People stop their pursuit of truth at the ‘WHO AM ‘I’? or ‘I AM THAT’, which is incomplete and keeps them in the grip of individuality.+

Self-inquiry is finding out the ‘Self’ which is hidden by the illusory world, in which we exist.  By inquiring ‘Who am I?’, the ignorance will not vanish because the ‘I’ itself is illusory. 

Sage  Sankara says: ~ ‘What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

Many seekers in this path of inquiry are still struggling even after long years and waiting for something to happen. Even after reading and inquiring deeply enough, still, they are still unable to progress further.  Even if they are unable to get any benefit in their spiritual pursuit through self - inquiry they are unable to give up the self-inquiry due to the attraction to some sage of the past. 

Self-inquiry is a good tool at the beginning of the pursuit of truth. But the seeker will find it inadequate to in later stages. However, it creates lots of doubts and confusion.  The seeker has to find the answers on his own through deeper reasoning, all his doubts and confusions will be cleared, and he will be able to move ahead in the path of inquiry, and he will be able to reach his non-dual destination.

The Who Am ‘I’ –inquiry is not Self-inquiry.  Self-inquiry is to find and realize the ‘Self’, which is hidden by the ‘I’. By inquiring ‘Who Am ‘I’? -  the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn.

WHO AM ‘I’? - inquiry is only for a lower stage where one gives up externally to expose the false nature of the ego. 

To get ultimate truth one has to inquire into the nature of the mind, which is in the form of the universe.  Inquiring into the nature of the universe is higher.  

Thus, ‘WHO AM ‘I’?- will not reveal the truth of the whole,  thus the journey is incomplete.

Sage Sankara says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.

‘WHO AM ‘I’? - inquiry serves only at the starting point. What one has learned from the teaching of the sages be understood through the exercise of reason as far as the reason might go?  And what one has assimilated must be realized. There are stages in the seeker's goal.

The one who holds the ‘I’ as the Self never will be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Thus, it is necessary to realize first the ‘I’ is not the Self, but the Self is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’, which appears and disappears. 

The ‘I-centric’ Gurus and their teaching have nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage  Sankara.  

The seeker of truth should not hold the  ‘I-centric'  gurus and their teaching as a yardstick.  

‘I’-centric knowledge is not the Advaitic wisdom of Sage  Sankara. ‘I-centric teaching will not lead the seeker to the ultimate end of his inner journey.

Not by listening to Guru's sermons, nor by the study neither by study of the scriptures, nor by meritorious deeds, nor by any other means the Advaitic wisdom dawns, which is attainable only through association with the  Gnani and the clear quest of the Self. 

Gnana is given neither from outside nor from another person.

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

People stop their pursuit of truth at the ‘WHO AM ‘I’? or ‘I AM THAT’, which is incomplete and keeps them in the grip of individuality, and individuality leads them to intellectuality. Intellectuality keeps the Soul, the Self in the cage of ignorance.

Deeper self-search investigates through a mental microscope (inquiry and Soulcentric reasoning)  

Without realizing ‘what is the mind? it is impossible to grasp and realize the Nondualistic or Advaitic truth. 

Firstly, one has to realize the mind is not within the body, but the body, ego, and the world are within the mind (I). Without understanding this fact there is no use of discussion because you are discussing on the base of ego (waking entity) and my answers are based on the Soul, the Self, which is ever nondual. 

It takes a lot of time to train the ego to become soulcentric. Once the reasoning base is rectified from the form (ego) to formless, then the truth will start revealing on its own and you will be able to understand what I am saying.  

Now in waking experience (at present) the ego reasons ‘what is right’ and ‘what is wrong’, which is very helpful in the practical life impractical world. In soulcentric reasoning, it will start discriminating between real and unreal and truth and untruth.

Most of the modern Gurus are also stuck with ‘I’ awareness as Self-awareness. The ‘I’ awareness is present only when the mind is present.  

The mind is present only when the universe is present.  The universe is present only when the waking or dream is present.   

The ‘I’ awareness is absent when the mind is absent.   The mind is absent then the universe or waking or dream is absent. Thus ‘I’ awareness is merely an illusion.   The Self-awareness is ‘Atnic-awareness,  

It is impossible to get rid of any conditioning without getting rid of the inborn samskara or conditioning.   

‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the inborn samskara or conditioning. ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the mother of all conditioning. Because of this inborn conditioning, one thinks he is an individual separate from the world, and the world existed prior to him and he is born in it afterward. 

Until this inborn conditioning is present one is in the grip of duality and he experiences birth, life, death, and the world as reality.  This inborn conditioning makes one experience the illusory dualistic world as reality.:~Santthosh Kumaar