If you want to overcome body consciousness then attachment and hatred must go. Once the attachment and hatred go, duality will be destroyed. When duality disappears, ignorance will vanish. Therefore, the Vedanta has declared that it is only through wisdom that you can destroy ignorance and reach the ultimate. What is this wisdom that you should develop? Can it be gained by acquiring secular knowledge in the world? No. It does not deal with external phenomena at all; it deals only with internal experience. It is only when you have developed self-confidence that you will be able to develop a strong confidence in the Lord. If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot truly believe in God; when you have faith in yourself then you can have faith in God. To develop such a firm belief in yourself, you need to constantly engage in the practice of self-inquiry. Only the master who owns the property would say this property is mine. For the body-mind the master is the In-dweller. The master will not undergo any change; he will never leave you. Therefore, by means of inner inquiry, you should try to discover and recognize this unchanging indwelling divinity, which is your true reality.

Every spiritual aspirant should take up this inner inquiry. In all your spiritual practices that you engage in, you should spend three-fourths of your time on Self-inquiry; then you will get the full results. Only by using your time properly, by sanctifying your body and by sanctifying all your actions, will you be able to reach the goal. (DBG, p. 142)