Turning the spotlight inward, Be As You Are shows how silent self-inquiry can dissolve fear and anxiety at the roots. Instead of battling symptoms on the mind’s surface, the book encourages peeling back layers of restless thoughts by persistently asking “Who am I?” That simple question becomes a knife, slicing through imagined dangers and exposing the ever-present awareness beneath.

When anxiety flares, the teaching recommends catching the “I-thought” that underlies every fearful story. By tracing anxiety back to the sense of a separate self, it reveals how fears are ghost-images projected onto a constructed “me.” Once the seeker holds attention on the sense of “I,” instead of chasing every mental ripple, fear loses its grip like a wave retreating back into the ocean.

A striking vignette recalls a devotee besieged by panic attacks. Rather than reaching for distractions or mantras, Ramana advised noticing the fear’s location, then gently turning attention to the feeling “I am.” Clinging to that core awareness, the devotee watched the panic shrink until it vanished. In today’s world—where social media scrolls, financial uncertainties, and 24/7 news cycles heighten collective nervousness—this approach feels especially timely. It cuts through digital noise and invites a pause as refreshing as stepping into a silent forest.

Self-inquiry isn’t an elaborate ritual but a moment-to-moment resolve: whenever dread arises, drop the story and rest as the unchanging observer. Over time, the habitual “I-thought” loses its intensity, and anxiety can no longer hijack attention. By turning the lens inward and recognizing the ever-existent awareness behind all thoughts, fear simply has nowhere to hide. The power of this teaching lies in its elegant simplicity: when all masks fall away, what remains is fearless being itself.