Self-inquiry involves looking into the I, and noticing that it is not what it seems. It seems to be a kind of fixed point, a particular experiencing, doing person who experiences everything that's "out there." But when the I is deeply examined the mind is led to silence or peace. But this silence or peace is, so long as it is noticed as such, is not the final answer. It is a reflection of the final answer. If you were searching for the real definition of silence, a mere pause between words would not be enough -- a deeper silence exists, one which permits both words and the pauses between them to be heard and noticed. If you searching for the definition of space, a place without anything in it would not be that -- it would only be a reflection of it. Space exists even when objects are there. That's because space, like the I, and like silence, are not really objects in themselves.