Vichara Chudamani.(Crest Jewel of self-inquiry).

What is it that is to be investigated in self-Inquiry?
We have to investigate whether there is such an entity as the “thinker”, the “me” as noun apart from thought. If we remove all thoughts from the thinker does an entity, as “thinker” remain? So thought is the thinker. One part of the mind assumes the role of thinker and it feels it is separate from other thoughts. Is the thinker separate from thought? We have to investigate. As the “I-am-the-body” idea is the root of all thoughts we have to investigate whether identity with the body through “I-am-the-body” idea is existential or not. This is important to investigate. Once we start investigating we bring awareness into the investigation and in the presence of awareness thought flow is reduced and finally comes to a standstill. Then we develop the capacity to hold on to “I-am-the-body” idea. Pure “I-am-the-body” idea is filled with pure awareness. It is not an obstruction to the revelation of self-knowledge. We can hold on to pure “I-am-the-body” idea in the interval between the transition of mind from one mode to another or in the interval between two thoughts. Then investigation becomes a piece of cake because there is no clouding of consciousness by thoughts in that interval. Till then we fall back into unawareness due to strong mental habits which are called tendencies even while doing self-inquiry. So uninterrupted Self-awareness (sada apramada) is needed for self inquiry.