Nisargadatta's I Am That Session 32 Appearances& Reality III

Listen to Ektaji talk about Nisargadatta Maharaj's book I Am That. Nisargadatta Maharaj was a teacher who did not propound any ideology or religion, but gently unwrapped the mystery of the self. I Am That preserves his dialogs with the followers who came from around the world seeking guidance in destroying false identities.

Transcript

Questioner says from what point of view do you deny causation from the relative the universe is the cause of everything or from the absolute there is nothing at all. So Maharaj says from which state are you asking? Questioner says from the daily waking state in which alone all these discussions take place. Maharaj says in the waking state all these problems arise for such is its nature. Please highlight why do problems arise because that is the nature of the waking world that is the nature of projection. Will you go and watch a film where there is the heroine there is a hero heroine hero there's a villain but there is no story they're just standing there on the screen are you going to go sit there for three hours and watch them standing on the screen doing nothing no you go to watch the movie for its drama value do you know this you pay money for drama you pay money for another story if there was no story you would not waste money you would not watch it so what is the meaning of a film the meaning of a film is that which has drama tragedy comedy the entire story everything that goes into a story is required for a film exactly like that problems are ingrained into the waking state that is the meaning of waking state is this clear you're saying no no I don't want problems in life you're saying I want to go for a movie where the hero is standing heroine is standing and the villain is standing right in front of me for three hours really are you really going to go for such a movie it's not possible now let's read that again what Maharaj said in the waking state all these problems arise for such is its nature but you are not always in that state now he's talking about the dream and deep sleep states also what good can you do in a state into which you fall and from which you emerge helplessly in what way does it help you to know that things are causally related as they may appear to be in your waking state so Maharaj is helping him recognize little bit how much ever he can that waking state is not your only state there is also the dream and deep sleep state you helplessly fall into the waking state and you get out of it is it in your hand really you said no right now I can sleep sleep and show me I'm going to sleep now I'm going to sleep now you cannot the waking state beats you up gets you fatigued you are helplessly pushed out of the waking state and then you go to sleep you fall asleep I remember those days when you had exams to take and you make that resolution I'm going to sit up the whole night and study what happened to you after a few hours you were really beaten up and helplessly you were pushed out of the waking state it was never in your hands and you decide on tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up at 6 a. M. What happens no right at 8 a. M. 20 minutes before the paper you wake up yeah you barely brush your teeth and look in the mirror where your clothes and run and reach the exam hall so you're helpless you are helplessly pulled back into the waking state you get into it you have to be in it and then you helplessly are pushed out you cannot do anything in this entire falling in and out you are helpless do you recognize this truth at least have you accepted this yes that state in which you are totally helpless not just coming in and out what happens in that state how long that state lasts what things appear and disappear in front of you all the Abha's that comes and goes you're helpless about everything now you're trying to find a cause for all these helpless happenings pointless just like trying to find the cause for the tiger in the dream why did the tiger come chasing me why not my friend what good can you do in a state into which you fall and from which you emerge helplessly in what way does it help you to know that things are causally related as they may appear to be in your waking state questioner says the world and the waking state emerge and subside together good he found something some gyana happened so Maharaj says when the mind is still absolutely silent the waking state is no more what does this mean it means that the mind is equal to the waking state and when this why mind is silent there is no more waking state do you see this is this your recognition so he's saying waking state is not just that which is between 6 a. M. To 11 p. M. In the night yeah just that is not the waking state really only when the mind is active between these times that is the waking state when the mind is absolutely silent and I have come to my level of consciousness and there is no noise no mind yeah there is no more waking state Maharaj is giving him another pointer to work on questioner moves on to the next question words like God universe the total absolute supreme are just noises in the air because no action can be taken on them Maharaj is now happy that he started at least little bit of knowledge is coming out him out of him and he says you are bringing up questions which you can only answer means you have the question you have the answer questioner says but don't brush me off like this you are so quick to speak for the totality the universe and such imaginary things they cannot come and forbid you to talk on their behalf I hate those irresponsible generalizations it sounds very rude in English but in Marathi it's not so rude huh and you are so prone to personal personalize them without causality there will be no order nor will purposeful action be possible he's gone again back to his question of causes he's very stuck on cause and effect so Maharaj says do you want to know all the causes of each event is that possible questioner says I know it is not possible all I want to know is if there are causes for everything and whether the causes can be influenced thereby affecting the events now comes the real question it is born out of desire I want to change an effect yeah I have taken an exam I did not study well for it but I want 100% marks now can I do something change the cause so that the effect changes now goal boom Kena finally he's come to the real question so Maharaj says to influence events you need not know the causes what a roundabout way of doing things are you not the source and end of every event control it at the source itself isn't that beautiful what is the source source is consciousness I am the source I the awareness I the consciousness yes this is the source everything projects from here at the source itself I can control it means what have you started recognizing things have started dropping that you used to crave so much for run so much behind especially that where you felt I am the doer and the experiencer all those feverishness is that you had related to doership and experiencership at least little little they've started falling yes so what what has really happened at the source you've corrected yourself oh I am NOT the experiencer of this I'm not the doer of this at the source you corrected and that's why you did not suffer in that situation so much you did not indulge in that situation because at the source you corrected yourself and recognize I'm not the doer of this so I don't take ownership of this I'm not the experiencer of this situation so I'm not going to really indulge in this and thus I did not suffer at all it just came and it went I corrected myself at the source that's way you should correct yourself don't try to correct the situation or this person no I want to correct him is that possible here correction is at the source we don't even know that this person exists or not no idea yeah so be with reality how much you know work with that path and what I know I only know my awareness my consciousness I am conscious and I know I project something in the dream I get out of that projection similarly I project something in the waking and I get out of this projection yeah I am the source from where I am projecting all this I keep correcting my stand I will come to a point where I will not be projecting the nonsense anymore yeah so automatically these situations will fall into place it might take some time because at the source I have to get fully corrected at the source I am not very clear I'm not hundred percent there in some easy moments I recognize yeah I'm not the doer I'm not the experiencer but some very testing moments are there major attachments of mine that's where I slip and fall I take the relative position and become the body-mind I become the experiencer of that situation or I become the doer yeah so correction needs to be here and the absolute level not at the relative level is this very clear yeah so next homework I work on correcting myself at the source level not at the relative level not at the body-mind level control it at the source itself questioner says every morning I pick up the newspaper and read with dismay that the world's sorrows poverty hatred and wars continue unabated my questions concern the fact of sorrow the cause the remedy don't brush me of seeing that it is Buddhism don't label me your insistence on causelessness removes all hope of the world ever-changing he's trying to control the dreamland anyways so this is a very important thing people who are not convinced about Advaita why are they not convinced this is the reason because they believe that Advaita is another airy-fairy story and I am taking myself away from reality because this is reality this world these problems these situations and Advaita is the story where I am getting lost in this fairyland story land and becoming all happy and it's a fake happy this is what people think so how do you prevent yourself from going into this wrong understanding by experientially recognizing I'm not the body-mind I am the consciousness yeah those people only intellectually see it and that is why everything becomes a story and there was a time when you were only intellectually a non-doer remember those days only intellectually you were a non-doer yeah I am NOT the doer but he did it he is the doer how does this work that I called is as intellectual non-doership how is it that you don't do but he does it doesn't work like that when you see yourself as the non-doer then he is the non-doer she is the non-doer why because now you have seen that the consciousness is projecting everything yeah so when everything is projected by the consciousness poor little he how can he be more powerful than the consciousness not possible he is also not the doer do you get it so the people who cannot see this truth experientially they are the ones who get stuck in this wrong understanding as this questioner is stuck he is stuck in what understanding oh there is a lot of sorrow there is a lot of pain this is reality yeah suffering is reality now you don't brush me off that this is not reality blah blah blah blah etc etc they'll bring in all spiritual jargons and he brought in the word Buddhism and even he is not understood Buddhism yeah and he's thinking now Maharaj will label him as an ignorant a gyani again he is lost in his own story but you have to understand I was there once upon a time I have crossed that path we all have done that yeah so recognize this that I was ignorant at that time now I understand better now I've become clear what is the difference that time my understanding was intellectual now my understanding is experiential is this clear for you yeah you experientially see that you are the awareness and not the body-mind yeah so that when you see someone speak like this it is clear that they have a loose brick in their foundation and that loose brick is always that experientially he does not see it yet there is only one loose brick experientially he does not see that he is the consciousness or awareness so Maharaj says you are confused because you believe that you are in the world not the world in you please highlight the sentence do you see it are you in the world or is the world in you suppose your husband or wife enters the room right now your family member enters the room right now what happens if the world is in me then he is also entering in me the awareness in me the consciousness can you see it like that homework for after the session obviously right now please don't open the door but homework for after the session can I experiment with myself can I see this family member in me yeah this is your homework only then you recognize that you are the awareness only then you recognize who I am this light of awareness everything is in me this awareness I'm aware of the kids playing downstairs yeah the kids are in me I am aware of some music coming from some very far away place some faint music in somebody's house somebody's enjoying their Saturday afternoon loud music playing somewhere very far away that music is in me I can hear family members in the other room the family members are in me okay I can see ekta on the screen ekta is in me the awareness in me the consciousness I can see all the other people on this zoom channel all these people are in me the consciousness in me the awareness are you able to see this that's your main homework from this chapter then only you know that yes you have experientially recognized that you are the awareness you are the consciousness otherwise it has only been intellectual till now back to chapter one doesn't matter climb the mountain again no problem yes till you get it experientially you keep climbing up again and again because there's one loose brick and you don't know which one it is what what knowledge did you skip over you sleeping yeah maybe you've developed a new skill of sleeping with your eyes open while writing notes you don't know which point was it which is that loose brick in the foundation you know so figure it out doesn't matter if you don't get this experientially back to chapter one that batch has just started so they've not gone too far you can go back to chapter one if you see it experientially yes those children playing there are in me though the family members watching TV outside are in me the sound coming from the neighbor's house is in me everything is in me the awareness I am this awareness I'm not this body mind this body mind is also in me only that is I see very clearly but I see this very clearly and I see it again and again and again moment-to-moment from one situation to the next while cooking while cleaning while doing office work while playing with the kids while talking to the neighbor while speaking to mom on the phone mom sitting in India is in me India is in me yes you see the homework yeah now see where Maharaj is propelling him where he is pushing him to you are confused because you believe that you are in the world not the world in you who came first you or your parents you answer don't look don't look ahead who came first you or your parents bolo I came first who knows whether they were born or not who knows if they exist I only know about myself awareness happened eyes opened mommy came into my awareness daddy came into my awareness yeah but before them whose eyes opened who came into awareness first I I came first not mommy not daddy yeah direct experience this is the path of direct experience remember you imagine that you were born at a certain time and place that you have a father and a mother a body and a name this is your sin Papa that is the word in Marathi pop this is your sin and your calamity because you're making a big story that is your Papa and that is why you have to suffer because you have created a big belief so I showed you how the baby creates the belief first there is nothing like that the baby is absolutely devoid of all such appearances yes the baby is pure pure consciousness reality only then comes I am this body don't take my thing you play with your toy don't create a mess all these create divides divides labels yeah that is the Papa don't blame mommy mommy didn't know better if mommy did she wouldn't teach me like that my mommy would teach me I am that single screen mommy would not teach me I and you yeah but mommy didn't know she did her best my dad did his best so don't blame them we don't even know if they exist or not right now don't create a story about their new story and then get entangled in that story don't you look at direct experience no idea I have no idea of the birth of my parents some parents before partition after partition all that story that you have about the partition nice stories about your parents and grandparents and you believe those stories and you love to repeat those stories and you teach your kids also now those stories of partitions more stories you're putting into their heads stop you do not have any direct experience who knows partition happened who knows who knows people came from that side or went from this side to that side nobody knows yeah all stories nice for a movie fantastic story clap your hands be done with it it's gone into the black hole yeah similarly treat everything I have no idea this is mom or dad right now it's a twinkle twinkling star on my beautiful screen enjoy the twinkling star as the twinkling star is and be done with it no causes no effects don't get into arguments don't get into drama correct your position again and again not the doer not the experiencer not the doer not the experiencer not the daughter not the son not the parent not not the friend not the colleague not the enemy correct keep correcting at the source all these are stories in me I have to one by one neeti neeti process one by one remove these stories one by one get rid of these false stories and see the truth and the world is in me I am NOT in the world I have no proof of a world existing out there that is a story all of science is a story do you see this all of history is a story all of geography is a story all of chemistry is a story all of biology is a story astronomy astrology oceanography everything that you have ever studied ever heard of everything is a story in me yeah so one by one neeti neeti neeti neeti not this not this not this correct yourself at the source not the doer not the experiencer not the body not the mind surely you can change your world if you work at it by all means work who stops you I have never discouraged you causes or no causes you have made this world and you can change it from which point of view Maharaj is saying this from the consciousness absolute not from the relative point of view where you assume yourself to be the body mind yeah from the consciousness level from the absolute point of view you have projected it stop projecting finish so do you see it's either all or none I can't change one single thing I don't like the red color car I want to make it blue no either you project the car or you don't project it yeah either you project the story or you don't project it there is no change in the story that you can do yeah no I don't want the heroine to be fat I want the heroine to be thin no either the heroine gets projected or she doesn't get projected there is no fat and thin option here do you see it yeah at the absolute level you cannot change things that way I don't like blue like red all or none law questioner a causeless world is entirely beyond my control finally he gets it a little bit so he says it's causeless so causeless world is beyond my control Maharaj says on the contrary a world of which you are the only source and ground is fully within your power to change what is created can always be dissolved and recreated please highlight what is created can always be dissolved and recreated all will happen as you wanted provided you really wanted have you noticed whatever has happened in your life till today you have wanted it your fear is also a want-only your aversion is also want it's a desire no yeah seeing I want this bangle I'm seeing it in English yeah consciousness does not understand English Gujarati German Polish consciousness only understands the attraction the energy towards it that you are pulling I want this bangle I'm giving attention to this consciousness just understands attention I say I don't want this bangle isn't my attention on it my attention is still on it it's the same amount of attention whether it is a craving or an aversion it will fall into my lap do you get it so all that you have feared has definitely happened to you all that you have hated has definitely come your way why because you gave so much attention consciousness does not understand your Hindi Gujarati Marathi French and German consciousness understands attention the universe works on energy that's how consciousness projects consciousness projects what that on which the energy has been the strongest consciousness's job is to create nice drama story here no how will it create the drama story by finding the points of attraction attraction includes aversion here yeah finds the points of most consolidated energy and that's what projects into your life now look back at your life whatever you have wanted in life has happened correct now look at it all that has happened in my life I have only wanted it I have only created it I am the master of my universe even if it means there is something which is very nasty in your life it is your creation because you said no I don't want it I don't want it I don't want it it's so much attention and don't want also is attention no focus energy is consolidated in that direction in fact more energy goes into I don't want it then I like this or I love this yeah I'll give you an example when you fight with your spouse or family member how long do you fight have you noticed go on and on and on and on and on and on and on there's so much energy spent in that now look at scenario number two you say I love you to your partner to your beloved to your family member how long do you say I love you less than two seconds I love you it's done where was more energy spent do you get it consciousness understands energy consciousness does not understand you I love you and I hate you where was the most energy spent that's what you are creating for yourself that's how you are projecting clear so if you don't want to project any more of the nastiness stop withdraw correct yourself at the source I'm not the doer I'm not the experiencer step back right now step back because the amount of energy that I will give this that is what is going to keep getting projected so I create whatever I want very clear so the questioner says all I want to know is how to deal with the world's sorrows Maharaj says you have created them out of your own desires and fears you deal with them in Marathi it was you do the ilaj remedy them you remedy them because you have created them and he's taught you from where can you do the ilaj the remedies has to be applied at the source not at the relative body-mind level all is due to your having forgotten your own being having given reality to the picture on the screen you love its people and suffer for them and seek to save them it is just not so you must begin with yourself there is no other way work of course there is no harm in working forget it work where at the source you have forgotten your own being you forgotten your reality and you see these people on the screen you become one with them means you forget your level of consciousness you jump down to the level of body-mind you consider these people to be real you want to save them protect them work for them love them hate them suffer now you are saying I am writing a story I'm creating the story but please don't project it what stop creating it will stop getting projected it's that simple you can't say no I want to have the cake and eat it too I want to create the story but no projection this cannot happen yeah so stop going down to the level of body mind and creating the story always remain in the being recognize who you are all the time story creation will stop story projection will halt life becomes a little less dramatic there's a little less story in life then more peace more quiet easier not many people to interact with because they're not many situations yeah you will see oh that is boring you choose you want interesting then interesting comes with all the suffering yeah you choose boring then there is no suffering it's quiet it's plain peace the ball is in your court work questioner your universe seems to contain every possible experience the individual traces a line through it and experiences pleasant and unpleasant states this gives rise to questioning and seeking which broaden the outlook and enable the individual to go beyond his narrow and self-created world limited and self-centered this personal world can be changed in time but the universe is timeless and perfect so he's somewhat getting what Maharaj is saying Maharaj says to take appearance for reality is a grievous sin and the cause of all calamities please highlight this so what is appearance all this Abha's to take all this Abha's as Nirabha's that is the biggest sin yeah so it's a word of caution for the spiritual seeker who only makes this knowledge intellectual he falls into this trap no he starts taking all this Abha's as Nirabha's I've got it I've understood it yeah and he gets lost in his ego now he says oh I am NOT the doer so it's okay if I do wrong do you see this that's where all the calamities begin and he forgets I am NOT the experiencer very conveniently I am NOT the doer yeah but when bad happens no no I am experiencing it so this is perverted use of knowledge wake up and recognize this is the cause of all calamities so if you notice that oh I am only getting it intellectually I'm not getting it experientially again go back to one again go back to one we all need to tame the ego you are not alone don't worry we all need to tame the ego yeah on some people this hold is very strong and some it is weak appropriately I work on it so that I don't land up in this situation which situation to take appearance for reality is a grievous sin it is a pop and the cause of all calamities you are the all-pervading eternal and infinitely creative awareness consciousness all else is local and temporary don't forget what you are in the meantime work to your heart's content work and knowledge should go hand in hand and then one sentence is missing from there he says when work and knowledge go hand in hand then you learn better understood work means what no not working in the house cleaning the kitchen and making food and buying groceries and doing office work not that work huh work at the source correcting your position again and again that is the work you have to do only when that work along with this constant wisdom they have to go hand in hand hand in hand hand in hand then you learn better so questioner says my own feeling is that my spiritual development is not in my hands making one's own plans and carrying them out leads nowhere I just run in circles around myself when God considers the fruit to be ripe he will pluck it and eat it whichever fruit seems green to him will remain on the world's tree for another day now he's come from some solid religious conditioning where there is a God and all okay so Maharaj says you think God knows you even the world he does not know so questioner says yours is a different God mine is different mine is merciful he suffers along with us okay his God suffers along with him so this is solid religious conditioning yeah look some of us came from that religious conditioning we strongly believed in some idol some statue or some formless God and that God is merciful and then God is suffering with me yeah things like that so he comes from that religious conditioning Maharaj says you pray to save one while thousands die and if all stop dying there will be no space on earth questioner says I am not afraid of death my concern is with sorrow and suffering my God is a simple God and rather helpless he has no power to compel us to be wise he can only stand and wait some serious religious conditioning this is Maharaj says if you and your God are both helpless does it not imply that the world is accidental and if it is the only thing you can do is to go beyond it so those of you that are still carrying on some strong religious conditioning there Maharaj is giving you a pointer there you think God knows you if your God is a helpless God then isn't this world accidental don't you think you should be making an attempt to go beyond it and see that there is something beyond this world and this body mind and it's so experiential I can recognize it that I am that awareness in which there is this body mind and this world the Marathi book there is one there are two more sentences after this actually I don't know why they were deleted in the English those who have the Marathi book can see it the questioner says I have become stunned now I am stunned now obviously Maharaj said such a thing both you and your God are helpless then your world is accidental so it's a big thing no for him so he's stunned now the end of sorrow these are the most important questions for humanity yeah so he's now stunned he's saying what about this so Maharaj says he wish ugama pasunats karhuntaka remove this poison this story about humans and humans are suffering and this whole story that you have created you remove it like poison from its origin ugama pasun from its origin what is the origin belief conditioning yeah it is at the source that I have made the mistake of thinking I am this body mind he is this body mind she's this body mind and all these body minds are suffering from this pandemic I have created this story he's saying remove this wish this poison from its source uproot it means stop believing in these stories mug sare theek hoyal then everything will be fine that's where the chapter ends so in the last sentence he gives you this very important thing how do I treat conditioning I treat conditioning like poison yeah conditioning of I am the doer I am the experiencer I am the body I am the mind I am a female I am a male I am a mother I'm a father I'm a child I am the sister I am all these are conditionings also I am a religious person this is my God and that is your God division I have created my God and your God my religion your religion all this is poison he says all this is poison all these conditionings are poison remove them from the source get rid of them then only everything will be fine he says hard-hitting chapter no

Reviews

🙏🏼