Man is mislead by what confronts him or influenced by what he experiences . Man exists in the world ,which is mere illusion and he experiences it as reality, because man thinks himself as self and he experiences the birth, life, death and the world as reality.

Man is mislead by what confronts him   or influenced by what he experiences . Man exists  in the world ,which is mere illusion and  he experiences it as reality,  because  man thinks himself as self and  he  experiences the birth, life, death and the world as reality.  This self-knowledge is necessary to realize the fact that,  man and his experience of the world are  part of the illusion. And the soul, which is the innermost self  is not part of the illusion but the soul ,which is in the form of consciousness,  is the formless substance and the witness of the illusion. The illusion is present as mind (I) or universe or waking experience.

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 unable to progress further.  Even 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 of  Sri, Ramana Maharishi. 

It is necessary for the seeker of truth  to realize the fact that,  the self-awareness is not some mystical experience propagated by yogis. Self-awareness comes only from the Gnana or nondualiistic  wisdom. 

 That is why Sage Sri, Sankara indicated  : -VC -65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out of being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

Self -inquiry prescribed by Sri, Raman Mahrshi is a good tool  in  the beginning of the pursuit of truth. But seeker will find it inadequate to in latter stages. However, it creates lots of doubts and confusion.  The seeker has to find the answers on his own through deeper reasoning, than 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.

When one is absorbed in thinking of anything, he forgets the subject, which consciousness,  the innermost self, that which witnesses all the coming and going of the three states in succession.

One may think for hundred hours continuously but it is all thoughts, hence not consciousness. But when one becomes aware the thinker of the thoughts are one is the  essence, one does get consciousness, the knower, the formless witness of the three states. Consciousness the innermost self is the eternal.

One has to get rid of his doubts, But that did not mean, simply go and believe everything he is told. The doubt is to be got rid of "by the sword of wisdom.

WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’ is only for a lower stage where one gives up externally in order to expose the false nature of the ego, which is not the full truth. 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 the mind or the  universe is higher.  Thus ‘WHO AM ‘I’? and ‘I AM THAT’   will not reveal  the truth of the whole,  thus the journey is incomplete.

 ‘WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’ serves only at starting point. What one has learnt 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.

Self-awareness does not mean one is transforming something into something else. In self –awareness there is no second thing exist other than consciousness in the midst of diversity.  The body and the world have become on in essence. There is no duality in the midst of duality.   There is not even the concept of real and unreal. Of course it does not mean that when one is involved in practical life within the practical world disappears. But in self-awareness one is consciously aware of ‘what truth’ is and ‘what is not the truth’ in the midst of duality, because one sees his ego, his body and his experience the world as consciousness.  Thus for a Gnani there is no second thing exists other than consciousness even though he is in the midst of diversity.   

Nothingness is an erroneous conclusion because every thought has its opposite every word is tied to its coordinate for all thought and speech can only operate under such dualism. Hence, taking the most fundamental word, existence its implied opposite non-existence is also there, and vice versa. So the nothingness or “non-entity" is meaningless without "entity". Both are there.