Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj; Nothingness to I-am-ness
Maharaj: “Unknowingly this knowingness has appeared. How? From Nothingness this I-am-ness has appeared. How? Prior to your birth, did you ever experience I-am-ness?”
Visitor: Definitely no.
Maharaj: “Why do you clasp that knowingness now, since you are going to meet death definitely? Prior to birth you did not know you were. You are going to die, then why are you clinging to all these concepts of heaven, hell, virtue and sin? Will you care to turn around and observe, now that you have heard the information?”
“Unknowingly this knowingness has appeared.”
At Rest in Eternity you did not know about life or of anything besides being what you really are, and then out of nowhere this Eternal Being turns into being-ness when it appears from of the womb. Now with a strong sense of being you get to know your physical existence and the universe. Thus, a certain knowingness of life is taking shape and that develops into becoming something different, other than who you really are.
The Soul well engaged in knowing life is completely occupied and dominated by the mind and world. That domination has an elusive form called the personal identity which keeps all the information stored in a haphazard but personal order. This form centered on personal experiences is played forward in order to survive and get something out of life. Strictly a personal creation created for and by the environment it was never intended to be played forward after death. Because this mind made ego that comes from knowing was never real, consistent or lasting to begin with and by its own nature it’s doomed to fail as it evolves.
So, fortunately for everyone this new stuff that evolves isn’t possible to take with you upon your return to Eternity. The eternal state of ‘Unknowingly’ or ‘Nothingness’ is ground zero, where time is nonexistent and that includes the mind and all its attachments.
Unknowingly this knowingness appears on you and you’re face to face with all these interim opposites of life. This new bio-form that resulted from life started from the unknowable state of being nothing in particular, and in the end it will have to return to that state of Nothingness, but for now this knowingness and I-am-ness has you time bound and captivated.
“From Nothingness this I-am-ness has appeared.”
There was no physical existence before life and that means no material differences as well. From the Eternal land of Pure Awareness with no visual forms and empty of all matter and energy doesn’t mean it is completely empty, because being empty is really being empty of appearances and differences through separation. So, despite the invisible nature of Eternity it is nonetheless very full and complete, lacking nothing and not empty at all, but it can be classified as ‘Nothingness’ as he calls it.
From Nothingness this physical sense of being arose as I-am-ness and from that knowingness appears on it. Now thinking separately as I am this and this is mine creates false reasoning from false attachments. Now seemingly locked into this constant state of change even the present moment is evolving, and because everything changes means it was not real to begin with.
Real Truth doesn’t evolve only false truths do.
“How? Prior to your birth, did you ever experience I-am-ness?”
Prior to birth there was no experiencing in general and life is the only way to get that, so birth into I-am-ness comes first and experiences happen to that. Then knowingness of life’s experiences creates the attachment to time. This new I-am-ness is the Souls connection to the physical world and the root to all of spirituality, for it is the key ingredient to deep meditation. Observing this moving and sense-able state of I-am-ness despite the mind and world sends you into the deep meditative state called, ‘The Samadhi state.’ This is last door step before the door opens to Self-realization. In a descending meditative order: The world, the mind, the body energy (I-am-ness or consciousness) and an Awareness of being nothing in particular (or the Samadhi State), is the spiritual cookie crumb trail that leads you back to Eternity.
By remaining free from the gains of manifestation regains access to the unmanifested.
Maharaj: “Why do you clasp that knowingness now, since you are going to meet death definitely? Prior to birth you did not know you were. You are going to die, then why are you clinging to all these concepts of heaven, hell, virtue and sin? Will you care to turn around and observe, now that you have heard the information?”
Since you will die and loose this I-am-ness anyways why would you want to keep clinging to the knowingness of all these concepts? Prior to birth this physical sense of existence was nonexistent and the knowingness of concepts like sin and virtue absent, however for a very short time you’re deeply embroiled in them. Unfortunately, life and the identity connected to time has a limited shelf life with tons of conceptual baggage tagging along, but we still cling to it like it’s all there is. Do you really think this is good enough to cling too for an eternity? Do you think Eternity wants this baggage or has the capacity for this continual disharmony arriving per person?
The Soul is complete, eternal and pure as it is and well beyond all discord of any kind, however the mind latching on to interim labels and concepts keeps this discord alive and well as the new you.
Your mind clinging to concepts diverts your attention away from the underlying facts. You are mentally anchoring your Soul down to knowingness and time when time related concepts and products don’t have the power to continue or liberate, but instead they have the power to bind you to time. Yet you still cling to them and guard them when you must surrender them. Why would hang onto these perishable goods and concepts anyways? Can that be good and harmonious for the timeless Eternal Soul? I mean, isn’t time full of harmonious contradiction and strife? Do we really want that to continue?
Now that you have heard the truth and know the problem that is preventing you from liberation, which is due to a misunderstanding of the facts, will you now act on the information by turning your attention inward toward the observer and meditate?
What’s holding you back?
Concepts?
Laziness or a lack of trust?
It’s all right here within you. It doesn’t cost you anything (or is that another concept that’s holding you back?) and the rewards are substantial, it can also take place during your daily activities disrupting nothing, so why the hesitation? I’m giving you all the information you need which is all the information I needed in order to find the truth and liberate my Soul from the knowingness of something different. And the only difference between you and me is that I acted on the information.
Will you care to turn yourself around and act on the information?
Posted by Kurt at 2/10/2011 9:28 AM 
Categories: Sri Nisargadatta
Tags: Nothingness Iamness knowingness Concepts Selfrealization Eternity The Soul The Ego Death Unknowingly
Categories: Sri Nisargadatta
Tags: Nothingness Iamness knowingness Concepts Selfrealization Eternity The Soul The Ego Death Unknowingly
Keep on Brother; You keep outdoing yourself with doses of pure medicine (truth) . Like the Mennens skin bracer slap in the face, Thanks I needed that. From the bottom of my heart Thank You Great Stuff Kurt
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Kurt; Correct me if I'm wrong. What I am getting from your writings is that this is a state of being that we all can achieve if we put the time and energy into realizing the object of contemplation. (ourself, or who am I). I thoroughly enjoy how you state that this is a place we can all arrive at with lots of introspection. So many times I read certain peoples work and they put themselves up as the chosen one. Your writingscome from a very mature place both spiritually and emotionally. I pray from the bottom of my heart that the public gets a good whiff of the stuff you write because it is great, but just because it is great doesn't mean that it will be accepted. Like I always write, "keep on" the stuff is genuine. What do I mean by that. Itcomes from your core and it bcomes evident when you answer questions. That demonstrates your authenticity. Since I first met with you more than 23 years ago, I remember you as a sincere spiritual aspirant. I had no idea that you would hit the Source this deeply. It has been a tremendous joy for me to see someone as kind and generous as you get enlightened and want to reach out and share it with everyone. If I write to often let me know. I don't want to sound repetitious, but your stuff keeps getting better (evolving). We Americans need an enlightened American who can teach in a direct way without all of the unnecessary formalities. I see you sitting in a room with a couple of hundred people around answering questions that bring about a sense of understanding and conscious focus. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It has been a tremendous help both with breaking through and with staying broken through. Keep on Brother Yours in truth Tony
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Bravo; I've been reading this several times a day and I noticed that my contemplation-meditation is deepening. The food has been prepared and served. All I need to do is eat and digest. Powerful stuff. Beats the hell out of any sweat lodge.
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'I am That' is my favorite spiritual book, very clear and insightful.
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It's my favorite too! I think its the best spiritual book out there.
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