About the Atma Vichara

The Atma-Vichara, or Self Inquiry, is the direct way to rediscover our Eternal Self. In constantly searching within our minds for the ultimate source of our Consciousness, serious inquirers will sooner or later unveil their Eternal Identity.

There are a few things we need to know about the Atma Vichara before engaging in its practice.

• The Atma Vichara is not a Mantra. The Question “Who am I” is not an incantation that will produce magical results by chanting it. The Atma Vichara is a deliberate, direct inquiry into our minds as to who or what is the source of our consciousness.
• The Atma Vichara is not a devotional endeavor. There is no need to worship any particular deity, saint or guru in this discipline. The only devotion needed to practice the Atma Vichara is devotion to the practice itself.
• The basic implication in the question “Who am I” is that we don’t accept our earthly attributes as our legitimate identity. This implication is an essential, indispensable premise for the success of our practice, as our internal search has to be performed with an avid desire to rediscover who we really are (for further clarification on this point please read "The Most Intimate Universality")
• Once we are capable of inquiring within our minds with one-pointed eagerness and in a constant manner, our minds will eventually “step aside" and will let the light of our Eternal Being shine forth.
• What we ultimately want in practicing the Atma Vichara is to regain knowledge of our Real Self. To regain that knowledge, the immediate goal of the Atma Vichara is to arrest the mind’s activity, so that once any mental clutter is eliminated, our True Consciousness may reveal itself.
• The question “Who am I” is necessary basically only at the beginning. Once we have understood what it is that we’re looking for, the simple question “Who?” would suffice to produce the one-pointed concentration necessary to eventually obtain the desired results (This shortening of the Atma Vichara is optional)
• When you effectively practice the Atma Vichara with one-pointed concentration you will notice that your thought processes cease for the duration of your concentration. You will also notice that your breathing slows down or even stops altogether during the same period of time. This is because our mental activity and our breathing are intimately connected.
• As practice makes it easier to stop your mental activity you may feel complacent because of the level of success you have attained. Don’t allow complacency to settle in. The moment you realize that your thought processes have stopped is the moment you should inquire with increased eagerness as to who or what your True Consciousness really is.
• There are three basic points that we need to understand and accept in order to regain direct knowledge of our True Self

A)	We are not our physical, emotional and mental attributes.
B)	Regaining direct knowledge of our Real Self is an endeavor well beyond the capability of even the finest functions of our minds.
C)	The Atma Vichara is a powerful method that allows us to regain direct knowledge of our Eternal Self.

Once we have understood the points listed above, all we have to do is practice the Atma Vichara with constant devotion.