Seeds of Consciousness: The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

by Nisargadatta Maharaj, Jean Dunn (Editor)

Seeds of Consciousness is the first of three books edited by Jean Dunn, which are wholly taken from daily Talks given by Nisargadatta Maharaj at his Bombay apartment during 1979 and 1980. Books of this type have been prepared by other editors, all of whom used the same group of English translators, but Dunn (a disciple for many years) has selected the clearest talks, least burdened with technical Hindu pointers.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Hinduism, Psychology, Meditation, Eastern Philosophy, Nonfiction

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was an Indian spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita (Nondualism), and a Guru, belonging to the Navnath Sampradaya. Sri Nisargadatta, with his direct and minimalistic explanation of non-dualism, is considered the most famous teacher of Advaita since Ramana Maharshi. In 1973, the publication of his most famous and widely-translated book, "I AM THAT", an English translation of his talks in Marathi by Maurice Frydman, brought him worldwide recognition and followers.

According to Sri Nisargadatta, the purpose of spirituality is to know who you are. His discussions are not for academic scholars. He is a rebellious spirit, abrupt in his style of discussion, provocative, and immensely profound, cutting to the core and wasting little effort on inessentials. His terse but potent sayings are known for their ability to trigger radical shifts from philosophical mind-games to the purity of consciousness, just by hearing or even reading them.

He talked about the 'direct way' of knowing the Final Reality, in which one becomes aware of one's original nature through mental discrimination, breaking the mind's false identification with the ego, knowing that "You are already That". The scene for these talks was a small upstairs room at his humble flat in Khetwadi, used for his own meditation and also for daily chantings. A simple man, Nisargadatta was a house-holder and a petty shop-keeper selling bidis - hand-made leaf-rolled cigarettes.

Reviews

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of recorded talks by one of Nisargadatta's devoted students (JD). She has attempted to keep with the original flow of the talks and questions. There's a lot less 'fluff' in terms of relevant questions in this book, as compared to "I Am That". The talks are on the shorter side as well. Highly recommended after "I Am That".

[Afshin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about advaita vedanta where the understanding of the philosophy is conveyed through a dialogue between the guru, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and his visitors. If you haven't read "I Am That" by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, I highly recommend it going there first.

If you have a philosophy background, namely understand Nietzsche and Foucault, this should be easy to grasp.

[The Bird's Way · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Seeds of Consciousness is like sitting at the feet of a true master, receiving teachings that are raw, direct, and deeply transformative. Nisargadatta Maharaj speaks with absolute clarity, stripping away all illusions of identity, attachment, and duality, pointing relentlessly to the truth of being.