Life Answers: A Complete Audiobook Reading of Sri Nisargadatta Maharajah's I AM THAT

Q: What is necessary? M: To grow is necessary. To outgrow is necessary. To leave behind the good for the sake of the better is necessary. Q: To what end? M: The end is in the beginning. You end where you start — in the Absolute. Q: Why all this trouble then? To come back to where I started? M: Whose trouble? Which trouble? Do you pity the seed that is to grow and multiply till it becomes a mighty forest? Do you kill an infant to save him from the bother of living? What is wrong with life, ever more life? Remove the obstacles to growing and all your personal, social, economic and political problems will just dissolve. The universe is perfect as a whole and the part's striving for perfection is a way of joy. Willingly sacrifice the imperfect to the perfect and there will be no more talk about good and evil. Q: Yet we are afraid of the better and cling to the worse. M: This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.

Q: Do you advise shunning pleasure and pursuing pain? 

M: No, nor pursuing pleasure and shunning pain. Accept both as they come, enjoy both while they last, let them go, as they must. 

Q: How can I possibly enjoy pain? Physical pain calls for action. 

M: Of course. And so does Mental. The bliss is in the awareness of it, in not shrinking, or in any way turning away from it. All happiness comes from awareness. The more we are conscious, the deeper the joy. Acceptance of pain, non-resistance, courage and endurance — these open deep and perennial sources of real happiness, true bliss. 

Q: Why should pain be more effective than pleasure? 

M: Pleasure is readily accepted, while all the powers of the self reject pain. As the acceptance of pain is the denial of the self, and the self stands in the way of true happiness, the wholehearted acceptance of pain releases the springs of happiness. 

Q: Does the acceptance of suffering act the same way? 

Q: Must I not examine the teacher before I put myself entirely into his hands? M: By all means examine! But what can you find out? Only as he appears to you on your own level. Q: I shall watch whether he is consistent, whether there is harmony between his life and his teaching. M: You may find plenty of disharmony — so what? It proves nothing. Only motives matter. How will you know his motives? Q: I should at least expect him to be a man of self-control who lives a righteous life. M: Such you will find many — and of no use to you. A Guru can show the way back home, to your real self. What has this to do with the character, or temperament of the person he appears to be? Does he not clearly tell you that he is not the person? The only way you can judge is by the change in yourself when you are in his company. If you feel more at peace and happy, if you understand yourself with more than usual clarity and depth, it means you have met the right man. Take your time, but once you have made up your mind to trust him, trust him absolutely and follow every instruction fully and faithfully. It does not matter much if you do not accept him as your Guru and are satisfied with his company only. Satsang alone can also take you to your goal, provided it is unmixed and undisturbed. But once you accept somebody as your Guru, listen, remember and obey. Half-heartedness is a serious drawback and the cause of much self-created sorrow. The mistake is never the Guru's; it is always the obtuseness and cussedness of the discipline that is at fault. Q: Does the Guru then dismiss, or disqualify a disciple? M: He would not be a Guru if he did! He bides his time and waits till the disciple, chastened and sobered, comes back to him in a more receptive mood. Q: What is the motive? Why does the Guru take so much trouble? M: Sorrow and the ending of sorrow. He sees people suffering in their dreams and he wants them to wake up. Love is intolerant of pain and suffering. The patience of a Guru has no limits and, therefore, it cannot be defeated. The Guru never fails. Q: Is my first Guru also my last, or do I have to pass from Guru to Guru? M: The entire universe is your Guru. You learn from everything, if you are alert and intelligent. Were your mind clear and your heart clean, you would learn from every passer-by;. It is because you are indolent or restless, that your inner Self manifests as the outer Guru and makes you trust him and obey. Q: Is a Guru inevitable? M: It is like asking 'Is a mother inevitable?' To rise in consciousness from one dimension to another, you need help. The help may not always be in the shape of a human person, it may be a subtle presence, or a spark of intuition, but help must come. The inner Self is watching and waiting for the son to return to his father. At the right time he arranges everything affectionately and effectively. Where a messenger is needed, or a guide, he sends the Guru to do the needful.

--

It's early morning, no one is awake
I'm back at my cliff, still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make on their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
I Imagine what my body would sound like slamming against those rocksAnd when it lands
Will my eyes be closed or open?I go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with youI go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with youI go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with youSafe up here with you
Safe up here with you
Safe up here with you
Safe up here with you
Safe up here with you
Safe up here with you
Safe up here with you
Safe up here with you

Q: I find it hard to grasp what exactly do you mean by saying that you are neither the object nor the subject. At this very moment, as we talk, am I not the object of your experience, and you the subject?
M: Look, my thumb touches my forefinger. Both touch and are touched. When my attention; is on the thumb, the thumb is the feeler and the forefinger — the self. Shift the focus of attention and the relationship is reversed. I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness — love; you may give it any name you like. Love says: 'I am everything'. Wisdom says: 'I am nothing' Between the two my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and the object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both.

[INT. LARRY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY]

Larry David sits across from an enigmatic, serene guest, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, who's unfazed by the trivialities of Hollywood. Jeff, curious, joins with a sandwich in hand.

LARRY: (Confused) So, you're saying when someone dies, it's all about what they believe? What about afterlife specials?

MAHARAJ: As life before death is imagination, so is life after. The dream continues.

Jeff nearly chokes on his sandwich, bewildered.

JEFF: (To Maharaj) And what about you? You just... don't die?

MAHARAJ: The jnani never dies because he was never born.

Larry and Jeff exchange looks of utter confusion.

LARRY: (Sarcastically) Oh, great, so you're just floating around, not being born or dying. Must be nice.

[CUT TO: INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY]

Larry tries to explain Maharaj's philosophy to Leon, who's more interested in his coffee.

LARRY: He says we're all just consciousness. No birth, no death.

LEON: So, what, we're just in a big-ass dream? Man, I've had some messed up dreams. No way this is one.

LARRY: Exactly! And apparently, I'm building walls by thinking we're different.

LEON: Larry, you build walls with everyone. That's your thing.

[CUT TO: INT. LARRY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY]

Larry, now more agitated, confronts Maharaj again, with a group of friends gathered, including Ted Danson.

LARRY: So, if we're all just dreaming, why bother with anything? Why not just... float around?

MAHARAJ: You are the world, and the world is you. When you see the world in yourself, you see it as it truly is.

Ted nods, pretending to understand, while sipping his drink.

TED DANSON: (Trying to sound profound) It's like we're all part of this big, cosmic soup.

LARRY: Cosmic soup? We talking about soup now?

[CUT TO: INT. GOLF CLUB - DAY]

Larry attempts to share his newfound "wisdom" with Richard Lewis who's having none of it.

LARRY: It's all about awareness, Richard. I'm trying to broaden mine.

RICHARD LEWIS: Larry, the only thing you're aware of is where your next "issue" is coming from.

LARRY: (Frustrated) No, it's about seeing the fiery point of awareness. Like an incense stick burning down.

RICHARD LEWIS: So, what? Now you're going to set the club on fire to find your inner spark?

[CUT TO: INT. LARRY'S LIVING ROOM - EVENING]

A final meeting with Maharaj, Larry's frustration peaks.

LARRY: So, let me get this straight. We're all just part of this... awareness , and nothing really matters?

MAHARAJ: In essence, yes. But understanding your true self is what matters.

LARRY: (Exasperated) I'm more confused than when we started.

MAHARAJ: That confusion is also part of the dream.

LARRY: Great, so I'm dreaming. Maybe I'll dream myself into a world where people don't park in two spaces.

MAHARAJ: (Smiling) That would be a dream indeed.

[CUT TO: EXT. LARRY'S HOUSE - DAY]

Larry, inspired yet bewildered by Maharaj's teachings, decides to live life more "aware." He immediately trips over his own feet and sprains his ankle.

LARRY: (To himself) So much for awareness.

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For the episode inspired by Maharaj's teachings, here are the Hindu philosophical terms explained:

• Jnani: A person of knowledge, particularly in the spiritual context of one who has realized the ultimate truth, Brahman, and has thereby transcended the ego and the cycle of birth and death.

• Brahman: The ultimate reality or universal consciousness in Hindu philosophy, Brahman is considered the supreme, unchanging reality, amidst and beyond the world, which is the source of all that exists.

• Consciousness (Chit): In Hindu philosophy, consciousness is not merely awareness or wakefulness but the fundamental aspect of existence, the essence of self and the universe.

• Awareness: In the context of the dialogue, it refers to a state of being fully present and conscious of one's inner self and the outer world without being caught up in the mind's narratives or identifications.

In the vibe of Lil Baby, let's drop it:

Yo, Maharaj speaks, droppin' wisdom, deep and tall,

'Bout a state where he feels nothing, nothing at all.

No stepping into minds, no shared scenes in his view,

Just knows the grain, like a dealer, through and through.

"Are we in Brahma's mind?" the questioner probes,

Nah, Maharaj says, that's not how it unfolds.

Universal don't care 'bout the personal plight,

It's all 'bout the absolute, beyond wrong and right.

What links us together, you ask, tryna find,

Maharaj's like, "Dreamers, in their own mind."

The real link's the seeker, in search of the truth,

In your own mind's maze, find the proof.

Supreme Reality, what's its role, what's its part?

Maharaj laughs, says it's the art that makes all start.

Without it, nothing moves, nothing stands,

Yet in daily grind, it lends no hands.

"Why seek the Supreme if it brings no gain?"

'Cause holding on's the root of pain.

Let go, give up, and you'll find,

In that nothing, everything's intertwined.

Your world's a dream, fleeting, light,

Realize that, and end the night.

Let dreams unfold, don't hold them tight,

In awakening, you'll find your might.

Love in dreams, it binds, it clings,

But real love, it frees, it brings

A love for all, beyond the strings,

In true self, love's wings.

No need for time, for past, for lore,

In now, find what you adore.

Let go, be free, explore,

In being, find your core.

Lil Baby style, Maharaj's teaching,

About letting go, true freedom reaching.

In dreams or life, the lesson's clear,

Find yourself, and you'll have nothing to fear.

"Don't be anxious about your future - be quiet now and all will fall into place. The unexpected is bound to happen, while the anticipated may never come. Don't tell me you cannot control your nature. You need not control it. Throw it overboard. Have no nature to fight, or submit to. No experience will hurt you, provided you don't make it into a habit. Of the entire universe you are the subtle cause. All is because you are. Grasp this point firmly and deeply and dwell on it repeatedly. To realize this as absolutely true, is liberation."

Life: In your search for love what exactly are you searching for?

Questioner: Simply this: to love and to be loved.

“Watch your thoughts as you watch the street traffic. People come and go; you register without response. It may not be easy in the beginning, but with some practice you will find that your mind can function on many levels at the same time and you can be aware of them all. It is only when you have a vested interest in any particular level, that your attention gets caught in it and you black out on other levels. Even then the work on the blacked out levels goes on, outside the field of consciousness. Do not struggle with your memories and thoughts; try only to include in your field of attention the other, more important questions, like 'Who am l?' 'How did I happen to be born?' 'Whence this universe around me?'. 'What is real and what is momentary?' 

"No memory will persist, if you lose interest in it, it is the emotional link that perpetuates the bondage. You are always seeking pleasure, avoiding pain, always after happiness and peace. Don't you see that it is your very search for happiness that makes you feel miserable? Try the other way: indifferent to pain and pleasure, neither asking, nor refusing, give all your attention to the level on which 'I am' is timelessly present. Soon you will realise that peace and happiness are in your very nature and it is only seeking them through some particular channels, that disturbs. Avoid the disturbance, that is all. To seek there is no need; you would not seek what you already have. You yourself are God, the Supreme Reality. To begin with, trust me, trust the Teacher. It enables you to make the first step — and then your trust is justified by your own experience. In every walk of life initial trust is essential; without it little can be done. Every undertaking is an act of faith. Even your daily bread you eat on trust! By remembering what I told you you will achieve everything. I am telling you again: You are the all-pervading, all transcending reality. Behave accordingly: think, feel and act in harmony with the whole and the actual experience of what I say will dawn upon you in no time. No effort is needed. Have faith and act on it. Please see that I want nothing from you. It is in your own interest that l speak, because above all you love yourself, you want yourself secure and happy. Don't be ashamed of it, don't deny it. It is natural and good to love oneself. Only you should know what exactly do you love. It is not the body that you love, it is Life —perceiving, feeling, thinking, doing, loving, striving, creating. It is that Life you love, which is you, which is all. realise it in its totality, beyond all divisions and limitations, and all your desires will merge in it, for the greater contains the smaller. Therefore find yourself, for in finding that you find all. Everybody is glad to be. But few know the fullness of it. You come to know by dwelling in your mind on 'I am', 'I know', 'I love' — with the will of reaching the deepest meaning of these words.”

"But when the part of us that say 'I am me, I am myself' leaves us be, what follows is often an 'I am all'. And again: when the 'I am all' goes, then we might experience the 'I am'. And when even an 'I am' consciousness goes, reality alone is and in it every 'I am' is preserved held dear. Diversity without separateness is the Ultimate that the mind can touch. Beyond that all activity ceases, because in it all goals are reached and all purposes fulfilled."