The dialogues revolve again and again around the nature of the Self and the subtle distinction between pure being and personal identity. A clear contrast is drawn between the bare sense “I am” and the qualified sense “I am this” or “I am that,” which is tied to body, mind, and biography. The teaching points to an absolute Self that is prior to all attributes, while the personal self is treated as a transient appearance. Consciousness is described as fundamental, the ground in which both the world and the sense of individuality arise, and yet there is also an indication of an even more primary awareness in which consciousness itself appears.

Closely linked to this is the theme of non-dual awareness and the illusory nature of separation. The world, the individual, and the apparent subject–object split are presented as appearances or a kind of dream within consciousness. Time, causation, and the usual sense of a solid, external world are treated as mental constructs rather than ultimate realities. This perspective underlies the emphasis on the illusory ego: the belief in being a separate, doer-entity is seen as the root of suffering and bondage, maintained by identification with the body–mind and its desires and fears.

Against this background, the dialogues repeatedly return to self-inquiry and the contemplative abiding in the sense of “I am.” The basic instruction is to trace experience back to its source by staying with the simple feeling of being, without adding any conceptual qualifications. This form of investigation is not presented as an intellectual exercise but as a direct, experiential turning toward what is already present. By questioning all identifications and concepts, the seeker is invited to discover that liberation is not something to be newly acquired, but the recognition of what has always been the case.

Another recurring theme concerns the role of the Guru and the limitations of mind and language. The Guru appears as a catalytic presence that points the disciple back to the Self, yet the true Guru is ultimately the wisdom or clarity that reveals itself in consciousness. Thought and speech are acknowledged as necessary tools, but also as inherently inadequate to capture the Real, which must be known directly rather than described. The mind is treated as a useful mechanism but not a final authority; it must become quiet enough for the underlying, timeless reality of pure presence to stand revealed.