In the book The Path of Sri Ramana Part One, Sri Sadhu Om describes an approach to Self-inquiry that is more like Self-attention, or awareness watching awareness, or awareness aware of awareness, and less like asking a question ‘Who am I’.

A question might arise: Was this awareness watching awareness approach actually taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi?

According to both Sri Muruganar and Sri Sadhu Om the answer is yes.

In the book “Garland of Guru’s (Sri Ramana Maharshi’s) Sayings” Sri Muruganar uses the word “awareness” throughout the entire book and describes this awareness watching awareness approach to Self-inquiry in detail, such as in the following passages:

If one were to distinguish between Self-inquiry and Self-abidance, then it might be more accurate to call the awareness watching awareness approach Self-Abidance.

If the instructions given by Sri Ramana Maharshi to Be the Self or to abide as the Self have not been clear for you as to “how?”, this instruction of “awareness watching awareness while ignoring thought”, provides easy clear instructions as to how.

Just your present awareness watching itself.

There are other ways that this can be described: “Know the knower”, “watch the watcher” etc.

However, the clearest easiest instruction to follow is:

Your awareness watching your awareness while ignoring all else.

(ignoring thought, the body, the world, etc.)

Automatically the “your” will drop off and it will be obvious that awareness watching awareness is really awareness abiding in or being awareness.

The reason to start with the instruction: “your present awareness watching your present awareness”

is so that it is clear that one is not referring to some far off awareness called the Self.

It is just: your awareness that is now looking through your eyes turned around to watch itself.

Awareness watching awareness, consciousness watching consciousness.

If you notice you are thinking, just go back to awareness watching awareness.

Take your attention away from the thinking and back towards awareness watching awareness.

Your attention should be turned around 180 degrees, away from and ignoring the world, people, places, things, the body and thought, and towards awareness watching awareness.

It is awareness watching awareness only, excluding all else.

How long should you practice? Practice for at least an hour or two per day, everyday.

Set aside as many hours per day as you can, just for awareness watching awareness practice, with no other activities going on during your practice time.

Shut your eyes during practice, because that helps with ignoring the world.

Body posture is not important on the Direct Path.

You can do the practice sitting or lying down, if you are able to lie down without falling asleep.