Sri Ramakant Maharaj USA visit on 10th Sep,2016
Sri Ramakant Maharaj USA visit on 10th Sep,2016 * * *
" In our lineage,
Bhausaheb Maharaj, Nisargadatta Maharaj
strictly instructed all disciples
not to expect/demand money from any devotee.
Knowledge is free.
There should be no marketing,
no commercialization of knowledge.
It is my duty to share knowledge. "
~ Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Bhausaheb Maharaj, Nisargadatta Maharaj
strictly instructed all disciples
not to expect/demand money from any devotee.
Knowledge is free.
There should be no marketing,
no commercialization of knowledge.
It is my duty to share knowledge. "
~ Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Sri Ramakant Maharaj will be holding Satsang
OneCircle Center
3804 Littleton Street
Silver Spring, MD 20906
Friday, September 16: 7:30-9:00 PM
Saturday, September 17: 5-7 PM
Sunday, September 18: 11 AM – 1 PM
OneCircle Center
3804 Littleton Street
Silver Spring, MD 20906
Friday, September 16: 7:30-9:00 PM
Saturday, September 17: 5-7 PM
Sunday, September 18: 11 AM – 1 PM
For details visit : www.ramakantmaharaj.net
(Shri Ramakant Maharaj, a direct disciple of Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj, was with the Master for almost 20 years.
Shri Ramakant Maharaj received the Naam Mantra from Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj on 2nd October 1962, over 50 years ago.
A unique opportunity to receive Direct Knowledge from a Living Master.)
Shri Ramakant Maharaj received the Naam Mantra from Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj on 2nd October 1962, over 50 years ago.
A unique opportunity to receive Direct Knowledge from a Living Master.)
*** “I AM” Mediation ***
Q. What exactly is ‘I am’ in simple words, and what is it not?
Ramakant Maharaj : 'I am' is an indication of your Spontaneous, Anonymous Presence,
but it is without any shape, without any colour.
Names are given to ‘Atma’, ‘Paramatma’, ‘God’,
just to understand, to communicate.
Reality is beyond imagination.
There should not be any confusion.
It sounds like some people have created a special house for ‘I am'.
At the advanced stage, ‘I am’ is also illusion.
but it is without any shape, without any colour.
Names are given to ‘Atma’, ‘Paramatma’, ‘God’,
just to understand, to communicate.
Reality is beyond imagination.
There should not be any confusion.
It sounds like some people have created a special house for ‘I am'.
At the advanced stage, ‘I am’ is also illusion.
Again, be clear, there is no ‘I am’, there is no ‘you are’ -
these are words.
Prior to beingness,
you did not know what the ‘I’ or the ‘you’ was.
What has happened is that
you are artificially moulding yourself,
saying ‘I am’ somebody else (an individual),
and in the light of that knowledge thinking and meditating on ‘I am’.
these are words.
Prior to beingness,
you did not know what the ‘I’ or the ‘you’ was.
What has happened is that
you are artificially moulding yourself,
saying ‘I am’ somebody else (an individual),
and in the light of that knowledge thinking and meditating on ‘I am’.
You are limiting your Reality by naming it, enclosing it.
Remember, ‘I am’ is a concept.
We are just using words to try and understand,
exchanging words through which we are inviting attention of the Invisible, Anonymous Listener within you.
All words are used for the purpose of understanding.
Remember, ‘I am’ is a concept.
We are just using words to try and understand,
exchanging words through which we are inviting attention of the Invisible, Anonymous Listener within you.
All words are used for the purpose of understanding.
Try to know your identity.
Try to know your Unidentifiable Identity.
The knower will disappear.
Trying to know Ultimate Truth,
the knower will disappear. No knowledge, no knower.
"You are limiting your Reality by naming it."
Try to know your Unidentifiable Identity.
The knower will disappear.
Trying to know Ultimate Truth,
the knower will disappear. No knowledge, no knower.
"You are limiting your Reality by naming it."
Q. The understanding is that ‘I Am’ is very deep…
Ramkant Maharaj :
Who is understanding that 'I' am understanding?
Who is understanding that?
All this requires Presence,
but your Presence is not any shape or form. It is formless.
No beingness, no non-beingness,
no consciousness, no unconsciousness, no awareness,
no unawareness.
Who is understanding that 'I' am understanding?
Who is understanding that?
All this requires Presence,
but your Presence is not any shape or form. It is formless.
No beingness, no non-beingness,
no consciousness, no unconsciousness, no awareness,
no unawareness.
No knower, no knowledge, etc.
You are neglecting the that which already exists within you,
the Formless, Invisible Unidentified Identity.
You are That. You are Brahman, Atman. ‘I’ is just like the sky. Does the sky say ‘I am’?
Sky is totally unaware of its existence.
Likewise, your Presence is totally unaware of your existence.
You are neglecting the that which already exists within you,
the Formless, Invisible Unidentified Identity.
You are That. You are Brahman, Atman. ‘I’ is just like the sky. Does the sky say ‘I am’?
Sky is totally unaware of its existence.
Likewise, your Presence is totally unaware of your existence.
All these words are body-knowledge.
Beingness is also illusion.
Who says beingness and non-beingness?
When you came across with the body you created a big illusionary field:
beingness, non-beingness, awareness, unawareness, consciousness.
You are roaming in the field and trying to extract knowledge.
Come out of the field! Be brave, be courageous!
"You are roaming in a big illusionary field and trying to extract knowledge."
Beingness is also illusion.
Who says beingness and non-beingness?
When you came across with the body you created a big illusionary field:
beingness, non-beingness, awareness, unawareness, consciousness.
You are roaming in the field and trying to extract knowledge.
Come out of the field! Be brave, be courageous!
"You are roaming in a big illusionary field and trying to extract knowledge."
Q. Has the ‘I Am’ practice maybe been taken too literally and grown out of proportion?
There is a lot of confusion around it, a third of a century since Nisargadatta Maharaj’s passing.
It has perhaps ballooned into something?
There is a lot of confusion around it, a third of a century since Nisargadatta Maharaj’s passing.
It has perhaps ballooned into something?
Ramakant Maharaj : What happens is that devotees read books,
and on the basis of their reading, they form a square,
and then they expect answers from within the square.
"Master is not in the square,he is out of the square."
and on the basis of their reading, they form a square,
and then they expect answers from within the square.
"Master is not in the square,he is out of the square."
So you have to leave all that.
Whatever is realized from the existence of the body (body-knowledge), is illusion.
You have brought yourself into the confusion field,
using confusing words.
You are a victim of your own ideas, your own concepts:
‘I am’ ‘you are’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘Brahman’.
Whatever is realized from the existence of the body (body-knowledge), is illusion.
You have brought yourself into the confusion field,
using confusing words.
You are a victim of your own ideas, your own concepts:
‘I am’ ‘you are’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘Brahman’.
Q. When we abide in ‘I Am’ , well, how are we to stay, or go beyond, ‘I Am’?
Ramakant Maharaj. Forget about spiritual talk.
To say ‘I’ is ego.
Why are you trying to remain in/as I?
It means you are taking some ego, and saying "I am somebody else". "I am", this means you are somebody else,
and you are to stay like this, (eyes closed), ‘I’.
This is duality.
To say ‘I’ is ego.
Why are you trying to remain in/as I?
It means you are taking some ego, and saying "I am somebody else". "I am", this means you are somebody else,
and you are to stay like this, (eyes closed), ‘I’.
This is duality.
You have not to make any efforts.
In the beginning, you are to accept that your ‘I am’ is in existence, and that you know ‘I am’ through the body only.
It is an open fact that the body is not your identity.
But while remaining in the ‘I am’,
you are considering yourself as somebody else and,
with the subtle ego,
you are staying as “I Am”.
This is not the Ultimate Truth and will not give you happiness.
In the beginning, you are to accept that your ‘I am’ is in existence, and that you know ‘I am’ through the body only.
It is an open fact that the body is not your identity.
But while remaining in the ‘I am’,
you are considering yourself as somebody else and,
with the subtle ego,
you are staying as “I Am”.
This is not the Ultimate Truth and will not give you happiness.
Your Presence is spontaneous – don’t think, don’t apply the intellect. To stay in the ‘I am’, how to stay there?
This is all illusion.
You are already in that. It is already within you.
But you are trying deliberately to remain in the ‘I am’.
This is all illusion.
You are already in that. It is already within you.
But you are trying deliberately to remain in the ‘I am’.
I am somebody else, and I am to remain in the ‘I am’.
Illusory concept! Be as it is! Reality!
Don't think, don’t pressure the brain.
The spontaneous feeling is just that, "I am", there is no concept.
Illusory concept! Be as it is! Reality!
Don't think, don’t pressure the brain.
The spontaneous feeling is just that, "I am", there is no concept.
As Nisargadatta Maharaj says: What is this body?
Just glimpses of “I”. Just the glimpses of ‘I’ which has no shape, no colour, no witness, no experiencer, just,
Maharaj holds his hands up, relaxes and, says ‘I’.
We’re trying to experience ‘I’, to be Brahman,
Atman, and to do that, you are having to be somebody else.
Just glimpses of “I”. Just the glimpses of ‘I’ which has no shape, no colour, no witness, no experiencer, just,
Maharaj holds his hands up, relaxes and, says ‘I’.
We’re trying to experience ‘I’, to be Brahman,
Atman, and to do that, you are having to be somebody else.
Q. So there is duality, there is a split?
Ramakant Maharaj. Immediately! When you try to stay like that. Why try? "I want to stay as John". I am John.
You are already John.
John is the name which has been given to this body.
It is not your Ultimate Reality.
Similarly, your Spontaneous Presence, existence is without shape.
You are already John.
John is the name which has been given to this body.
It is not your Ultimate Reality.
Similarly, your Spontaneous Presence, existence is without shape.
Q. I think the understanding is that if you stay in the ‘I am’, meditate on the ‘I am’, then you will go beyond the ‘I am’. But it seems we are not managing to go beyond?
"Your Spontaneous Presence, Existence is without shape."
"Your Spontaneous Presence, Existence is without shape."
Ramakant Maharaj. You see, your Spontaneous Existence manifested ,
so without you, there is no focus. When I say ‘I am’,
‘I’ stays there, the subtle ego.
Don’t make any effort.
Don’t take the literal meaning of these spiritual words, rather, take what they are trying to convey.
You cannot realize Presence through the bodily ‘I’.
so without you, there is no focus. When I say ‘I am’,
‘I’ stays there, the subtle ego.
Don’t make any effort.
Don’t take the literal meaning of these spiritual words, rather, take what they are trying to convey.
You cannot realize Presence through the bodily ‘I’.
You are your own Master. So whatever you read or listen, to some extent, it is helpful, but after reaching the Final Destination, you do not need an address.
Don’t take the literal meaning of what the Masters say.
What they want to convey is most important. To remain in ‘I’ is keeping you stuck.
You have created a balloon, a concept out of how to stay?
It's not like that.
Don’t take the literal meaning of what the Masters say.
What they want to convey is most important. To remain in ‘I’ is keeping you stuck.
You have created a balloon, a concept out of how to stay?
It's not like that.
Why remain in the ‘I am’, when you are already there?
All you have to do is realize that the body is not your identity.
You are posing as someone else when you meditate, and therefore the meditation has become dual.
All you have to do is realize that the body is not your identity.
You are posing as someone else when you meditate, and therefore the meditation has become dual.
Q. Why did Nisargadatta Maharaj not make this teaching clearer?
Ramakant Maharaj. Listen to me!
The 'I am' is only an indication, so not to analyze it so much.
This ‘I am’ is also a concept, which maybe has been over-emphasized and misunderstood.
All this meditation, concentration, knowledge, self-inquiry –
these are all only various steps, a process, and through the 'I',
you are coming to the Final Truth. After Conviction, that you are not the body,
there is nothing left to do. Your reaction is Spontaneous Action.
The 'I am' is only an indication, so not to analyze it so much.
This ‘I am’ is also a concept, which maybe has been over-emphasized and misunderstood.
All this meditation, concentration, knowledge, self-inquiry –
these are all only various steps, a process, and through the 'I',
you are coming to the Final Truth. After Conviction, that you are not the body,
there is nothing left to do. Your reaction is Spontaneous Action.
You are already ‘I am’, without saying.
So you just have to know yourself in the real sense because your Spontaneous, Invisible Presence is there,
to whom you are giving the name, ‘I am’. Except your Selfless Self, there is no ‘I am’. So why stay in the little world of ‘I am’?
You are already there.
You are already 24 hrs in the ‘I am’, but you are unaware.
You are 24 hrs together. You are ‘I am’ only.
Why to remain in something that’s artificially created or imagined, guesswork?
Why to remain like that 'I am' in the square?
So you just have to know yourself in the real sense because your Spontaneous, Invisible Presence is there,
to whom you are giving the name, ‘I am’. Except your Selfless Self, there is no ‘I am’. So why stay in the little world of ‘I am’?
You are already there.
You are already 24 hrs in the ‘I am’, but you are unaware.
You are 24 hrs together. You are ‘I am’ only.
Why to remain in something that’s artificially created or imagined, guesswork?
Why to remain like that 'I am' in the square?
So don’t struggle with ‘I am’ - the words are just indications of Ultimate Truth and how that truth is your Identity,
but it is Invisible and Anonymous. So don’t imagine, don’t guess, don’t use logic or intellect.
You are 24 hr Presence, so no need to try to be,
or think of 'I am’ at all.
Don't try to stay as I am
but it is Invisible and Anonymous. So don’t imagine, don’t guess, don’t use logic or intellect.
You are 24 hr Presence, so no need to try to be,
or think of 'I am’ at all.
Don't try to stay as I am
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