Understanding the ‘I Am’ According to Nisargadatta Maharaj

Imagine you’re wearing a mask, but you’ve worn it for so long you’ve forgotten you’re wearing it. You believe the mask is your face, your whole identity. This is a bit like how many of us live, according to Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. We identify with things we’ve acquired or things that happen to us – our bodies, our feelings, our thoughts, our roles in life – and we mistake these for our true self. But Nisargadatta points us to something fundamental, something always present, that is our real identity: the simple sense of being, the feeling “I am.”

The Certainty of ‘I Am’

Nisargadatta asks us to consider what we are truly sure of. While we might doubt many things – whether we are loved, whether the world is real, what the future holds – there is one thing that is absolutely certain: the fact that you exist. This fundamental sense of existing, of being, is the “I am”. It is the very first thing that arises upon waking. Before any thoughts, feelings, or awareness of the body or world appears, the sense ‘I am’ comes first. This simple fact of being is the foundation of all experience.

Mistaking the Mask for the Face: Acquired Identities

While the ‘I am’ is certain, everything we add to it is not. We quickly add qualifications and these self-identifications are misleading because they make us believe we are something we are not.

What are these things we identify with? They are our bodies, our feelings, our thoughts, concepts, ideas, and possessions. These are all things we perceive. And the very act of perceiving something shows that you are not that thing. Just as you are not the objects you see around the room, you are also not the thoughts or feelings you perceive in your mind.

The sources tell us that the body and mind are transient. They are constantly changing, subject to birth and death. Our ideas about ourselves also change from moment to moment. A bereavement, a loss of a job, an insult can deeply change the image we have of ourselves, the “person”. This “person” is seen as a collection of memories and habits, built over time. It’s like a bundle of desires and fears. Because this person is based on things that come and go, it cannot be our true, permanent reality. Identifying with this limited, changeable person is the source of suffering, fear, and a sense of incompleteness.

The Way Back: Questioning and Discarding the False

To find out what you are in reality, we must first investigate and discover what we are not. This process involves questioning and rejecting everything that does not necessarily go with the basic fact “I am”. Nisargadatta encourages us to give up all questions except one: “Who am I?”. By exploring this question, we begin to separate the ‘I am’ from the ‘this’ or ‘that’.

This investigation shows us that on the level of the mind, we can only be described in negative terms – “I am not this, I am not that”. What we truly are cannot be described in positive terms because any description would be based on things we perceive, and we are not what we perceive. This process of seeing the false as false is crucial; it’s described as wisdom or meditation. The clearer we understand this, the quicker we come to the end of our search.

Finding Interest in ‘I Amness’

Since the sense ‘I am’ is always with us, why is it often hidden or overshadowed? Nisargadatta explains that we attach all sorts of things to it – body, feelings, thoughts, ideas. Our mind is usually focused on things, people, and ideas, never on our self. To discover what we are, we must bring our self into focus and become aware of our own existence.

How do we shift our attention to this basic sense of being? Nisargadatta repeatedly advises focusing the mind on “I am”. This can be done by simply holding on to the feeling of “I am,” without adding any descriptions or qualifications. It may feel like a battle with the mind at first, as thoughts rebel, but with patience and perseverance, the mind will yield and become quiet.

This practice of focusing on “I am” is part of what is called sadhana. It is described as a simple, easy, and natural path, sometimes called Nisarga Yoga. It’s about returning to our natural state. Nisargadatta emphasises that earnestness and sincerity are the most important factors in this practice. If you are earnest, the “I am” will come to light.

Stabilising in the Knowledge of Being

By focusing on the sense of “I am,” we start to differentiate it from the stream of thoughts, feelings, and sensations that previously obscured it. We see that the mind produces thoughts constantly, but when we know what is going on in the mind, that’s consciousness. Beyond this conscious stream is awareness, which Nisargadatta describes as a direct insight into the whole of consciousness.

The ‘I am’ is the manifestation of a deeper reality, a cause that can be called the self or reality. It is awareness. It is pure being, without qualities or parts. It is the light in which everything appears. It is the foundation of all existence.

To stabilise in this knowledge of being, the practice of holding on to “I am” is key. It’s like using the thought “I am” as a polishing cloth to cleanse the mirror of the mind. When the mind stays in the ‘I am’ without moving, you enter a state that cannot be put into words but can be experienced. This sustained attention on “I am” helps to dissolve the mind’s restlessness and quieten its activity. It strengthens the mind and clarifies it.

Nisargadatta also suggests watching your mind and body with detachment. This non-identification helps loosen the grip of acquired concepts. As you become aware of your own existence and detach from the contents of consciousness, the sense of being purely the witness, untouched by pleasure or pain, emerges. This state of being the witness is a crucial step.

By persistently returning to the sense of “I am” and letting go of identifications, you move towards your natural state. Nisargadatta describes his own experience of this process: “My teacher told me to hold on to the sense ‘I am’ tenaciously and not to swerve from it even for a moment. I did my best to follow his advice and in a comparatively short time I realised within myself the truth of his teaching”. He also says, “All I did was to remember his teaching, his face, his words constantly. This brought an end to the mind; in the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am”.

Stabilising in the “I am” leads to peace and joy. It is the awareness of being that is bliss. When you know yourself as you are, fears dissolve, desires lose their hold, and you feel complete. This natural happiness is not dependent on external circumstances.

Beyond ‘I Am’: The Ultimate Reality

While the ‘I am’ is the door to reality, Nisargadatta teaching also points to a state beyond even the sense of ‘I am’ or consciousness itself. This is called the Absolute (Paramakash), the Supreme State. This state is described as utterly still and silent, beyond words and concepts. It is pure potentiality, prior to everything.

However, for the beginner, the focus is on the ‘I am’. The sense ‘I am’ is the pointer, the working capital, the door that leads us back to our source.

The Simple Path: Just Be

Nisargadatta’s way, sometimes called Nisarga Yoga, is not about complicated practices or achieving extraordinary states. It’s fundamentally about understanding and being. He tells us, “You are what you are and that is all”. The path is simple: just be. Remove all ideas about yourself. Focus on the simple sense of being: “I am”. Watch your mind without judgment. Abandon desires and fears. This earnestness and patience, this steady attention on the ‘I am’, will naturally lead to the discovery of your true, limitless being.