Life Answers: A Complete Audiobook Reading of Sri Nisargadatta Maharajah's I AM THAT Free Association Radio

M: In my world love is the only law. I do not ask for love, I give it. Such is my nature. 

Q: I see you living your life according to a pattern. You run a meditation class in the morning, lecture and have discussions regularly; twice daily there is worship (puja) and religious singing (bhajan) in the evening. You seem to adhere to the routine scrupulously. 

M: The worship and the singing are as I found them and I saw no reason to interfere. The general routine is according to the wishes of the people with whom I happen to live or who come to listen. They are working people, with many obligations and the timings are for their convenience. Some repetitive routine is inevitable. Even animals and plants have their time-tables. 

Q: Yes, we see a regular sequence in all life. Who maintains the order? Is there an inner ruler, who lays down laws and enforces order? 

M: Everything moves according to its nature. Where is the need of a policeman? Every action creates a reaction, which balances and neutralises the action. Everything happens, but there is a continuous cancelling out, and in the end it is as if nothing happened. 

Q: Do not console me with final harmonies. The accounts tally, but the loss is mine. 

M: Wait and see. You may end up with a profit good enough to justify the outlays.

Q: What is necessary?
M: To grow is necessary. To outgrow is necessary. To leave behind the good for the sake of the better is necessary.
Q: To what end?
M: The end is in the beginning. You end where you start — in the Absolute.
Q: Why all this trouble then? To come back to where I started?
M: Whose trouble? Which trouble? Do you pity the seed that is to grow and multiply till it becomes a mighty forest? Do you kill an infant to save him from the bother of living? What is wrong with life, ever more life? Remove the obstacles to growing and all your personal, social, economic and political problems will just dissolve. The universe is perfect as a whole and the part's striving for perfection is a way of joy. Willingly sacrifice the imperfect to the perfect and there will be no more talk about good and evil.
Q: Yet we are afraid of the better and cling to the worse.
M: This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.

Q: Do you advise shunning pleasure and pursuing pain? 

M: No, nor pursuing pleasure and shunning pain. Accept both as they come, enjoy both while they last, let them go, as they must. 

Q: How can I possibly enjoy pain? Physical pain calls for action. 

M: Of course. And so does Mental. The bliss is in the awareness of it, in not shrinking, or in any way turning away from it. All happiness comes from awareness. The more we are conscious, the deeper the joy. Acceptance of pain, non-resistance, courage and endurance — these open deep and perennial sources of real happiness, true bliss. 

Q: Why should pain be more effective than pleasure? 

M: Pleasure is readily accepted, while all the powers of the self reject pain. As the acceptance of pain is the denial of the self, and the self stands in the way of true happiness, the wholehearted acceptance of pain releases the springs of happiness. 

Q: Does the acceptance of suffering act the same way? 

Q: Must I not examine the teacher before I put myself entirely into his hands?
M: By all means examine! But what can you find out? Only as he appears to you on your own level.
Q: I shall watch whether he is consistent, whether there is harmony between his life and his teaching.
M: You may find plenty of disharmony — so what? It proves nothing. Only motives matter. How will you know his motives?
Q: I should at least expect him to be a man of self-control who lives a righteous life.
M: Such you will find many — and of no use to you. A Guru can show the way back home, to your real self. What has this to do with the character, or temperament of the person he appears to be? Does he not clearly tell you that he is not the person? The only way you can judge is by the change in yourself when you are in his company. If you feel more at peace and happy, if you understand yourself with more than usual clarity and depth, it means you have met the right man. Take your time, but once you have made up your mind to trust him, trust him absolutely and follow every instruction fully and faithfully. It does not matter much if you do not accept him as your Guru and are satisfied with his company only. Satsang alone can also take you to your goal, provided it is unmixed and undisturbed. But once you accept somebody as your Guru, listen, remember and obey. Half-heartedness is a serious drawback and the cause of much self-created sorrow. The mistake is never the Guru's; it is always the obtuseness and cussedness of the discipline that is at fault.
Q: Does the Guru then dismiss, or disqualify a disciple?
M: He would not be a Guru if he did! He bides his time and waits till the disciple, chastened and sobered, comes back to him in a more receptive mood.
Q: What is the motive? Why does the Guru take so much trouble?
M: Sorrow and the ending of sorrow. He sees people suffering in their dreams and he wants them to wake up. Love is intolerant of pain and suffering. The patience of a Guru has no limits and, therefore, it cannot be defeated. The Guru never fails.
Q: Is my first Guru also my last, or do I have to pass from Guru to Guru?
M: The entire universe is your Guru. You learn from everything, if you are alert and intelligent. Were your mind clear and your heart clean, you would learn from every passer-by;. It is because you are indolent or restless, that your inner Self manifests as the outer Guru and makes you trust him and obey.
Q: Is a Guru inevitable?
M: It is like asking 'Is a mother inevitable?' To rise in consciousness from one dimension to another, you need help. The help may not always be in the shape of a human person, it may be a subtle presence, or a spark of intuition, but help must come. The inner Self is watching and waiting for the son to return to his father. At the right time he arranges everything affectionately and effectively. Where a messenger is needed, or a guide, he sends the Guru to do the needful.

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It's early morning, no one is awakeI'm back at my cliff, still throwing things offI listen to the sounds they make on their way downI follow with my eyes 'til they crashI Imagine what my body would sound like slamming against those rocksAnd when it landsWill my eyes be closed or open?I go through all thisBefore you wake upSo I can feel happierTo be safe up here with youI go through all thisBefore you wake upSo I can feel happierTo be safe up here with youI go through all thisBefore you wake upSo I can feel happierTo be safe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with youSafe up here with you

Q: I find it hard to grasp what exactly do you mean by saying that you are neither the object nor the subject. At this very moment, as we talk, am I not the object of your experience, and you the subject? M: Look, my thumb touches my forefinger. Both touch and are touched. When my attention; is on the thumb, the thumb is the feeler and the forefinger — the self. Shift the focus of attention and the relationship is reversed. I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness — love; you may give it any name you like. Love says: 'I am everything'. Wisdom says: 'I am nothing' Between the two my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and the object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both.

[INT. LARRY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY]

Larry David sits across from an enigmatic, serene guest, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, who's unfazed by the trivialities of Hollywood. Jeff, curious, joins with a sandwich in hand.

LARRY: (Confused) So, you're saying when someone dies, it's all about what they believe? What about afterlife specials?

MAHARAJ: As life before death is imagination, so is life after. The dream continues.

Jeff nearly chokes on his sandwich, bewildered.

JEFF: (To Maharaj) And what about you? You just... don't die?

MAHARAJ: The jnani never dies because he was never born.

Larry and Jeff exchange looks of utter confusion.

LARRY: (Sarcastically) Oh, great, so you're just floating around, not being born or dying. Must be nice.

[CUT TO: INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY]

Larry tries to explain Maharaj's philosophy to Leon, who's more interested in his coffee.

LARRY: He says we're all just consciousness. No birth, no death.

LEON: So, what, we're just in a big-ass dream? Man, I've had some messed up dreams. No way this is one.

LARRY: Exactly! And apparently, I'm building walls by thinking we're different.

LEON: Larry, you build walls with everyone. That's your thing.

[CUT TO: INT. LARRY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY]

Larry, now more agitated, confronts Maharaj again, with a group of friends gathered, including Ted Danson.

LARRY: So, if we're all just dreaming, why bother with anything? Why not just... float around?

MAHARAJ: You are the world, and the world is you. When you see the world in yourself, you see it as it truly is.

Ted nods, pretending to understand, while sipping his drink.

TED DANSON: (Trying to sound profound) It's like we're all part of this big, cosmic soup.

LARRY: Cosmic soup? We talking about soup now?

[CUT TO: INT. GOLF CLUB - DAY]

Larry attempts to share his newfound "wisdom" with Richard Lewis who's having none of it.

LARRY: It's all about awareness, Richard. I'm trying to broaden mine.

RICHARD LEWIS: Larry, the only thing you're aware of is where your next "issue" is coming from.

LARRY: (Frustrated) No, it's about seeing the fiery point of awareness. Like an incense stick burning down.

RICHARD LEWIS: So, what? Now you're going to set the club on fire to find your inner spark?

[CUT TO: INT. LARRY'S LIVING ROOM - EVENING]

A final meeting with Maharaj, Larry's frustration peaks.

LARRY: So, let me get this straight. We're all just part of this... awareness , and nothing really matters?

MAHARAJ: In essence, yes. But understanding your true self is what matters.

LARRY: (Exasperated) I'm more confused than when we started.

MAHARAJ: That confusion is also part of the dream.

LARRY: Great, so I'm dreaming. Maybe I'll dream myself into a world where people don't park in two spaces.

MAHARAJ: (Smiling) That would be a dream indeed.

[CUT TO: EXT. LARRY'S HOUSE - DAY]

Larry, inspired yet bewildered by Maharaj's teachings, decides to live life more "aware." He immediately trips over his own feet and sprains his ankle.

LARRY: (To himself) So much for awareness.





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For the episode inspired by Maharaj's teachings, here are the Hindu philosophical terms explained:


Jnani: A person of knowledge, particularly in the spiritual context of one who has realized the ultimate truth, Brahman, and has thereby transcended the ego and the cycle of birth and death.


Brahman: The ultimate reality or universal consciousness in Hindu philosophy, Brahman is considered the supreme, unchanging reality, amidst and beyond the world, which is the source of all that exists.


Consciousness (Chit): In Hindu philosophy, consciousness is not merely awareness or wakefulness but the fundamental aspect of existence, the essence of self and the universe.


Awareness: In the context of the dialogue, it refers to a state of being fully present and conscious of one's inner self and the outer world without being caught up in the mind's narratives or identifications.