A profound book for the spiritual seeker to investigate is I Am That, the transcription of 101 dialogs between the unique teacher, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and those who sought him out for his guidance and wisdom. Jack Kornfield recommended this book and Maharaj was one of his teachers.
It’s not easy reading; in fact, it took about five years for me to finish it which I did several years ago. Each dialog must be tasted, savored, digested and tested in the laboratory of experience. Here is a sample:
Q(uestioner): I am afraid of my own mind. It is so unsteady!
M(aharaj): In the mirror of your mind images appear and disappear. The mirror remains. Learn to distinguish the immovable in the movable, the unchanging in the changing, till you realize that all differences are in appearance only and oneness is a fact…. Once you can say with confidence born from direct experience: ‘I am the world, the world is myself’, you are free from desire and fear on the one hand and become totally responsible for the world on the other. The senseless sorrow of mankind becomes your sole concern.
Q: Is not all suffering self-created?
M: Yes, as long as there is a separate self to create it. In the end, you know that there is no sin, no guilt, no retribution, only life in its endless transformations. With the dissolution of the personal ‘I’, personal suffering disappears. What remains is … compassion.
For video introductions to Maharaj, click here. I highly recommend the book. I’m about ready to read it again with fresh eyes.
Posted by Deb.
