I do not use the term 'self-inquiry,' like Sri Aurobindo or Sri Ramana Maharshi, or Krishamurti.

'Inquiry' is not something you can do about your real Self. Inquiry is what you, your self, does about other people. You can make inquiries about someone, some employee, and decide what jobs to give them and so forth.

So, the real inquiry is not regarding your Self. What you are inquiring about is your anger, your other emotions, your ego, and so forth.

The fact that you can inquire about them, proves that they are not you. It proves that you are separate from them. You can change them if you like.

There is a saying, "The eye can look at everything except itself." If you have a mirror, you can look at the image of your own eye. But that is not the eye itself. The eye itself, you can never see.

Your real Self, the Inquirer, is like that. You connect with it by inquiring about the things you can see, the external things. By doing a little inquiring about them, you realize that they are not you, and if there are any serious problems, you can correct them.

But -- a little is enough. Will you waste the whole of your life in analyzing, inquiring about these things that aren't really you?

No, this is not enough. So I don't use the term 'self-inquiry.' Instead I say, "Observe yourself. Not these emotions and thoughts and personality and so forth, but you. Be aware of yourself. Who you really are? Do you exist, or do you not exist? Do you feel pain, happiness? Do you dwell in dualities, dwell with your ego? Or with eternal things?"

The term 'self-inquiry' can be too easily misunderstood. People think it means inquiring about the ego, because the ego seems like 'I.'

But no, my friends. Ego is not you. You were not born with ego. If you grew up alone on the forest, like Tarzan, you would not have any ego. Ego comes later, from society. People think that ego means pride. Really it means shame, "What will they think of me?" What will society think? If you were alone without society, there would be no ego.

It is an idea of society, it doesn't exist at all. So why worry about it? It is a false concept anyway.

I suggest to you, watch yourself. Live in the present moment. Flow moment to moment, and try to know that you really exist. Try to know that you are eternal.

Then you will separate yourself from your body, your ego, your anger, your emotions. And then, only then, will you know who you really are.

You won't ask me who you are. You will already know.