In these recorded dialogues, the obstacles and doubts that arise in self-inquiry are repeatedly traced back to a single root: the mind’s entrenched habit of outward movement and identification. Seekers report restlessness and a wandering mind, constantly pulled toward thoughts, memories, and external objects rather than remaining with the bare sense of “I am.” This is accompanied by a deep-seated identification with the body and ego, the feeling “I am this person, this body, these thoughts,” which makes it difficult to recognize the Self as the witnessing awareness rather than the changing content of experience. The conviction that the world and its problems are independently real and must first be resolved further diverts attention from the inward search.

Another frequent difficulty lies in the confusion between intellectual understanding and direct realization. Many come to a conceptual grasp of non-duality yet feel perplexed that this does not translate into stable experience, turning self-inquiry into a merely mental exercise. Doubts then arise about the efficacy of the method itself, along with uncertainty about how to practice correctly and impatience with what appears to be a lack of progress. This often leads to discouragement, a lack of persistence, or the tendency to seek other supports and practices instead of steadily tracing the “I”-thought back to its source.

There is also a more subtle resistance: fear of the apparent loss of individuality. As attention approaches the root of the ego, anxiety can surface about what will remain if the familiar sense of “me” dissolves, giving rise to a kind of existential hesitation. Old tendencies and desires, the vasanas, also reassert themselves, drawing the mind outward and reinforcing identification with thoughts, emotions, and roles. Expectations of special visions or dramatic experiences can compound this, as seekers look for the Self as if it were an object to be attained, rather than recognizing that all such experiences are themselves observed.

Throughout these exchanges, the consistent counsel is that all such obstacles—whether restlessness, doubt, fear, or discouragement—are variations of the same basic misapprehension: taking the body-mind complex and its world to be the true “I.” The practical remedy offered is not to wrestle with each doubt on its own terms, but to turn attention away from the content of thought to the thinker, from the problem to the one who claims to have the problem. By persistently inquiring “Who is it that is restless, afraid, or skeptical?” and allowing attention to sink into that very sense of “I,” the mind’s outward momentum is gradually weakened, and what remains is recognized as the ever-present Self, which was never in bondage to begin with.