The Practice of Self-Inquiry

The method taught by Ramana Maharshi is deceptively simple yet profoundly powerful: continuously ask 'Who am I?' and trace the source of the 'I' thought back to its origin in the Heart.

Self-inquiry, or Atma Vichara, is the direct path to Self-realization taught by Ramana Maharshi. The practice is simple: whenever thoughts arise, ask "Who is it that thinks?" or "To whom do these thoughts come?" The answer will be "To me." Then ask "Who am I?"

This inquiry should not be done mechanically or as a mere repetition of words. It must be a genuine, intense search for the source of the "I" thought. As one traces the "I" back to its source, thoughts will begin to subside. The "I" thought itself will merge into its source, which is the Heart, the Self.

When the "I" thought is destroyed, what remains is pure consciousness, the Self. This is not a state to be achieved, but one's own natural state that has always been present but was obscured by the mind's constant activity.