In the spring of 2019, I was drawn to purchase “I Am That,” which is considered a spiritual classic. At the time, I was consciously unaware that its content would play such an important role in liberating “me” from “my” life. The book, which relates the wisdom that Sri Nisargatta Maharaj shared with seekers of Truth, has a bold and highly recognizable design–a bright yellow border that surrounds a black inlay, with the title “I AM THAT” in the center. After I finished the book, I immediately began successive readings in which I highlighted quotations that resonated with deep meaning, such as the following:
“Both sleep and waking are misnomers. We are only dreaming. True waking and true sleeping only the gnani [sanskrit, “wise” or “sage”] knows. We dream that we are awake, we dream that we are asleep. The three states are only varieties of dream state. Treating everything as a dream liberates.”
From the materialist paradigm (example or pattern) of reality, the quote will seem ludicrous. After all, this world is real, and we know it—or do we? What could Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj possibly have meant? That we would be perplexed by, or totally discredit, his message is understandable; for we have little or no way to process it. Since our apparent birth, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the “world” in which we rise and shine is comprised of solid matter. However much that we assume this, science has been unable to discover “matter” that exists independent of mind. Perhaps the following quotes will help shine more light on the nature of the world and our essential Being:
“The mind is the creator of everything.”
The Law of Success, by Paramhansa Yogananda
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“Phenomena only ‘exist’ in the mind that perceives them.”
The Tibetan Book of The Dead, by Sogyal Rinpoche
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“All your body sensations, all your visual and audio input, the body itself, all the objects in the room, all the objects in the sky, everything–it all exists in aware [Consciousness].”
Liberation Is, by Salvadore Poe
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“It is not the body that contains Awareness and separates it from the world, but rather our true body, Awareness, that contains the body, mind, and the world.”
The Intimacy of All Experience, by Rupert Spira
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“If you understand that this is all illusion, the body, mind, and all that you see and perceive, then I can say you are on the right path, and you’ve understood yourself.”
Illusion vs Reality, by Shri Ranjit Maharaj
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“This world is a play of the mind.”
Thought Power, by Sri Swami Sivananda
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“The Absolute [Consciousness] is the only reality, all else is unreal.”
Teachings of Ramakrishna, by Sri Ramakrishna
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“The world which is described from observation is a manifestation of the mental activity of the observer.”
Neville Goddard’s Interpretation of Scripture, by Neville Goddard
Humankind’s understanding of the nature of reality has been erroneous for hundreds of years. Do not the occurrences in nighttime dreams seem very real–until you awaken? Such is the case with the continuing drama of “our” life in the waking state. So-called “matter,” our body-minds, and all apparent objects only exist in Consciousness. The brain does not give rise to consciousness (the hard problem of consciousness) ; consciousness gives rise to the apparent brain. Yes, dear readers, this means that YOU are dreaming the reading of this article right now. We are Spirit, eternal, having an apparent human experience within the Divine Matrix. Have you been told stories to the contrary?
Dare to Dream (and care for one another).
With heartfelt regards,
Art
Copyright © – 2022 – R. Arthur Russell
P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡
Think2wice 