Focused ‘I am’ Meditation - Nisargadatta Maharaj

Focused ‘I am’ Meditation Based on the teachings of Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Compiled by Pradeep Apte aptep@yahoo.com

1. The ‘I am’ came first, it’s ever present, ever available, refuse all thoughts except ‘I am’, stay there Just stay put firmly and establish yourself in the ‘I am’, reject all that does not go with ‘I am’
2. Consistently and with perseverance separate the ‘I am’ from ‘this’ or ‘that’, just keep in mind the feeling ‘I am’
3. Only the ‘I am’ is certain, it’s impersonal, all knowledge stems from it, it’s the root, hold on to it and let all else go
4. You are sure of the ‘I am’, it’s the totality of being, remember ‘I am’ and it’s enough to heal your mind and take you beyond
5. The ‘I am’ is, it’s ever fresh, all else is inference, when the ‘I am’ goes all that remains is the Absolute
6. Give all you attention to the ‘I am’, which is timeless presence, the ‘I am’ applies to all, come back to it repeatedly
7. Hang to the ‘I am’ and go beyond it, without the ‘I am’ you are at peace and happy
8. Hold on to the ‘I am’ to the exclusion of everything else, the ‘I am’ in movement creates the world, the ‘I am’ at peace becomes the Absolute
9. Immortality is freedom from the feeling ‘I am’, to have that freedom remain in the sense ‘I am’, its simple, its crude, yet it works! 10
10. The ‘I am’ is unreal and real, unreal when identified with body, real when wordless and used to go beyond
11. The ‘I am’ has brought you in, the ‘I am’ will take you out, the ‘I am’ is the door, stay at it! It’s open!
12. You have to be there before you can say ‘I am’, the ‘I am’ is the root of all appearance
13. The ‘I am’ is the permanent link in the succession of events called life, be at the link ‘I am’ only and go beyond it
14. The ‘I am’ is the sum total of all that you perceive, it’s time-bound, the ‘I am’ itself is an illusion, you are not the ‘I am’ you are prior to it
15. The ‘I am’ is your greatest foe and greatest friend, foe when binding to the illusion as body, friend when taking out of the illusion as body
16. The beginning and the end of knowledge is the ‘I am’, be attentive to the ‘I am’, once you understand it, you are apart from it
17. You must meditate on the ‘I am’ without holding on to the body-mind, the ‘I am’ is the first ignorance, persist on it and you will go beyond it
18. Your Guru, your God, is the ‘I am’, with its coming came duality and all activity, stay on the ‘I am’, you are before the ‘I am’ appeared
19. The ‘I am’ concept is the last out post of the illusion, hold on to it, stabilize in the ‘I am’, then you are no more and individual
20. Without doing anything you have the knowledge ‘I am’, it has come spontaneously and unwillingly on you, stay there and put an ax to the ‘I am’
21. Your only capital is the ‘I am’, it’s the only tool you can use to solve the riddle of life, the ‘I am’ is in all and movement inherent in it
22. Only be the ‘I am’, just be, the ‘I am’ has appeared on your homogenous state, the one free of the ‘I am’ is liberated, you are prior to the ‘I am’
23. Worship the indwelling ‘I am’ in you, it is the ‘I am’ that is born, it is the ‘I am’ that will die, you are not that ‘I am’
24. Remain focused on the ‘I am’ till it goes into oblivion, then the eternal is, Absolute is, Parabrahman is
25. The knowledge ‘I am’ is the birth principle, investigate it and you’ll finally stabilize in the Absolute Parabrahman
26. All knowledge including the ‘I am’ is formless, throw out the ‘I am’ and stay put in quietude 27
27. Prior to birth where was the ‘I am’? Don’t contaminate the ‘I am’ with the body idea, I as the Absolute am not the ‘I am’ 28
28. In the absence of ‘I am’ nothing is required, the ‘I am’ will go with the body, what remains is the Absolute
29. You must not only have the conviction that ‘I am’ but also that you are free from the ‘I am’
30. Remember the knowledge ‘I am’ only and give up the rest, staying in the ‘I am’ you would realize that it is unreal
31. Understand that the knowledge ‘I am’ has dawned on you and all are its manifestations, in this understanding you realize you are not the ‘I am’
32. When this concept ‘I am’ departs there would be no memory left that ‘I was’ and ‘I had’ those experiences, the very memory will be erased
33. With the arrival of the primary concept ‘I am’, time began, with its departure time would end; you the Absolute are not the primary concept ‘I am
34. When you know both the ‘I am’ and the ‘I am not’ then you are the Absolute which transcends both knowingness and no-knowingness
35. Appearance and disappearance, birth and death these are qualities of ‘I am’, they do not belong to you, the Absolute
36. Out of the nothingness, the ‘I am’ or beingness has come, there is no individual, the knowledge ‘I am’- not the individual – has to go back to its source
37. By meditating on the knowledge ‘I am’ it gradually settles down at its source and disappears, then, you are the Absolute
38. Go on to know the ‘I am’ without words, you must be that and not deviate from it for even a moment, and then it would disappear
39. With the dropping off of the primary experience ‘I am’ all experiences would vanish and only the Absolute remains
40. On your true state has arisen this subtle principle ‘I am’, which is the cause of all mischief, no ‘I am’, and no question of mischief
41. Whatever you try to become that is not you, before even the words ‘I am’ were said, that is you
42. The root habit is the ‘I am’ and it has arisen from the domain five elements and three qualities which are unreal
43. Abide in the knowledge ‘I am’ without identifying with the body, how did you function before the arrival of the knowledge ‘I am’?
44. The state of being, that is the message ‘I am’, without words, is common to all, change begins only with the mind-flow
45. The belief in the ‘I am’ to be something as a body, as an individual is the cause of all fear, in the absence of the ‘I am’, who is to fear what?
46. Try to stabilize in the primary concept ‘I am’ in order to lose that and be free from all other concepts, in understating the unreality of the ‘I am’ you are totally free
47. Sitting quietly, being one with the knowledge ‘I am’, you would lose all concern with the world, then the ‘I am’ would also go, leaving you as the Absolute
48. Putting aside everything, stabilize in the ‘I am’ - as you continue with this practice – in the process you will transcend the ‘I am’
49. The very core of this consciousness is the quality ‘I am’, there is no personality or individual there, reside there and transcend it
50. Worship the knowledge ‘I am’ as God, as your Guru, the message ‘I am’ is there, the mind-flow is there, stay in the ‘I am’ realize you are neither
51. Presently you are sustaining the memory ‘I am’, you are not that ‘I am’, you are the Absolute prior to that ‘I am’
52. You feel the ‘I am’ due to the five elements and three qualities, they gone the ‘I am’ goes but you are still there
53. Keep focused on the ‘I am’ till you become a witness to it, then you stand apart, you have reached the highest
54. This knowledge ‘I am’ has come out of the state prior to it and now is the cause of all suffering, before the ‘I am’ came you were happy, so revert
55. When you remain in the ‘I am’ you will realize everything else is useless, and then you are Parabrahman, the Absolute
56. The One who abides in that principle by which he knows ‘I am’ knows all and does not require anything
57. Just sit and know that ‘you are’, the ‘I am’ without words, nothing else has to be done; shortly you will arrive to your natural Absolute state
58. Erroneously you have handed over this knowledge ‘I am’ to the body thereby reduced the limitless to the limited; hence you are afraid of dying
59. You have to realize that you are not the body or the knowledge ‘I am’, you as the Absolute are neither, nor do you require them
60. Inquire into the validity of the fundamental concept of you individuality the ‘I am’ and it will disappear, then you are Parabrahman, the Absolute
61. The essential thing to be convinced about is that the original concept ‘I am’ is false, only accept that which is conducive to this development
62. Before you occurred to yourself as ‘I am’ you were the highest - Parabrahman – now, until the impurity of ‘I am the body’ goes stay put in the ‘I am’ quietude
63. Your fall started with the appearance of ‘I am’, then you blundered by embracing the body as ‘I am’, all that gathered thereafter is unreal
64. This is no joke, but you can become Parabrahman right now! You are Parabrahman right now! Just focus your attention on the ‘I am’
65. Who has the knowledge ‘I am’? Somebody in you knows the knowledge ‘I am’, ‘you are’, who is it?
66. Who can know the illusory state ‘I am’? Only a non-illusory state can do so, it’s the Awareness, the Parabrahman, or the Absolute
67. The primary concept ‘I am’ is dishonest, a cheat, it has deceived you, into believing what is not, sharply focus on the ‘I am’ and it’ll disappear
68. Finally you have to transcend the ‘I am’ to enter the concept-free Parabrahman state, where you do not even know you are!
69. The Absolute or the Parabrahman is prior to the ‘I am’, it’s the unborn state, so how can it have the knowledge ‘I am’?
70. Presently whatever you know is the ‘I am’ which is a product of the five elements, three qualities or the food body, but you are none of these
71. One who has realized the knowledge ‘I am’ which means transcending it as well, for him there is no birth or death nor any karma
72. The primary illusion is only this knowingness ‘I am’; it is liberation when the knowingness is transformed to nonknowingness
73. You are even before even you could say the words ‘I am’, witnessing happens to the state prior to your saying the words ‘I am’
74. When the body dies the ‘I am’ goes into oblivion, only the Absolute remains, stay put there, nothing happens to you the Absolute
75. From non-being to being, how is it known? It’s by the knowledge ‘I am’, stay there in the ‘I am’, then you’ll revert from being to non-being
76. Right now, here, you are the Absolute, the Parabrahman, very firmly hold on to the ‘I am’, ever abide in it and it’ll dissolve, then you are as you are
77. On the state of non-beingness, beingness as the ‘I am’ has occurred, who that is not important, the ‘I am’ is important, stay there
78. First came the ‘aham’ as ‘I am’, then ‘aham-akar’ (identification with body, ego), now revert back to ‘aham’, dwelling there realize ‘ahambrahmasmi’
79. You are neither the ‘I am’ nor the activities carried out by the beingness, you as the Absolute are none of these
80. With the transcendence of the knowledge ‘I am’, the Absolute prevails. The state is called Parabrahman, while the knowledge ‘I am’ is Brahman
81. How were you prior to the message ‘I am’? In the absence of the message ‘I am’ only my eternal Absolute state prevails
82. Who would have witnessed the message ‘I am’, if your prior state of non-beingness were not there?
83. A true devotee, by abiding in the knowledge ‘I am’, transcends the experience of death and attains immortality
84. Hold on to this knowingness ‘I am’ without words and every secret of your existence would be revealed to you
85. What is it in you that understands this knowledge ‘I am’ without a name, title or word? Subside in that innermost center and witness the knowledge ‘I am’
86. Totally accept the knowledge ‘I am’ as oneself and with full conviction and faith and firmly believe in the dictum ‘I am that by which I know I am’
87. Reality prevails prior to the knowledge ‘I am’; you must stay put at the source of your creation, at the beginning of the knowledge ‘I am’
88. When one is established in the final free Absolute state, the knowledge ‘I am’ becomes ‘non-knowledge’
89. The first witnessing is that of ‘I am’, the primary prerequisite for all further witnessing, but to whom is the first witnessing of ‘I am’ occurring?
90. The borderline of ‘I am’ (beingness) and ‘I am not’ (non-beingness} is the precise location where the intellect subsides, its’ the ‘maha-yoga’ state, be there
91. Recognize the Atman by understanding the knowledge ‘I am’, the Atma-jnana, which is all pervading, limitless and infinite
92. To abide in the knowledge ‘I am’ is one’s true religion, give the highest honor due to it, doing so you will not undergo suffering or death
93. Who says ‘I was not’ and ‘I would not be’ like the present ‘I am’? He is the one who was, is, and would be forever
94. When you say ‘I was not prior to conception’ you actually mean not like the present ‘I am’, but the one to discern the absence of the present ‘I am’ was there
95. Catch hold of the knowledge ‘I am’ in meditation and the realization would occur that ‘I’ the Absolute am not the ‘guna’ ‘I am’
96. Do nothing but stay in the knowledge ‘I am’ – the ‘moolmaya’ – the primary illusion, and then it will release its stranglehold on you and get lost
97. In deep meditation, infused only with the knowledge ‘I am’, it would be intuitively revealed to you as to how this ‘I amness’ came to be
98. The knowledge ‘I am’ means consciousness, God, Guru, Ishwara, but you the Absolute are none of these

99. OM
100. You have to understand that the ‘I am’ is even before the arising of any words, thoughts or feelings
101. The indwelling principle ‘I am’ is common to all and has no attributes; it is the principle of the whole functioning
102. Identify yourself with the highest principle in you which is the knowledge ‘I am’ This will elevate you to the status of ‘Brihaspati’ – the guru of gods
103. This knowingness ‘I am’ that came spontaneously and you felt gradually is the ignorant-child-principle, the ‘Balkrishna’ state
104. This ‘I am’ or Balkrishna state has great potential. Here ‘Bal’ means the child food body and ‘Krishna’ means ‘nonknowing’
105. To do away with body-mind sense or identity, imbibe or dwell in the ‘I am’, later the ‘I am’ would merge in the ultimate nature
106. The highest type of rest is when ‘I am’ and ‘I am not’ both are forgotten. It is called ‘Param Vishranti’, which means ultimately forget everything in the end
107. Having acquired and understood the knowledge ‘I am’ stay there in seclusion and don’t wander around here and there
108. Once you stabilize in the ‘I am’ you will realize that it is not the eternal state. But you are eternal and ancient
109. The sequence is ‘I am’- the witness – to the whole manifestation, it occurs simultaneously. The ‘I am’ subsiding, what remains? You are ‘That’
110. What I say is simple, when the ‘I am’ arises, everything appears, when ‘I am’ subsides everything disappears
111. You want me to say something about the post-‘I am’- manifestation, while I am driving you to the pre-‘I am’- Absolute
112. I am not telling you what the real is, because words negate that. Whatever I am telling you is not the truth because it has come from the ‘I am’
113. I take you to the source ‘I am’ again and again, on reaching and stabilizing there you realize there is no ‘I am’! 114
114. There is no explanation how this seed, this consciousness or the knowledge ‘I am’ has arisen. But once come it keeps humming through the ‘gunas’
115. You must know how this ‘I am’ came about as it is the only thing by which you can unravel the whole mystery
116. On your pure Absoluteness which is without form or shape, came this knowledge ‘I am’, which is also without shape and form
117. This knowledge ‘I am’ has spontaneously ‘appeared’ on your Absolute state, therefore it is an illusion
118. This knowledge ‘I am’, the ‘sattva’ cannot tolerate itself, so it needs the ‘rajas’(doing) and ‘tamas’(claiming doership) for sustenance
119. The only ‘sadhana’ (practice) is to think: I am not the body, but I am the formless, nameless knowledge ‘I am’ indwelling in this body
120. When you abide for a sufficiently long time in the ‘I am’, the knowledge ‘I am’ itself will make everything clear to you. No external knowledge will be necessary
121. Conviction is the only technique and the only initiation by the guru is: you are not the body but only the ‘I am’ without words
122. When you clearly see that it is the ‘I am’ that is born, you stand apart from it as the unborn
123. Once the ‘I am’ goes what remains is the Original which is unconditioned, without attributes or identity, it is called ‘Parabrahma, or the Absolute
124. The absence of ‘I am’ is not experienced by ‘someone’; it has to be understood in a manner as the experiencer and experience are one
125. The knowledge ‘I am’ that appeared in childhood is a cheat as it made you believe the illusion to be true
126. This knowledge ‘I am’ has dawned on you, thereafter witnessing began. That ‘One’ to whom the witnessing takes place is separate from the witnessed
127. Meditation is this knowledge ‘I am’, this consciousness, meditating on itself and unfolding its own meaning
128. When you meditate on the knowledge ‘I am’, how can there be any questions at this point? As it is the beginning of knowledge
129. Use name, form and design only for worldly activities; otherwise just hold on to the knowledge ‘I am’ without body sense – beyond name, form or design
130. There are no techniques except the technique that ‘I am’ the firm conviction that ‘I am’ means ‘I am’ only
131. This conviction can be strengthened by meditation and meditation means when the knowledge ‘I am’ remains in that knowledge
132. The greatest miracle is that you got the news ‘I am’, it’s self-evident. Prior to knowing that ‘you are’ what knowledge did you have?
133. Meditation means to have an objective or hold something, you are that something. Just being the being ‘I am’
134. It is not with the body identification that you should sit for meditation. It is the knowledge ‘I am’ that is meditating on itself
135. When this ‘I am’ or conscious presence merges in itself and disappears the state of ‘Samadhi’ ensues
136. In the womb the knowledge ‘I am’ is in a dormant condition. It is the birth principle which contains everything
137. The birth principle is ‘Turiya’ (the fourth state) which means where the consciousness is 138
138. The experience that ‘I am’ or you exist is ‘Turiya’. One who knows ‘Turiya’ is ‘Turiyatita’ (beyond the fourth state), which is my state
139. ‘Turiya’ or ‘I am’ is within the consciousness which is the product of five elements
140. In order to stabilize in the ‘I am’ or ‘Turiya’ you must understand this birth principle
141. ‘Turiya’ or ‘I am’ is always described as the witness state that sees through the waking, dreaming and sleeping. And ‘Turiyatita’ is even beyond that
142. In the absence of the basic concept ‘I am’, there is no thought, no awareness, and no consciousness of one’s existence
143. Together with the body and the indwelling principle ‘I am’ everything is. Prior to that what was there?
144. Hang on to the ‘I am’ which is your only capital, meditate on it, and let that unfold all the knowledge that has to come
145. You should identify yourself only with this indwelling knowledge ‘I am’. That is all
146. Sit for meditation by identifying with the ‘I am’, dwell only on the ‘I am’- not merely the words ‘I am’
147. Forget all about physical disciplines in this connection and just be with that knowledge ‘I am’
148. Do you require any special effort to know that ‘you are’? The ‘I am’ without words itself is God
149. You must fulfill the vow that I am not the body but the indwelling principle ‘I am’ only
150. Once you become the ‘I am’ it will reveal all the knowledge and you need not go to anybody
151. The primary concept ‘I am’ appears spontaneously and is the source of all concepts, so everything is mental entertainment
152. This memory ‘I am’ is neither true nor false, it is without these two attributes. That memory of beingness only appears to exist
153. The ‘I am’ itself is the world, go to the source and find out how it appeared and when
154. The conviction that the ‘I am’ and the world never existed can happen only to ‘Parabrahman’ (The Absolute)
155. To stabilize in the ‘I am’ which has no name and form is itself liberation
156. The knowledge that is prior to thought – ‘I am’ – is covered by a human body which food with the vital breath and knowledge of the Self (Prana and Jnana)
157. Once you reach the state of ‘I am’ and are aware of that only you will have transcended all the tendencies (‘Vasanas’)
158. Be one with the Self, the ‘I am’, if necessary discard the words ‘I am’, even without them you know ‘you are’
159. The ‘I am’ is the awareness before thoughts it cannot be put into words; you have to ‘just be’
160. The ‘I am’ in you came from the ‘I am’ in your parents but only then could they be called parents!
161. The ‘I am’ is the divinity in you and cause of the sacred repetition (‘Japa’) in you breath of ‘So Hum’ (I am ‘That’)
162. The Absolute doesn’t know that ‘It is’, only when the knowledge ‘I am’ spontaneously appeared it knew ‘It is’
163. Become initiated into the understanding of what I am expounding to you; I am telling about the seed of ‘Brahman’ or ‘I am’ that I am planting in you
164. That ‘Brahman’ or ‘I am’ state alone embraces everything and is all the manifestation. You have to forget everything and merge with ‘Brahman’
165. Whatever is created is created by the knowledge ‘I am’, there is no other path, only this conviction. This is it! The name and body arise from the ‘I am’
166. Abiding in the ‘I am’ (which is God) you wouldn’t want to leave it, and then it wouldn’t leave you!
167. The ‘I am’ is there even without your saying so. Once you understand the ‘I am’, there is nothing further to understand
168. When you are established in the ‘I am’ there are no thoughts or words, you are everything and everything is you; later even that goes
169. The ‘I am’ is without ego, you can become its watcher only by getting established in it
170. Watching happens to the Absolute with the appearance of ‘I am’, only then it knows that ‘it is’
171. Waking, dreaming and deep sleep states pertain only to the ‘I am’, you are above these
172. When you go deep inside, nothing is there, no ‘I am’; the ‘I am’ merges in the Absolute
173. Understand this ‘I am’ business and stand apart from it, transcend it. Just be
174. The story of all of us begins with the ‘I am’, it is the starting point of both misery and happiness
175. Prior to the appearance of form in the womb, the food stuffs take the form ‘I am’ and that appears in nine months
176. Stabilize in the ‘Bindu’ (Point) ‘I am’ and transcend it. ‘Bindu’ means without duality (Bin=without, Du=two)
177. It is the ‘I am’ that investigates the ‘I am’, disposes it off and stabilizes in Eternity
178. The knowledge ‘I am’ is God, if presently you are unable to understand it then just worship it
179. If you like take the ‘I am’ as your ‘prarabdha’ (destiny), become one with it, then you can transcend it
180. Along with the knowledge ‘I am’ appears the space and world. When the knowledge ‘I am’ sets the world is liquidated
181. Hammer it into yourself that the ‘I am’ or ‘beingness’ is the parent of the entire manifestation, then the ‘I am’ itself will help you stabilize in the ‘I am’
182. The ‘I am’ is observed by the Absolute, it has no senses or eyes, witnessing just happens
183. I am introducing you to your ‘I am’, the first stage is to meditate on the ‘I am’ and stabilize in it
184. Carry the conviction in yourself that the knowledge ‘I am’ within you is God
185. The One who meditates on the knowledge ‘I am’, everything in the realm of Consciousness becomes clear to him
186. Go anywhere but never forget that the knowledge ‘I am’ is God
187. Day by day by constant meditation this conviction will grow
188. Don’t bother about anything, just continue abiding in the ‘I am’, a moment will come when it will be pleased and reveal all the secrets
189. The trap of birth and death is because of the ‘I am’, dwell on it, realize it and transcend it
190. Get established in the ‘I am’ without words, the ‘Paravani’, but you the Absolute are not that Your true identity – The Absolute – is prior to the ‘I am’. How can you provide a uniform to it? 191
191. My Guru taught me what ‘I am’, I pondered only on that. My original state is to be in that state where there is no ‘I am’
192. The ‘I am’ happened and the world was cooked up. Prior to that you did not have the message ‘I am’, you existed, but you did not know
193. In the infinite state, the ‘I am’ state is temporary; don’t give up your true standpoint, otherwise you will be fooled
194. Catch hold of the ‘I am’ and all obstacles will evaporate, you will be beyond the realm of body-mind
195. All questions exist because the ‘I am’ is there, the ‘I am’ disappearing no questions will arise
196. Understand the ‘I am’, transcend it and conclude that ‘beingness’, the world and Brahman are unreal
197. The ‘So Hum’ japa (recitation) is incessantly going on in your pulse indicating ‘I am’; get in tune with it by recitation
198. The recitation of ‘So Hum’, indicating ‘I am’, must be for a very long time, it is prior to words
199. The ‘I am’ is the only God to be pleased and if pleased it will lead you to the source
200. A ‘Jnani’ is one who has come to a conclusion about the raw material ‘I am’ and stands apart from it
201. That soundless sound, the humming ‘I am’ is a reminder that you are God. To understand and realize it meditate on it
202. You are in the ‘I am’ without any effort, so be there. Don’t try to interpret the ‘I am’
203. The ‘I am’ in body form can reach the highest state, if you accept it and dwell there you escape birth and death
204. The ‘I am’ is an advertisement of the Absolute, an illusion, temporary, the one who knows this knows the eternal principle. In the womb the ‘I am’ is dormant, at three years it arises spontaneously; it climaxes at middle age and diminishes in old age and finally it disappears
205. Remember this, if you want to remember me or this visit here, remember the knowledge ‘I am’
206. The body identity cannot get this knowledge, the knowledge ‘I am’ must get this knowledge; when knowledge abides in knowledge there is transcendence of knowledge
207. This ‘I am’ whenever enjoyed beyond the body is your destiny, dwell in it and itself it will tell you its own story
208. When you dwell in destiny as ‘I am’, you realize that it is not your death, but the disappearance of ‘I amness’
209. Understand the ‘I am’, transcend it and realize the Absolute


210. In such a simplified way nobody has expounded this profound teaching

http://home.earthlink.net/~grharmon/I_Am_That.pdf

When Sivaprakasam Pillai came to Bhagavan in 1902, he was a government officer who had studied philosophy. Even while in college, he would practice introspection and ponder, 'Who am I?'

He visited Bhagavan at the same Virupaksha cave. Being a very practical and clear thinking person, his very first question was, ―Swami, who am I?‖ This question opened the floodgates of the teachings.

His approach to Bhagavan‘s teachings was a practice-oriented one. Sivaprakasam Pillai posed fourteen questions to Bhagavan, who wrote the answers to thirteen of them on a slate and in the sand. The answers were erased eventually. Therefore Sivaprakasam Pillai wrote the answers to those questions from memory.

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―Swami, who am I? And how is salvation to be attained?‖
Maharshi: ―By the incessant inward query, ̳who am I?‘ You will recognize your Self and thereby attain salvation.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: (again) ―Who am I?‖
Maharshi: ―The real ̳I‘, or Self, is neither the body nor the five senses, nor sense objects, nor the organs of action, nor the prana (the breath or vital force), nor the mind. It is not even the deep state of sleep where there is no cognition of these.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―If I am none of these, what else am I?‖
Maharshi: ―After rejecting each of these and saying, ̳This, I am not,‘ that state, which alone remains, is ̳I.‘ That is consciousness.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―What is the nature of that consciousness?‖
Maharshi: ―It is Satchidananda, the consciousness of bliss, in which there is not even the slightest trace of the ̳I‘ thought. This is also called silence— silence or the atma—Self. That is that. If the trinity of the World, ego, and God are considered as separate entities, they become mere illusions—like the appearance of silver in the mother-of-pearl. God, ego, and the World are really atmaswaroopa, the infinite form of the Self.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―How are we to realize that real nature?‖ Maharshi: ―When the things seen disappear, the true nature of the seer appears.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―Is it not possible to realize this while still seeing external things?
‖ Maharshi: ―No. This is because the seer and the seen are like a rope and the appearance of a serpent. You cannot see that what exists is only the rope.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―When will external objects vanish?‖ Maharshi: ―If the mind, which is the cause of all thoughts and activities, vanishes, then external objects will also vanish.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―What is the nature of the mind?‖
Maharshi: ―The mind consists of only thoughts. It is a form of energy. It manifests itself as the world. When the mind sinks into the Self, then the Self is realized. When the mind focuses outwardly, the world appears, and the Self is not realized.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―How will the ego mind vanish?
‖ Maharshi: ―Through the query, 'who am I?‘
Though this inward probing is also a mental operation, it destroys all mental operations including the method—just as the stick with which the funeral pyre is stoked, is by itself reduced to ashes after the pyre and the corpse have been burned. Only then dawns the realization of the Self. The I-thought is destroyed. Breath and other signs of vitality subside. The ego and prana have a common source.

Whatever you do, do it without egotism, i.e., without feeling doership. When a man reaches that state, even his own wife will appear to him as the Universal Mother. In true devotion, we surrender the ego to the Self.‖

Sivaprakasam Pillai: ―Are there no other ways of destroying the mind?‖ Maharshi: ―There is no other adequate method except Self-Enquiry. If the mind is lulled by other means, it stays quiet for a little while, but then springs up like a wave and resumes its former activity.‖

from: THE HUMAN GOSPEL OF RAMANA MAHARSHI
http://www.thewizardllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/The-Human-Gospel-Sharing-Western-Version2.pdf