The self/I is not ego-mind. The ego-mind is not the sense of I/self.

[MikeS80]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

In the non-dual path training the monkey mind so it's concentrated and present is Step 0.5. It's a means and not an end. A necessary preparatory step for Step 1 (Self inquiry).

The fruit of Step 1 is realizing anything that can be identified with limiting attributes is not Self. An untangling of the superimposition of Self (Atman) and self (Anatman). There's (one) Self (Atman) and many selfs (Anatmans). It's not many awarenesses/consciousnesses aware of other awarenesses/consciousnesses, but (one) Self aware/conscious of the many selfs and through them aware of the external world.

I'm not certain we're on the same page because you seem to be interchanging (superimposing) self and Self, attributing the qualities of one to the other. It might just be semantics but I can't peek inside your mind and experience so I'm putting my mind and experience out there the only way I can to see if it resonates, and that's through mind and language, as poor and inadequate as the wording might be. We might very well be attempting to relate the same thing but I'm not certain, hence this discussion.

It might seem like a subtle and unimportant distinction but it's whether one perceives/experiences one's self as the thinker of thoughts or the witness of the thinker, and whether there are many witnesses or just one. If one has a sufficiently concentrated mind and clarity of discernment between self and Self and with conviction then the thinker (mind-body, ego-self, Ahamkara, I-maker, Anatman) isn't a problem whatsoever. I rather like the guy. LOL!

This is why I consider mindfulness (being present in the here and now) as a preliminary. A warm-up for the Main Event, so to speak. There's a lot to be said for it, even if one goes no further, however it is the gateway beyond. The canoe that when one reaches the far shore can be discarded and not carried on one's back. It's necessary for the journey but it's not the destination.

Render unto Caesar (Prakriti, nature) what is Caesar's (Prakriti, nature, mind-body, self) and unto God (Purusha, Consciousness) what is God's (Purusha, Consciousness, Self).

Then Advaita is a three-step process, isn't it, not a 2 step-process. The "0.05" step is the most important step, which is left out more often than not, like you originally did, when you first mentioned the 2 step-process.