Prior to Consciousness: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

by Nisargadatta Maharaj, Jean Dunn (Editor)

Nisargadatta Maharaj was one of the great sages of modern India. The talks in this collection are transcribed from tape recordings made during the question and answer periods between April 1980 and July 1981 between seekers from all over the world and Nisargadatta Maharaj, at the age of 84.

The central core of Maharaj's teaching Until man can free himself from false identifications, from pretensions and delusions of various kinds, he cannot come face to face with the eternal verity that is latent within his own self. "What the mind invents, the mind destroys. But the real is not invented and cannot be destroyed ..."

He continued to hammer at our egos, insisting that we can only know through our personal experience, not through the second-hand knowledge of others and of books. His words are used like a surgeon's scalpel, used to cut away the concepts we have been given since birth. Before this form came - what was I? He was very sharp with his answers. In the last two years of his life, he would not entertain any questions pertaining to this worldly life and its improvement. He spoke only the plain truth. Prior to Consciousness continues the most revealing and illuminating dialogues which began with I Am That.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction

157 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1990

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 4 out of 5]

This book was written from recorded talks that the author (JD) either noted down or used from recordings, and these talks were taken right at the end of Nisargadatta's life within a year of his death. As such, they are distillations of his talks from throughout the previous decade or so, and one can easily get the wrong idea in terms of what's involved in Nisargadatta's "system", and veer into the likes of neo-advaita where there's nothing that can or need be done and nobody here to do anything etc. However, it needs to be remembered that Nisargdatta's talks were entirely contextual and dependent on who was asking the question, and how he was feeling on the day. There's a good variety of topics discussed in this book, but essentially, they follow on from the idea that what the individual essentially 'is', is nothing more than a growth or organic functioning taking place in dependence with the rest of reality (or the appearance of phenomenal reality). That which actually witnesses or knows the individual is what Nisargadatta is driving at with these talks, and he uses some key aids such as consciousness, I am, beingness and awareness for delving into this mystery. Overall a good addition to one's Nis library.

[Ojo Oim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Dunn's books of the talks of Nisargadatta Maharaj are so potent and direct. Taking just a line or two can give one an opening into profound contemplation. He says things like: "If you get too deeply involved with what I'm saying, you will lose all interest in worldly life."

"I Am That", an earlier book, deals with some of the more general topics of spirituality, but the talks of his final years deal mainly with the Absolute.

[Cyberpayanee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The record of Maharaj's teaching during his latter part of life ( when Maharaj's was afflicted with cancer). At places very intense- the lions roar! An urgency to convey message . There is an assumption of familiarity with the fundamentals of his teachings. ( "I am that" edited by Maurice Frydman is much more comprehensive record).Jean Dunn has done admire able job.