Advaita Vedanta
Teachings of Nisargadatta Maharaj
That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings, who is the giver of grace to all, the Supreme Soul of the universe, the limitless being - I am that.
Amrit Bindu Upanishad
Here we attempt a brief introduction to Advaita Vedanta as presented through excerpts from the books of Nisargadatta Maharaj. Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of philosophy of Hinduism. “Advaita” literally means “not two” and is often called a monistic or non-dualistic system, which essentially refers to the indivisibility of the Self (Atman) from the Whole (Brahman).
Vedanta (culmination of Vedas) usually used to refer to the philosophical tradition most significantly espoused by Sri Shankaracarya. Advaita Vedanta teaches the radical non-dual view that there is ultimately no distinction between the Absolute and Relative (the relative universe). The path to God-consciousness in Advaita Vedanta is typically jnana yoga, or the path of wisdom, and the goal is jivanmukti, liberated enlightenment while living in the world. Two of the greatest modern examples of the Advaita sages are Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. [For a brief biography, see: Glossary entry here ].
The force of his message resounds with his singleness of purpose: "Give up all you have read and heard and just BE. You, as the Absolute, are not this "I Amness", but presently you have to abide in "I Amness". He says it again and again. But the very repetition of his teachings is meaningful, for we have built up a hard shell around this pseudo-ego to protect it; therefore, constant hammering is needed to break this shell. The repetitious style of his teaching is part of his wisdom and teaching skill.
He taught us to find out for ourselves, to ponder his words, and ask ourselves, "Can this be true?" He said one must find out what the body is, where it came from, study it with detachment, watch it without judging. One soon sees that it is just like a robot which has been programmed by others. We are to turn within to that which lets us know that we are, to become one with that.
Abiding in the "I Amness" (or Consciousness, which is pure love), that Consciousness itself will give us all the answers. At the present time, Consciousness is what we are, not personal Consciousness, but impersonal, universal Consciousness. In course of time, the Consciousness will show us that we are not even this, but we are that Eternal Absolute, unborn, undying.
Here are some more of his thoughts; when you read his words, may you find in them his blessings.
Questioner: How does a jnani [sage] 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 effect on 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, nor for the nation, but only for this sense of "I" which you love so much.
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Questioner: Why is it that we naturally seem to think of ourselves as separate individuals?
Maharaj: Your thoughts about individuality are really not your own thoughts; they are all collective thoughts. You think that you are the one who has the thoughts; in fact thoughts arise in consciousness.
As our spiritual knowledge grows, our identification with an individual body-mind diminishes, and our consciousness expands into universal consciousness. The life force continues to act, but its thoughts and actions are no longer limited to an individual. They become the total manifestation. It is like the action of the wind - the wind doesn't blow for any particular individual, but for the total manifestation.
Q: As an individual can we go back to the source?
M:Not as an individual; the knowledge "I Am" must go back to its own source.
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Maharaj: The one who has fully investigated himself, the one who has come to understand, will never try to interfere in the play of consciousness. There is no creator with a vast intellect as such; all this play is going on spontaneously. There's no intellect behind it, so don't try to impose yours to bring about any change; leave it alone. Your intellect is a subsequent product of this process, so how can your intellect take charge of or even evaluate, the whole creation? Investigate yourself; this is the purpose of your being. Spirituality is nothing more than understanding this play of consciousness--try to find out what this fraud is by seeking its source.
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Maharaj: Ultimately one must go beyond knowledge, but the knowledge must come, and knowledge can come by constant meditation. By meditating, the knowledge "I Am" gradually settles down and merges with universal knowledge, and thereby becomes totally free, like the sky, or space.
Those who come here with the idea of getting knowledge, even spiritual knowledge, come here as individuals aspiring to get something; that is the real difficulty. The seeker must disappear. When you know your real nature the knowledge "I Am" remains, but that knowledge is unlimited. It is not possible for you to acquire knowledge, you are knowledge. You are what you are seeking.
Your true being exists prior to the arising of any concept. Can you, as an object, understand something that existed prior to the arising of a concept? In the absence of consciousness is there any proof of the existence of anything? Consciousness itself is mind, is thought, is all phenomena, all manifestation. Apprehending this is being dead to "I am the body" while alive. This kind of knowledge comes only in a rare case, and is a very elusive kind of knowledge where no effort is necessary; in fact, effort itself is a hindrance. It is intuitive understanding.
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Maharaj: How did I get to the truth that I prevail everlastingly? By meditating on the meditator, by "I Amness" merging into "I Amness". 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.
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Maharaj: Go deep into the sense of ‘I am’ and you will find [your true self]. How do you find a thing you have mislaid or forgotten? You keep it in your mind until you recall it. The sense of being, of ‘I am’ is the first to emerge. Ask yourself whence it comes, or just watch it quietly. When the mind stays in the ‘I am’ without moving, you enter a state which cannot be verbalised but can be experienced. All you need to do is try and try again.
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Maharaj: What you can point out as 'this' or 'that' cannot be yourself. Surely, you cannot be 'something' else. You are nothing perceivable, or imaginable. Yet, without you there can be neither perception nor imagination. You observe the heart feeling, the mind thinking, the body acting; the very act of perceiving shows that you are not what you perceive. Can there be perception, experience without you?
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Maharaj: I […] see no difference between you and me. My life is a succession of events, just like yours. Only I am detached and see the passing show as a passing show, while you stick to things and move along with them.
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Maharaj: The mind, by its very nature, divides and opposes. Can there be some other mind, which unites and harmonises, which sees the whole in the part and the part as totally related to the whole?
Questioner: The other mind -- where to look for it?
M: In the going beyond the limiting, dividing and opposing mind. In ending the mental process as we know it. When this comes to an end, that mind is born.
Q: In that mind, the problem of joy and sorrow exist no longer?
M: Not as we know them, as desirable or repugnant. It becomes rather a question of love seeking expression and meeting with obstacles. The inclusive mind is love in action, battling against circumstances, initially frustrated, ultimately victorious.
Q: Between the spirit and the body, is it love that provides the bridge?
M: What else? Mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it.
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Maharaj: We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little. The primary purpose of meditation is to become conscious of, and familiar with, our inner life. The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life and consciousness.
Incidentally practice of meditation affects deeply our character. We are slaves to what we do not know; of what we know we are masters. Whatever vice or weakness in ourselves we discover and understand its causes and its workings, we over-come it by the very knowing; the unconscious dissolves when brought into the conscious. The dissolution of the unconscious releases energy; the mind feels adequate and become quiet. […] When the mind is quiet, we come to know ourselves as the pure witness. We withdraw from the experience and its experiencer and stand apart in pure awareness, which is between and beyond the two.
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Q: You use the words 'aware' and 'conscious'. Are they not the same?
M: Awareness is primordial; it is the original state, beginningless, endless, uncaused, unsupported, without parts, without change. Consciousness is on contact, a reflection against a surface, a state of duality. There can be no consciousness without awareness, but there can be awareness without consciousness, as in deep sleep. Awareness is absolute, consciousness is relative to its content; consciousness is always of something. Consciousness is partial and changeful, awareness is total, changeless, calm and silent. And it is the common matrix of every experience.
Q: How does one go beyond consciousness into awareness?
M: Since it is awareness that makes consciousness possible, there is awareness in every state of consciousness. Therefore, the very consciousness of being conscious is already a movement in awareness. Interest in your stream of consciousness takes you to awareness. It is not a new state. It is at once recognised as the original, basic existence, which is life itself, and also love and joy.
Q: Since reality is all the time with us, what does self-realisation consist of?
M: Realisation is but the opposite of ignorance. To take the world as real and one’s self as unreal is ignorance. The cause of sorrow. To know the self as the only reality and all else as temporal and transient is freedom, peace and joy. It is all very simple. Instead of seeing things as imagined, learn to see them as they are. It is like cleansing a mirror. The same mirror that shows you the world as it is, will also show you your own face. The thought 'I am' is the polishing cloth. Use it.
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Some more of his teachings can be found here.
You can find a diagram of a ‘road map of consciousness’ here
