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Introduction
As is well-known to many spiritual seekers, non-duality is a spiritual teaching with ancient roots. Often, it is also referred to with the Sanskrit term "Advaita".

The sole purpose of the blog is to share information and references to such material and websites as have been of great use to myself. I have in no way any desire to pretend to be an "expert" in this field of knowledge.

If you have questions, you are welcome to e-mail me at citron16@gmail.com

Non-duality puts an end to all spiritual searching. As Nisargadatta Maharaj pointed out, "the seeker is the sought". Why seek "liberation from bondage", when there is in truth no bondage and nothing to liberate?

Friday 3 September 2010

Nisargadatta Maharaj

The Indian teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981) definitely occupies a key position within the advaita (non-duality) teaching. There can also be no doubt that contemporary teachers such as Bob Adamson are heavily "indebted" to Nisargadatta. In my opinion, you are likely to be more than amply rewarded, if you use the necessary time and energy on studying Nisargadatta's teaching. In the beginning of your study, the reading may appear more difficult to grasp than, for instance, the books with Bob Adamson or John Wheeler. But it pays off to read the Nisargadatta material over and over again, until there is a clear understanding of the essence of it. Or maybe the understanding is there right away!

In, for example, the book "I Am That", you can read a short biography on Nisargadatta, among other things about his meeting with his guru Siddharameshwar Maharaj in the years 1933-36. For many years and right up to his death in 1981, Nisargadatta received spiritual seekers under very modest circumstances in his home in Mumbai (Bombay). And it is precisely his answers to seekers' questions that take up almost all the space in the books about him. Nisargadatta never wrote anything himself, so we can be grateful to among others Maurice Frydman and Ramesh Balsekar for recording a wealth of his statements.

Undoubtedly, the most well-known book with questions and answers from Nisargadatta is the above-mentioned "I Am That". A highly recommendable classic.

Personally, however, I am even more enthusiastic about the books "The Nectar Of Immortality" and "The Ultimate Medicine". Both books contain talks with Nisargadatta Maharaj from the last years (around 1979-81) before his death. As it is put forward in the preface to "The Ultimate Medicine", these books are "characterized by Maharaj's desire, in the waning days of his life, to address only the key issues involved and to do so on the deepest level possibile". It is simply precious to see the core of Nisargadatta's teaching presented in such a condensed form.

In the years of 1976-77, Mark West from Australia attended numerous conversations with Nisargadatta in Mumbai and fortunately for all the rest of us, recorded a large number of his statements. Mark has published these statements in "Gleanings from Nisargadatta", which provides an excellent opportunity to familiarize oneself with Nisargadatta's teaching. Also, it's a pleasure to read Marks' introductory comments on how the book came about and why this teaching is so precious, in his view.

If it appeals to you to view photographs of Nisargadatta accompanied by short statements from him, I can recommend the beautiful "The Wisdom-Teachings of Nisargadatta Maharaj - A Visual Journey". This is a heart-warming book, which also contains a good short biography on Nisargadatta and a brief note on his teachings. It needs to be said, however, that the statements are taken out of their individual context and, to get a more complete impression of Nisargadatta's teaching, I would say it is a good idea to also dedicate time to the above-mentioned "I Am That", "The Nectar Of Immortality" and "The Ultimate Medicine".

As it appears from searching on Google, Nisargadatta Maharaj is mentioned on innumerable websites, none of which may be said to be an "official homepage" for Nisargadatta, to my knowledge. There is a particular website that appeals to me especially because of its quotes from Nisargadatta - here it is. In the initial paragraph on this site, it is particularly beautiful to read how Nisargadatta in a comparatively short time became "enlightened" by simply following his guru's instructions on holding on to the sense of "I Am".

On YouTube, you can find video recordings with Nisargadatta - here is an example.

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