Shri Ramakant Maharaj Q&A

Q. What exactly is ‘I am’ in simple words, and what is it not?

Maharaj. 'I am' is an indication of your Spontaneous, Anonymous Presence, but it is without any shape, without any colour. Names are given to ‘Atma’, ‘Paramatma’, ‘God’, just to understand, to communicate. Reality is beyond imagination. There should not be any confusion. It sounds like some people have created a special house for ‘I am'.

At the advanced stage, ‘I am’ is also illusion. Again, be clear, there is no ‘I am’, there is no ‘you are’ - these are words. Prior to beingness, you did not know what the ‘I’ or the ‘you’ was. What has happened is that you are artificially moulding yourself, saying ‘I am’ somebody else (an individual), and in the light of that knowledge thinking and meditating on ‘I am’.

You are limiting your Reality by naming it, enclosing it. Remember, ‘I am’ is a concept. We are just using words to try and understand, exchanging words through which we are inviting attention of the Invisible, Anonymous Listener within you. All words are used for the purpose of understanding. Try to know your identity. Try to know your Unidentifiable Identity. The knower will disappear. Trying to know Ultimate Truth, the knower will disappear. No knowledge, no knower.

"You are limiting your Reality by naming it."

Q. The understanding is that ‘I Am’ is very deep…

M. Who is understanding that (laughter)'I' am understanding? Who is understanding that? All this requires Presence, but your Presence is not any shape or form. It is formless. No beingness, no non-beingness, no consciousness, no unconsciousness, no awareness, no unawareness. No knower, no knowledge, etc. You are neglecting the that which already exists within you, the Formless, Invisible Unidentified Identity. You are That. You are Brahman, Atman. ‘I’ is just like the sky. Does the sky say ‘I am’? Sky is totally unaware of its existence. Likewise, your Presence is totally unaware of your existence.

All these words are body-knowledge. Beingness is also illusion. Who says beingness and non-beingness? When you came across with the body you created a big illusionary field: beingness, non-beingness, awareness, unawareness, consciousness. You are roaming in the field and trying to extract knowledge. Come out of the field! Be brave, be courageous!

"You are roaming in a big illusionary field

and trying to extract knowledge."

Q. Has the ‘I Am’ practice maybe been taken too literally and grown out of proportion? There is a lot of confusion around it, a third of a century since Nisargadatta Maharaj’s passing. It has perhaps ballooned into something?

Maharaj: What happens is that devotees read books, and on the basis of their reading, they form a square, and then they expect answers from within the square.

"Master is not in the square,

he is out of the square."

So you have to leave all that. Whatever is realized from the existence of the body (body-knowledge), is illusion. You have brought yourself into the confusion field, using confusing words. You are a victim of your own ideas, your own concepts: ‘I am’ ‘you are’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘Brahman’.

Q. When we abide in ‘I Am’ , well, how are we to stay, or go beyond, ‘I Am’?

M. Forget about spiritual talk. To say ‘I’ is ego. Why are you trying to remain in/as I? It means you are taking some ego, and saying "I am somebody else". "I am", this means you are somebody else, and you are to stay like this, (eyes closed), ‘I’. This is duality. You have not to make any efforts. In the beginning, you are to accept that your ‘I am’ is in existence, and that you know ‘I am’ through the body only. It is an open fact that the body is not your identity. But while remaining in the ‘I am’, you are considering yourself as somebody else and, with the subtle ego, you are staying as “I Am”. This is not the Ultimate Truth and will not give you happiness.

Your Presence is spontaneous – don’t think, don’t apply the intellect. To stay in the ‘I am’, how to stay there? This is all illusion. You are already in that. It is already within you. But you are trying deliberately to remain in the ‘I am’. I am somebody else, and I am to remain in the ‘I am’. Illusory concept! Be as it is! Reality! Don't think, don’t pressure the brain. The spontaneous feeling is just that, "I am", there is no concept. As Nisargadatta Maharaj says: What is this body? Just glimpses of “I”. Just the glimpses of ‘I’ which has no shape, no colour, no witness, no experiencer, just, Maharaj holds his hands up, relaxes and, says ‘I’. We’re trying to experience ‘I’, to be Brahman, Atman, and to do that, you are having to be somebody else.

Q. So there is duality, there is a split?

M. Immediately! When you try to stay like that. Why try? "I want to stay as John". I am John. You are already John. John is the name which has been given to this body. It is not your Ultimate Reality. Similarly, your Spontaneous Presence, existence is without shape.

Q. I think the understanding is that if you stay in the ‘I am’, meditate on the ‘I am’, then you will go beyond the ‘I am’. But it seems we are not managing to go beyond?

"Your Spontaneous Presence,

Existence is without shape."

M. You see, your Spontaneous Existence manifested , so without you, there is no focus. When I say ‘I am’, ‘I’ stays there, the subtle ego. Don’t make any effort. Don’t take the literal meaning of these spiritual words, rather, take what they are trying to convey. You cannot realize Presence through the bodily ‘I’.

You are your own Master. So whatever you read or listen, to some extent, it is helpful, but after reaching the Final Destination, you do not need an address. Don’t take the literal meaning of what the Masters say. What they want to convey is most important. To remain in ‘I’ is keeping you stuck. You have created a balloon, a concept out of how to stay? It's not like that.

Why remain in the ‘I am’, when you are already there? All you have to do is realize that the body is not your identity. You are posing as someone else when you meditate, and therefore the meditation has become dual.

Q. Why did Nisargadatta Maharaj not make this teaching clearer?

M. Listen to me! The 'I am' is only an indication, so not to analyze it so much. This ‘I am’ is also a concept, which maybe has been over-emphasized and misunderstood. All this meditation, concentration, knowledge, self-inquiry - these are all only various steps, a process, and through the 'I', you are coming to the Final Truth. After Conviction, that you are not the body, there is nothing left to do. Your reaction is Spontaneous Action.

You are already ‘I am’, without saying. So you just have to know yourself in the real sense because your Spontaneous, Invisible Presence is there, to whom you are giving the name, ‘I am’. Except your Selfless Self, there is no ‘I am’. So why stay in the little world of ‘I am’? You are already there. You are already 24 hours in the ‘I am’, but you are unaware. You are 24 hours together. You are ‘I am’ only. Why to remain in something that’s artificially created or imagined, guesswork? Why to remain like that 'I am' in the square?

So don’t struggle with ‘I am’ - the words are just indications of Ultimate Truth and how that truth is your Identity, but it is Invisible and Anonymous. So don’t imagine, don’t guess, don’t use logic or intellect. You are 24 hour Presence, so no need to try to be, or think of 'I am’ at all.

"Don't try to stay as I am "

REALITY IS ENGRAVED IN THE INVISIBLE LISTENER

Maharaj: If you are strongly dedicated it is not difficult to absorb the teachings. You know better that this external identity is not going to remain constant.

Forget spirituality for a moment! There is some spirit with which we are talking, and doing all our activities . Keep aside spirituality! Power is there working. We are talking, looking, hearing, smelling. All our activities are for the bod. This power keeps the organs functioning.

There is power, strength, spirit, just like electricity. It is Invisible, Anonymous, Unidentified. It is what we feel with. Without this power, you can't say a single word. Without it, you can't raise a finger.

There can be no movement without the power, the spirit. That spirit is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. These are the names that have been ascribed. "That you are."

"Some power is there... It is Invisible, Anonymous, Unidentified... We feel it..."

What is the content of spirit? It is not your death and birth.Just that, just that! There is no experience, and no experiencer. There is no knowledge, nothing is there. Simple.

Simple. After the body disappears, what remains? Nothing! When the body goes, how does the world appear to him? It means nothing. It has merged with nothing. Something merged with nothing. And out of nothing, there is something. It is inter-related.

We are using some words for conversation purposes. Then you must have the Conviction that “I am totally unconcerned with the world”. All these relations are there. All expectations are there. All needs are there. All body related. We want peace. Who wants? We want happiness. Who wants happiness? We want a tension-free life. What's tension-free life, happiness, peace? We did not know these terms prior to beingness.

They came across, when we came across with the body. These are the bodily requirements, not your requirements.

"We want peace. Who wants? We want happiness.

Who?

We did not know of these terms Prior to Beingness".

The body dissolves. We fear because of our attachment to the body. No one wants death. Everyone is afraid of death.

But when you come to know the Truth of death, there is no fear. Just like the famous story of the rope and the snake. You are afraid of the snake. It is a matter of fact that there's no snake, it is a rope! Similarly, we are afraid of our death. Who is dying? Who is taking birth? When you realize you are nobody, you will be totally unconcerned, totally indifferent.

"Who is dying? Who is taking birth?"

Your Presence is Spontaneous, just like the sky.The entire world is projected, emerges out of Presence. Without your Presence, you can't see the world, you can't see anything. That Anonymous, that Invisible Unidentified Identity, called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, for That, there is no death and birth, no need of salvation. The question of heaven and hell never arises. No prarabdha, no religion. This is all body related, and came with the body-form. Where was religion prior to the body-form? Who did these religions belong to prior to beingness? Nobody. Religions were formed just to stimulate a peaceful life, along with the principle of prayer. This kind of thing is OK, but you must know this secret of your life. You must know, understand, realize what it means. Then only, will you be totally fearless.

"What was the Meaning of Religion

Prior to the Body Form?"

You should ask yourself, "Why should I fear death? Death is common for everyone!

You say, “I can't escape from death, the concept of death”. But, who is dying? Who is living? Just Self-Enquire! Nobody is dying, nobody is taking birth. We're thinking from the body point of view, and blindly accepting all these concepts, illusory concepts: I'm a man or a woman, this religion, that religion, last birth, future birth, present birth, rebirth, so many concepts are there.

You are blindly signing, and accepting everything. You have not committed any crime, yet you are signing “I am a criminal”. Master says you have not committed any crime. It is an impossibility. But still you sign “It's OK, I am a criminal.”

The Master is making you enlightened. You are neither a criminal, nor not a criminal.

Your Master is your reflection. As a matter of fact, there is no Master, no disciple. The totality of all this body-knowledge is framed around, and formed out of body relations, which you are not, which you were not, and which you are not going to be.

How do you get out of illusion? You are the architect of your own life. When you realize that it is all a dream, you will be out of illusion.When you come to know that it is a dream. In other words, you are acting in some drama. You are the hero, or heroine or villain. But you know better, as the Listener, even after three hours, or four and a half hours, that this is only a role you are playing. You are doing a role very well, but you have no connection to that role.

Similarly, we are playing the role of a man or woman, accepting so many concepts. Yet you have nothing to do with all, or any concepts. You are unborn. To establish this fact, you have to undergo the disciplines, the basics.

The same principle is placed before you in different words, different manners, in different ways, different angles, different dimensions.

"You are nothing to do with all or any concepts."

Maharaj: The message is the same:"Except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Atman, no Brahman, no Paramatman." This is the message. To establish that truth, we give some examples, just like telling stories to your child. You have to present in words, the principle of a story, putting it into story-form. The mother or father are telling the story and then explaining the principle behind it.

Likewise, Master is placing before you your Ultimate Truth in story form, using certain language, certain words. After having Conviction, what to do, or not to do next, is up to you. You know your Selfless Self better than anyone. You know better your Selfless Self.

"After Conviction, what to do, or not to do next,

That's up to you.

Because you know better your Selfless Self."

When this takes place: Conviction, enlightenment, realization, you become One with the Final Truth.

"I am never born, so why to fear the death?" No fear is there. This is direct hammering.

Q. Sometimes you can listen, and maybe not hear what is being said, and another time you listen, and there is a 'Yes' a click of understanding!

Maharaj: Because the Invisible Listener within you is listening quietly and calmly. Reality is engraved in that Invisible Listener, which cannot be removed. Therefore, even if you are aware, you will not understand. The Listener is accepting all this, just like a recorder. Silently. The process of recording is going on.The process of analyzing is going on, without your knowledge. Why have ego? No intellect, no mind, nothing!

"Reality is Engraved in the Invisible Listener."

Q. The mind, ego, intellect try to block...

Maharaj: These are external layers.. You can use them, it’s not a bad thing. Use them, as and when you like. You are not to become a slave of that. Excessive use of anything is poison. Excessive use of anything is poison. If you take more food than you need, it is poison.

Q. Too much mind, mental stuff?

Maharaj: There is no mind at all!

[Laughter]

Q. So, keep hammering, dong, dong, dong.

Maharaj: This is an exceptional knowledge. It is clear Reality. It is not bookish knowledge, not literal knowledge.

Q. It seems to be beyond all the knowledge.

Maharaj: It is beyond everything, beyond knowledge, everything, beyond words, beyond imaginations. Nisargadatta Maharaj used to say, "How you were prior to beingness, remain as it is." How were you prior to beingness? You are "not knowing".

"Remain as you Were Prior to Beingness".

You are totally unaware of anything. You don't know anything. Since you came across with the body, you started knowing so many things. Therefore, 'mind' is body knowledge. What remains? The food-body. Some day or other, willingly or unwillingly, you are to leave this body because it is not your identity.

Questions on Presence

Q: What is Presence?

Maharaj: Presence means 'that' which

enables you to live, to talk. When the

questioner in you is asking “What is

Presence?” That is Presence.

Q: So my Presence will be there after my life?

Maharaj: There is no 'after my life' because Presence is just like the sky.

Q: So, that is what I am, just Presence?

Maharaj: Of course, of course.

Q: And is it the same as Ranjit Maharaj's 'I am He'?

Maharaj: All these words are indicators, not Ultimate Truth. 'I am That', 'That, you Are', 'I am He', you can give any name you want. (This is an area that comes up a lot. The indicators, pointers, are taken for the real thing, the thing in itself. Maharaj keeps reminding us that these are only the w-o-r-d-s that we created. These are simply the names that we have attributed to 'Ultimate Truth', 'Ultimate Reality' - or whatever we wish to call it - for understanding purposes only.)

The Master continues: So don't take the Master's words literally. Your Presence is 'Spontaneous, Silent, Anonymous, Unidentified'. So, e,g, 'I am He', is only a clue, an intimation.

Q: I prefer, 'I am He'...

Maharaj: That's okay, okay, as long as you understand that this phrase is only an indicator, a clue, pointing to Reality. Don't take it for 'Ultimate Reality'.

Q: If it is anonymous and imperceptible Presence, how does anyone get to know about it?

Maharaj: Forget about 'anyone'. Talk about yourself!

Q: OK. How can I get to know about this Presence, then?

Maharaj: You are the source of knowledge. You have exceptional power. Your inner Master is Ultimate Truth. You and me, we are the same.

Q: You say that measuring ourselves in the body-form is illusion. Is that because Selfless Self is not perceptible?

Maharaj: When you try to see it, the seer will disappear. Just see how you were prior to beingness! These concepts, 'perceptible', imperceptible', 'knowledge', man', 'woman', 'birth', 'death'. This is all body-based knowledge.

Q: Does Presence have any information about itself?

Maharaj: Everybody says 'I am Brahman', 'I am Atman', but that knowledge has to be totally absorbed within you, in a real sense. You are Master of Masters. At the moment of conviction, you forget about your identity. But this conviction is spontaneous, not forced. It appears spontaneously.

Sept 2014 Q & A's WITH MAHARAJ

Initiation

Q: I have heard that Nisargadatta Maharaj initiated very few Westerners into the lineage because he considered them to be spiritual travellers. You are one of the very few, if not the only one, who is offering the Naam Mantra. We are very fortunate. What made you decide to do this, Maharaj?

Maharaj: To make seekers enlightened. To share knowledge with them, (in order) to remove them from the illusionary world.

Q: Do we really need to meditate?

Maharaj: You see, from childhood until now, there has been a lot of attachment to the body, a lifetime of impressions, a lot of love and affection with the body. All body-related relations are there. This has to be dissolved. Of course, meditation is also an illusion, but we need to use a thorn to remove another thorn. And remember, this is just at the initial stage for focus, concentration, to CONCENTRATE ON THE CONCENTRATOR.

The body is not your identity. You are 'Final Truth', 'Ultimate Truth. But in order to have this total conviction, all concepts and body knowledge need to dissolve. We may understand everything intellectually, but intellectual understanding is not enough. Therefore, you have to undergo the meditation. It is essential at the beginning. Later, at the advanced stage, it is no longer required.

In our lineage,(the Inchegiri Navnath Sampradaya), we are giving a mantra, some words, chanting these words. However, the mantra is not given to those who already have a Master.

Q: How does the mantra work?

Maharaj: First, I have to tell you that the mantra, (the Master Key), is to be kept secret. YOU MUST NOT REVEAL IT TO ANYONE. So, how does it work? The spirit is very sensitive. Whatever is impressed upon it, is reflected.You have forgotten your real identity, so the mantra reminds you of this. The meaning of the mantra is 'I AM BRAHMAN, BRAHMAN I AM'. The mantra produces vibrations within you, and through these vibrations, as you continue to recite the mantra, you will come to know the Reality.

Slowly, silently and permanently, after concentrating, you will feel some changes within you. Your body knowledge will be dissolved. You will be totally fearless because you will know “I am not the body”. ALL NEEDS ARE BODY-RELATED NEEDS: NEED OF GOD, NEED OF FOOD, NEED OF HAPPINESS, NEED OF PEACE - all body-related. When you came across with the body, all needs started. PRIOR TO BEINGNESS, NO NEEDS WERE THERE, NO FEAR WAS THERE.That said, look after the body, do your job, do your duties. Do not neglect your body. This is a precious opportunity.

Q: So, meditating regularly will help to bring about a shift, a change?

Maharaj: “Meditation is the base, the starting process to ensure that a perfect foundation, a strong foundation is laid. As you recite this mantra, YOU ARE REMINDING YOUR 'UNIDENTIFIED IDENTITY', THAT YOU ARE ATMAN, BRAHMAN, PARAMATMAN.”

Maharaj continues: “You know Reality, but you have forgotten Reality. Everybody has the Knowledge of their Reality within them, but THIS PROCESS OF MEDITATION IS NEEDED FOR CONVICTION, TO ESTABLISH AND ABSORB THE KNOWLEDGE. Dry knowledge, bookish knowledge or literal knowledge is not Self-Knowledge. MEDITATION ALONE WILL LEAD TO SELF-KNOWLEDGE.”

Q: When reciting the mantra, the question sometimes arises “Who is reciting?”

Maharaj: Ah! “Who is reciting?” The question came because you have body attachment. There is no 'Who?', there is no 'He', 'She'. There is nothing. These are just the terms, the body-related terms. WHO IS RECITING THE MANTRA? THE CONCENTRATOR, THE INVISIBLE PRESENCE. Why are you reciting it? Because you forgot your identity. While reciting, YOU ARE INVITING THE ATTENTION OF THE 'INVISIBLE PRESENCE' – YOUR ULTIMATE TRUTH. So at the initial stage, you have to recite it deliberately. After continuous reciting, it will happen spontaneously, without your knowledge for 24 hours – waking, dreaming, all the time.”

“The terms 'he', 'she', 'it' are only used for understanding purposes. Guessing, logic or inference are not applicable to (the task of), knowing yourself in a real sense. Why? BECAUSE YOUR EXISTENCE IS 'SPONTANEOUS EXISTENCE'. How were you prior to Beingness? How will you be, after leaving the body? What is your identity? Here, we conclude, that the identity is the same as it is today. The only difference is that you are holding the body. So, again, I repeat, body knowledge has to be erased completely, and for this to happen, you have to meditate.”

Q.Maharaj, I have been reciting the mantra for some time now, and it is now happening spontaneously, just as you said it would. Also, the effects of the meditation are now showing. There's an almost tangible quality present, such as stunning silence and peace and emptiness, to use your word, 'CleaReality'.There is just spontaneous happiness that is causeless.

Maharaj:"You are operating the Master Key (Naam Mantra), with deep involvement, and so it is bringing you closer to Selfless Self. The spontaneous happiness is the fragrance of Selfless Self. This means that the Knowledge is being absorbed. Very nice. Embrace Selfless Self and go deeper and deeper.”

“You see, when you go deep and deep within the Selfless Self, you will find so many things, beyond your imagination. You will forget this external or internal identity. YOU WILL REMAIN UNKNOWN TO YOU. NO KNOWLEDGE IS KNOWLEDGE. NO KNOWLEDGE IS KNOWLEDGE.”

“WHATEVER KNOWLEDGE IS ROOTED TO THE BODY IS ILLUSION. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF BRAHMAN, ATMAN, PARAMATMAN IS ALSO ILLUSION. These are just the words, only W-O-R-D-S, (the Master spells it out). It is OK, maybe giving you some pleasure, momentary happiness, a little entertainment, BUT IT IS NOT ULTIMATE TRUTH.”

MORE ON THE MANTRA

Maharaj: The Naam Mantra is very important. People say “I have got knowledge, why do I need the Naam mantra?”That's OK, but if you want to know yourself perfectly, if you want to identify yourself perfectly, the process of Naam Mantra is most, most important. Humanity is having a lot of knowledge about Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, all these things, but it is not practical. It is just (knowledge)for discussion, it is dry knowledge.

Q: Some followers of Nisargadatta Maharaj claim that they themslves have practical knowledge, without the Naam Mantra. Some people claim that it is enough to read Nisargadatta Maharaj's books and follow his instructions. They claim to have found absolute knowledge, the absolute state, without the Naam Mantra.

Maharaj: It is not a question of finding the ultimate stage, because whatever is found, is found against the backdrop of body-based knowledge. Here, (Maharaj points to his body), the body-based knowledge is here, inside. So, unless it is dissolved, whatever you are building on top of it, will collapse. It is the basic, fundamental requirement.

Q: What you are saying is that knowledge cannot be built on the body-base foundation?

Maharaj: People who are attending to spirituality, without the Naam Mantra, and saying “I've got knowledge”, it's OK, but it is only a temporary relief.

Q: We need to dissolve the body knowledge first, and we need the help of the Mantra to do this?

Maharaj: So one should undergo this process. I will give you an example of a great philosopher and politician, about 65-70 years old. He spent about 5 or 6 months, discussing spiritual matters with Maharaj(ie Nisargadatta). He was very well-read in philosophy, the Vedas, Janeshwar, Tukaram, etc, etc. Then one day, he announced to Maharaj, “I know your knowledge very well, but, it is not so impressed inside me.

Nisargadatta Maharaj used the analogy of a creeper/climber plant to respond:“You know the creeper plant that grows on walls? How did it grow like that? It is because the seeds were planted and took root under the enclosed ground in the correct environment(ie beside a wall to hold on to). So like that, spiritual knowledge should be rooted through Masters only (Master is like the wall). If you try and plant the creeper seed elsewhere, it won't work”.

Maharaj continues: So, you must follow this guru mantra process, at the initial stage. It makes the perfect foundation for your spiritual knowledge. But everyone has different opinions.

Q: Did Nisargadatta Maharaj want people to take the Mantra?

Maharaj: He never insisted on any person - whether he was great or famous or foreign – to, say, “take the mantra and be my disciple”. It happened spontaneously, like with the politician I mentioned. He decided for himself, and said to Nisargadatta Maharaj, “Now, I want to take the Guru Mantra”. For him, it became important and essential.

Q: Are there other ways of getting there, of reaching the Absolute?

Maharaj: "There's other ways, like if you have strong devotion(Maharaj makes a fist and shakes it in the air), like Ekalavya(from the Mahabharata). So it is not impossible to do it by another way. But casual reading and casual enlightenment is not so easy. We need total involvement, with a strong desire to find out, like “Yes, I want to know the Reality. I HAVE to know.

And you HAVE to surrender totally to the Master – whosoever the Master may be. That is also very important.

Q: What if you are devoted to a Master who is no longer in the body, Maharaj?

Maharaj: His presence may not be there in life, may not be in existence, but if the involvement is very strong, then it is also possible. But perfect devotion rarely happens. It is difficult because there should not be any type of dual mind.

Q: And Maharaj, do you want people to take the Mantra?

Maharaj: I am not insisting on anything. So many people are coming to me, but I am not insisting that they take the Mantra, the Guru Mantra, that they be my disciples.

With them, I am openly discussing all the spiritual secrets. I am not keeping anything to myself. I am giving them all the secrets. What effect all this Knowledge has on them, that is up to them. Some people are impressed deeply, others not so much. Some feel it is important to take initiation and others are not interested. So it is different for everybody. And also it depends on their spiritual maturity.

More Q & A's

Q. Maharaj, when I meditate I just relax and try to be quiet. I have had several experiences that have been very pleasant and blissful. I am pleased because they seem to be happening more frequently.

M. As long as you are considering yourself in the body form, the subtle body form, these experiences will continue. All this is only temporary spiritual entertainment. Whatever is happening as experience is illusion. All experiences are illusions. Even if you experience “I am Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, or God, it is also illusion.

To say 'I am Brahman, Atman', your Spontaneous, Invisible Presence is required. The entire world is projected out of your Spontaneous, Invisible, Anonymous Presence. I repeat, your Spontaneous, Invisible, Anonymous Presence. It cannot be described in words. Out of presence, this entire world is projected. To say 'God', your presence is required. To say 'Brahman' your presence is required. Your existence is beyond, beyond. So there is no experiencer, no experience.

Q. There have been some problems in my life that have disturbed my peace. I am trying to find peace and happiness again, but I'm not able to.

M. For whom is peace required? 'I want peace of mind, I want happiness'. Who wants happiness? Because you think that you are a man, that you are a body, then all these disturbances, tension, fear, so many things are affecting you. Basically, you were not the body, you are not going to remain the body and though you have a body, it is not your Ultimate Truth. That means that you are totally formless. You are supposed to have conviction, total conviction “Yes, I am Ultimate Truth. That I am”, without saying it.

So know yourself in a real sense. We are knowing ourselves in the body form only, but the body is not our identity at all. Make self-enquiry. Go to the root – Who wants peace? Self-enquiry leads to knowledge. Then you will find peace that is lasting, and not just momentary peace.

Q. I have heard you say that reading books, even the spiritual classics is not enough. Why is this?

M. You are reading so many books and listening also to many Masters. What do they want to convey? Where do you stand in the light of all this knowledge? What is your conclusion after reading this book, that book, this other book? There has to be a full stop. Literal knowledge, dry knowledge will not serve you at all.

We have created the words, given the names to all these things: this is a 'donkey' and that is called 'God'. But prior to that, your existence is there. Your existence is unborn existence. There is no birth, there is no death. Birth and death are applicable to this body only. You are never born, so the question of death never arises. It is an open fact but we are not accepting the open facts. We are always under the pressure of illusory concepts: 'last prarabdha', 'future prarabdha'. What is prarabdha? What is karma, dharma? All these concepts are there and we have become slaves to them, acting within the circle of these concepts. So close the circle and have some courage. What you are reading about in spiritual books is YOUR STORY, YOUR REALITY, not the story of Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God.

So even if you have read 1,000 books, do self-enquiry and find out: 'Where do I stand? Am I fearless? Have I got happiness? Have I got peace?' What is the use of all your knowledge?' Knowledge has to be implemented in daily life. You must know yourself in a real sense, so that when the time comes to leave the body, you remain fearless.

Q. You asked how I was prior to beingness, and after the body dissolves? I have to say that I don't know.

M. Correct! 'I don't know' is the perfect answer because this means that the sayer is saying, 'I know my presence existed, but not in any form'. That my formless presence was there, is known by the statement 'I don't know', (as in the basic example of someone knocking on the door asking "Is there anybody there?", And you reply "No, there is nobody here" - meaning that your presence has to be there first in order to say this). Your presence has to be there first for you to say 'I was not in the body form'. Follow?

Q. You say that there were no needs, no requirements prior to beingness, that sounds to me like perfection. Can one use the word 'perfect' to describe the state?

M. No! This is imagination. You are guessing. There is no 'state'.

Q. Both Nisargadatta Maharaj and yourself say 'How you were prior to beingness, stay like that'. What do you mean?

Maharaj. Prior to beingness you are/were unknown to you. You were not knowing anything. You did not even know the word 'knowledge'. Nothing was there – no body, no mind, no intellect. No needs were there – no need for Master, God, spirituality, religion. When Nisargadatta Maharaj said this, what he was trying to convey was for you to 'Be as it is' – 'Unknowing', 'Not Knowing'. Don't stress the brain. Just be as it is.

Q. Can I go back to the subject of books please? Are you saying that reading spiritual books is a complete waste of time then?

M. Forget about what you have read. All spiritual knowledge

is indicating, inviting attention, reminding the invisible reader, the invisible listener that 'You are Ultimate'. I am talking to that Ultimate Truth that is not in any body form. What you read and what you have heard is OK but some limits are there. We are adding some ego, some subtle ego along with the knowledge. As long as you measure yourself in the body form, you are considering yourself as being 'somebody', somebody else. So there is duality when you read spiritual books. The mind, ego, intellect is accumulating all this knowledge about the God, Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, Ultimate Reality. It becomes like you are reading someone else's story – the story of Brahman, Atman, Ultimate Reality – instead of your story.

And then you say: “I am so well-read. I have listened to so many Masters. I am Brahman. I know so much. I, I, I”. This is ego talking. It is not real knowledge. It is dry knowledge, material body knowledge.

Listen to me! The entire world, including all the books, all the Masters, all the spiritual knowledge is a projection of your Spontaneous Presence. So I repeatedly say what Nisargadatta Maharaj rightly said: “Except your Selfless Self, there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master”. This is the gist of all this knowledge, spiritual knowledge. You are acting like a beggar looking for spiritual knowledge from outside - books, Masters, temples, holy sites etc, when all the time Knowledge is with you. It lies within you.

YOU ARE THE SOURCE OF ALL KNOWLEDGE.

So, stand on your own feet. You are not a beggar, you are a millionaire.