CONSCIOUSNESS
AND
THE ABSOLUTE
AND
THE ABSOLUTE
The final talks of
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Edited by
Jean Dunn
~~~~
May 1, 1980
Questioner: How does a jnani see the world?
Maharaj: A jnani is aware of the origin and the value of consciousness, this beingness, which has
spontaneously dawned on him. This same consciousness plays a multitude of roles, some happy,
some unhappy; but whatever the roles, the jnani is merely the seer of them.
The roles have no effecton the jnani.
All your problems are body-mind problems. Even so, you cling to that body. Since you identify
with the body-mind, you follow certain polite modes of expression when you talk. I do not. I might
embarrass you; you may not be able to take what I say. I have no sense of propriety.
You are bound by your own concepts and notions. Actually, you love only this sense of "I";
you do everything because of this. You are not working for anybody,
All your problems are body-mind problems. Even so, you cling to that body. Since you identify
with the body-mind, you follow certain polite modes of expression when you talk. I do not. I might
embarrass you; you may not be able to take what I say. I have no sense of propriety.
You are bound by your own concepts and notions. Actually, you love only this sense of "I";
you do everything because of this. You are not working for anybody,
nor for the nation, but only for
this sense of "I" which you love so much.
this sense of "I" which you love so much.
Q: But I like to act; I like to work.
M: All these activities go on, but they are only entertainment. The waking and deep sleep states
come and go spontaneously. Through the sense of "I", you spontaneously feel like working. But
find out if this sense of "I" is real or unreal, permanent or impermanent.
The "I" which appears is unreal. How unreal it is I have proven. The moment the "I" is proven
unreal, who is it who knows that the "I" is unreal?
This knowledge within you that knows the "I" is unreal, that knowledge which knows change,
must itself be changeless, permanent.
You are an illusion, Maya, an imagination. It is only because I know that I'm unreal that I know
you also are unreal. It is not like this: Because I am real, you are unreal. It is like this:
You are an illusion, Maya, an imagination. It is only because I know that I'm unreal that I know
you also are unreal. It is not like this: Because I am real, you are unreal. It is like this:
Because I am unreal, everything is unreal.
Consciousness depends on the body; the body depends on the essence of food. It is the
Consciousness which is speaking now. If the food-essence is not present, the body cannot exist.
Without the body, would I be able to talk?
Can you do anything to retain this sense of "I"? As it came spontaneously, so will it go. It will
not forewarn you by announcing, "I am going tomorrow."
A doubt has arisen and you are trying to find the solution, but who is it who has this doubt?
Find out for yourself.
Consciousness depends on the body; the body depends on the essence of food. It is the
Consciousness which is speaking now. If the food-essence is not present, the body cannot exist.
Without the body, would I be able to talk?
Can you do anything to retain this sense of "I"? As it came spontaneously, so will it go. It will
not forewarn you by announcing, "I am going tomorrow."
A doubt has arisen and you are trying to find the solution, but who is it who has this doubt?
Find out for yourself.
May 10, 1980
Maharaj: How did I get to the truth that I prevail everlastingly?
By meditating on the meditator, by "I Amness" merging into "I Airiness". Only then did I understand what my true nature is. The great Sages meditated in the same way.
Nobody had told me how to do it. I did not seek this knowledge
externally. It sprouted within me.
I meditated like the Sages and saw a vision. Initially, there was space, and in the space I saw
the principles embodied. Actually, they have no bodies, but in my vision they had bodies. I called
them Prakriti and Purusha, the male and female aspects of cosmic consciousness.
Until the union of Prakriti and Purusha, the dynamic, all-pervading consciousness lay in a
dormant state. In the union of the male and female aspects, emissions were planted in the female of these figures. When these emissions merged in the womb they started taking form. After nine
months of gestation, an infant was delivered.
That consciousness which was planted in the womb was the causal body, the "lingadeha". In
that "lingadeha", the knowledge "I Am" was in a dormant condition.
externally. It sprouted within me.
I meditated like the Sages and saw a vision. Initially, there was space, and in the space I saw
the principles embodied. Actually, they have no bodies, but in my vision they had bodies. I called
them Prakriti and Purusha, the male and female aspects of cosmic consciousness.
Until the union of Prakriti and Purusha, the dynamic, all-pervading consciousness lay in a
dormant state. In the union of the male and female aspects, emissions were planted in the female of these figures. When these emissions merged in the womb they started taking form. After nine
months of gestation, an infant was delivered.
That consciousness which was planted in the womb was the causal body, the "lingadeha". In
that "lingadeha", the knowledge "I Am" was in a dormant condition.
This is what I saw in meditation.
Questioner: How did we lose this pure consciousness state?
M: Every being experiences the Isvara state, either directly or potentially, but he is so wrapped up in this objective world that he loses his identity. You must know what this "I Am" principle is. It
appears spontaneously and with its appearance begins the riddle of conceptual life.
Q: How do I start this search for my Self?
M: Start from the very beginning. In this gross world I began with my parents, because I knew full
well that my principle was already dwelling there in the collection of their bodily elements out of
which I emanated. But I came to the conclusion that I could not be that principle
which came from the mother's body.
There is nobody here who is 100 years old.
There is nobody here who is 100 years old.
Does that mean that 100 years ago you did not exist?
Q: I don't know.
M: The one who said, "I don't know" must have been there; in short, you were not like this, but you must have been something. You must comprehend this correctly. 100 years back I was not like this; so, the one pointing this out must have been there. You did, and do, exist unto eternity.
What I am expounding does not relate to worldly knowledge. You do not want to give up
either worldly knowledge or so-called spiritual knowledge, and yet, through these worldly concepts, you want to understand the riddle of your existence,
and that is precisely why you are not able to understand.
In truth, your state is one of Absolute bliss, not this phenomenal state. In that non-phenomenal
state you are full of bliss but there is no experience of its presence. In that state there is no trace of misery or unhappiness, only unalloyed bliss. What am I talking about?
In truth, your state is one of Absolute bliss, not this phenomenal state. In that non-phenomenal
state you are full of bliss but there is no experience of its presence. In that state there is no trace of misery or unhappiness, only unalloyed bliss. What am I talking about?
Q: Ananda (bliss).
M: Because you want some satisfaction according to your own concepts, you try to qualify
unalloyed bliss. The term "ananda" has significance only when it signifies that the bodily beingness is available to experience it. When you are in deep sleep and you start to see forms,
you are actually dreaming. Aren't those dream forms coming from your own beingness?
Whatever you see, even in the waking state,
doesn't it come from your own beingness which is dwelling within the body?
In deep sleep, consciousness was in a dormant condition; there were no bodies, no concepts, no
encumbrances. Upon the arrival of this apparently wakeful state, with the arrival of the concept
In deep sleep, consciousness was in a dormant condition; there were no bodies, no concepts, no
encumbrances. Upon the arrival of this apparently wakeful state, with the arrival of the concept
"I Am", the love of "I Am" woke up. That itself is Maya, illusion.
Q: Does Maharaj mean that the experiencer of the three states is the Self?
M: That is the Saguna Brahman state; because of your beingness the other states are. The dream
world is very old, it is not new. You see old monuments in your dreams.
Your beingness is very powerful.
The emergence of this beingness itself constitutes time. Everything is beingness, but I, the
Absolute, am not that. In meditation, there was space, when suddenly two forms appeared out of
no-form, Prakriti and Purusha, and the quintessence of these forms was the knowledge "I Am".
There were no forms, then suddenly forms appeared, just as in the dream world.
You as a dreamer are sleeping on the bed, but in your dream world you see a body and you
think it is you, and you are doing everything through this dream body. In that same way, bodies are created in the so-called waking state.
The Prakriti and Purusha state has no form and is eternal, having neither a beginning nor an
end. But from it come the five elements, and with them, simultaneously, the body is formed at the
moment that time is first experienced. This process is ever continuing, with the body-form merely
indicative of the opportunity to experience time. This explanation will not reach home to everyone.
At the moment of so-called death, with what identity would you like to depart?
The emergence of this beingness itself constitutes time. Everything is beingness, but I, the
Absolute, am not that. In meditation, there was space, when suddenly two forms appeared out of
no-form, Prakriti and Purusha, and the quintessence of these forms was the knowledge "I Am".
There were no forms, then suddenly forms appeared, just as in the dream world.
You as a dreamer are sleeping on the bed, but in your dream world you see a body and you
think it is you, and you are doing everything through this dream body. In that same way, bodies are created in the so-called waking state.
The Prakriti and Purusha state has no form and is eternal, having neither a beginning nor an
end. But from it come the five elements, and with them, simultaneously, the body is formed at the
moment that time is first experienced. This process is ever continuing, with the body-form merely
indicative of the opportunity to experience time. This explanation will not reach home to everyone.
At the moment of so-called death, with what identity would you like to depart?
Q: As Parabrahman.
M: The Absolute, which I call Parabrahman, what is it like? What you are doing is multiplying
words with more words, concepts with more concepts.
Q: Maharaj must take me out of this.
M: Can you define what you are?
Q: I must have your blessing to understand what I am.
M: You are very adept at word-games. While I am talking about knowledge that is beyond this
phenomenal world, you are trying to understand through worldly concepts and words. Give up all
these concepts and inquire into the nature of your beingness. How did you happen to be?
Ponder it!
The real blessing of the Guru comes when your knowledge itself sprouts inside you.
The real blessing of the Guru comes when your knowledge itself sprouts inside you.
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