the work with her. A fabulous companion introduction to the book “Loving What Is” (and we have only found “Your Inner Awakening” on Amazon, not on Katie’s website).
Who Would You Be Without Your Story: A collection of 15 examples of people doing the work with Katie.
A Thousand Names For Joy: This is a radically different book than the first three items we’ve described here. It doesn’t focus on the work as much as it explores the freedom that comes from doing the work. Katie’s husband, Stephen Mitchell published his own translation of the famous “Tao Te Ching” and as he was reading it to Katie, she took concepts from it and elaborated on her view of it. If you love the Tao Te Ching, you’ll really love this book!
A Mind At Home With Itself: In this book, Byron Katie illuminates one of the most profound ancient Buddhist texts, The Diamond Sutra (newly translated by Stephen Mitchell) to reveal the nature of the mind and to liberate us from painful thoughts, using her revolutionary system of self-inquiry called “The Work.” Byron Katie doesn’t merely describe the awakened mind; she empowers us to see it and feel it in action. At once startlingly fresh and powerfully enlightening, A Mind at Home with Itself offers us a transformative new perspective on life and death.
For those of you who live in or near the Salt Lake Valley, and you’re interested in talking to someone in person about the Work of Byron Katie, we strongly suggest you speak with Kathryn Dixon of the Clarity Coaching Institute. In addition to one-on-one sessions, Kathryn has a weekly Meetup group for the work.
We first became aware of “The Work” and Byron Katie during the Salt Lake SGR Club when Julie Blake told us about it. Thanks, Julie!
