Biography
Nisargadatta Maharaj was an Indian spiritual teacher who lived and taught in the bustling city of Mumbai. A simple shopkeeper who sold bidis (Indian cigarettes), he received initiation from his guru Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj and attained realization within three years of dedicated practice.
Unlike many teachers who withdrew from worldly life, Nisargadatta continued running his small shop while receiving seekers in his modest apartment. His teachings were recorded in the book "I Am That," which has become one of the most influential spiritual texts of the modern era, introducing countless Western seekers to non-dual wisdom.
His teaching style was direct and uncompromising, often challenging students' assumptions and pointing relentlessly to that which exists prior to consciousness itself. He emphasized the importance of staying with the sense "I Am" as the gateway to recognizing one's true nature beyond all states and experiences.
Teaching and methods
Abidance in "I Am": Nisargadatta taught seekers to hold onto the pure sense of being—the feeling "I Am" before it becomes "I am this" or "I am that." Through sustained attention to this primal sense of existence, one eventually recognizes what lies beyond even this sense. He emphasized understanding over practice, urging students to investigate their assumptions about reality and identity until the truth becomes self-evident.
Selected quotes
“ Work neither for yourself nor for others, but for the work's own sake. A thing worth doing is its own purpose and meaning. Make nothing a means to something else. ”
“ Leave it all behind you. Forget it. Go forth, unburdened with ideas and beliefs. ”
“ Once you realise that all comes from within, that the world in which you live has not been projected onto you but by you, your fear comes to an end. It is only when you fully accept your responsibility for the little world in which you live, and watch the process of its creation, preservation and destruction, that you may be free from your imaginary bondage. ”