Self-Inquiry as taught by Ramana Maharshi is distinctive in that it does not take an external or internal object as its focus, but turns attention back toward the very sense of “I” itself. Whereas many meditative disciplines train the mind to rest on the breath, a mantra, an image, or cultivated states such as compassion, this approach directs awareness to the origin of the “I”-thought rather than to its changing contents. The practitioner does not primarily observe thoughts as transient phenomena, nor attempt to refine them, but uses each arising thought as a pointer back to the one to whom it appears. In this way, attention is continually redirected from the field of experience to the experiencer, from phenomena to the subject that knows them.

Methodologically, Self-Inquiry is investigative rather than merely concentrative. Other forms of meditation often emphasize steady focus, mindfulness, or the gradual cultivation of calm and clarity through specific techniques and procedures. Here, the central tool is direct questioning: “To whom has this thought arisen? To me. Who am I?” This inquiry is not an abstract philosophical exercise, but a persistent tracing of the “I”-sense back to its source. Even distraction is not treated as an obstacle to be suppressed; it becomes material for further questioning of who is distracted, who is disturbed, who seeks relief.

The orientation of this path also differs in its understanding of goal and attainment. Many meditative systems speak of progressing through stages, purifying the mind, or achieving particular states of concentration or absorption. Self-Inquiry, by contrast, aims at the recognition of one’s true nature as pure, undifferentiated awareness, in which all such states appear and disappear. Rather than attempting to build up qualities or accumulate merit, it seeks to dissolve the fundamental illusion of a separate individual who practices and attains. The very assumption of a meditator moving toward a goal is brought under scrutiny, and the duality between seeker and sought is gradually undermined.

Finally, the relation to thought and effort is subtly but importantly different. Other practices may replace unwholesome thoughts with wholesome ones, or cultivate a passive witnessing of mental activity. In Self-Inquiry, each thought is cut at its root by asking who is thinking, fearing, desiring, or remembering, so that attention returns again and again to the bare sense of being. Over time, this investigative effort is said to give way to a more effortless abidance in the source of the “I”-thought, rather than to a refined stream of thoughts or a temporary altered state. In this manner, the method does not aim at constructing a new experience, but at revealing what is held to be ever-present beneath all experiences.