IAT Self-Exploration - Ch 27.2 There Is No 'I Am' In Brahman

Listen to Ektaji guide us through a self-exploration meditation, “There is no I am in Brahman” from Chapter 27 of Nisargadatta Maharaj’s book 'I Am That'. The body and mind arise as passing waves, yet you remain the witness. The I-sense veils Brahman, just as stars fade before the sun. Even Aham Brahmasmi is only a signpost.

Let body, mind, and I collapse, and abide in the silence beyond- where there is no “I AM” in Brahman.

Transcript

Let's do a self-exploration meditation on There is no Aham Asmi in Brahman. There is no I am in Brahman. Allow the body idea and the mind idea belonging to the so-called waker idea dissolve and disappear. Stand as the witness, The witness to the knowledge of the body wave arising and disappearing. Stand as the witness, The witness to the knowledge of the mind wave arising and disappearing. Stand as the witness until all the waves dissolve. Until you, The witness, Are standing all by yourself. Notice that you, The witness, Are the I-ness, The I-sense or Aham. The body and mind waves cannot be Aham or I-ness. If identification happens with them, You, The witness, Lose your witnessing stand. You pretend to be the body or the mind. That is how you get caught up in the illusions of the body-mind. Stand as the pure witness. Stand alone. Just be. Standing as the witness, As the solitary I, As the unaccompanied I, A soft peace begins to descend. Dissolve in the soft peace. Allow the I to collapse into the soft peace. When the I has completely melted away, Recognize what remains behind. Recognize the peaceful observation field devoid of an observer. I am devoid of I-ness. I am, Yet I am not. Only Brahman is. Aham is not. That is a glimpse of Brahman. Only in retrospect does the mind formulate the glimpse of Brahman into words. The Mahavakya, The great sentence, Aham Brahmasmi, I am Brahman, Is simply a mental formulation. Aham Brahmasmi only points to the true nature of the being. It is not the being itself. Hence, The statement, I am Brahman, Or Aham Brahmasmi, Is merely mental. It is only a signpost. It is not the final destination. The signpost indicates the direction. It is not the beingness itself. Notice the Aham or the I-sense or the I-thought return. The witness pops out from the sweet peace, Converting it into an unsweet restlessness. Do you realize that the sweet peace of Brahman is obscured as soon as Aham reappears? Just like the stars in the sky become obscure when the sun shines. Do you realize that when there is Brahman there is no Aham? When there is Aham, Brahman is veiled, Concealed, Covered, Obscured. There is no Aham Asmi in Brahman. Hence, The conviction in the Mahavakya, Aham Brahmasmi, Is only a mental state. Having realized the futility of a mental state, Allow all the waves of the world, The body, The mind, As well as the I, Collapse. Abide in the silence beyond. Abide as the peaceful observation field, Devoid of an observer. I am, Yet I am not. There is no Aham Asmi in Brahman. There is no I am in That. There is no Aham in Sa. Hence, Soham is only a mental formulation. There is no Tvam in Tat. Hence, Tat Tvam Asi is only a mental formulation. There is no You in That. Therefore, You Are That is simply a mental formulation. The individual I does not exist. That universal field of observation is devoid of the I-ness. It is, Yet it is not. I am, Yet I am not. It is, Yet it is not. I am, Yet I am not. It is, Yet it is not.