Question : You say one can realize the Self by a search for it. What is the character of this search?
Ramana Maharshi : You are the mind or think that you are the mind. The mind is nothing but thoughts. Now behind every particular thought there is a general thought, which is the I', that is yourself. Let us call thisI’ the first thought. Stick to this `I’-thought and Question it to find out what it is. When this Question takes strong hold on you, you cannot think of other thoughts.