Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj — I Am That
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981) of Mumbai is the 20th century's most direct and uncompromising non-dual teacher — whose conversations in 'I Am That' have become a sacred text of modern Advaita.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981) was a Mumbai bidi (cigarette) seller who received instruction from his guru Siddharameshwar Maharaj and recognized his true nature within three years. He spent the rest of his life in a small room above his shop, receiving seekers from around the world in informal conversations. His primary teaching was the identification with 'I am' — the pure sense of existence-consciousness before any content — and the recognition that this 'I am' is not limited to the body-mind. His collected talks (I Am That — recorded by Maurice Frydman, published 1973) became one of the most widely read spiritual texts of the 20th century. His style was direct, uncompromising, and often challenging: he did not comfort but confronted, pushing seekers to investigate their actual experience rather than accept his descriptions. He is considered one of the lineage holders of the Navnath Sampradaya (nine teachers lineage) connected to the teachings of Jnaneshvar.
Give up all questions except one: 'Who am I?' After all, the only fact you are sure of is that you are. The 'I am' is certain. The 'I am this' is not.
Philosopher Rupert Spira — who has emerged as a leading contemporary expositor of Advaita — explicitly acknowledges Nisargadatta as one of his primary influences, and has worked to articulate in Western philosophical language what Nisargadatta expressed with such uncompromising directness.
I Am That