The Practice of Self-Inquiry: Discovering the True Self

How To Practice of Self-Inquiry: Discovering the True Self

Who are you — really?

Not your name.

Not your past.

Not even your thoughts.

If you pause… just for a moment… and ask:“Who am I?”

You open a doorway into direct experience — the timeless method of Self-Inquiry.

What Is Self-Inquiry?

Self-inquiry (Atma Vichara) is the primary method taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi and embraced by seekers worldwide. It’s not about finding a new identity, but realizing the false one was never real.

You begin by observing thoughts and sensations, then quietly ask:

“To whom do these arise?”“Who am I, really?”Let the question hang in the silence. Let it reveal the answer — not intellectually, but experientially.

Why It Works

Most people live as if they are a body-mind moving through time. But Self-Inquiry pierces this illusion and leads you to the realization that you are the Awareness in which the body-mind appears.

This Awareness is changeless. Peaceful. Free.

You don’t need to silence your mind completely or reach a state. You simply need to turn inward, again and again, until the illusion of the separate self dissolves.

How To Practice Self-Inquiry - Tips for Effective Practice

• Sit in silence for 10–20 minutes each morning.

• Don’t force an answer — allow the question to dissolve the false.

• When emotions arise, inquire: Who is feeling this?

• Remain as the witness, resting in that which never changes.

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