POINTERS FROM NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

by Ramesh S. Balsekar, Nisargadatta Maharaj

Publicado póstumamente, El buscador es lo buscado abarca una escogida selección de las enseñanzas últimas del Maestro en su forma más sublime, donde llega incluso más allá de lo que enseñó en su obra más "Yo soy eso". En realidad, no puede existir un saber más elevado que el que se contiene en este libro; y nadie sino Ramesh Balsekar podría haberlo expuesto tan brillantemente, pues ninguna persona de las que han estado próximas a Maharaj ha comprendido sus enseñanzas con tanta profundidad como él. La obra se completa con unos valiosos apéndices elaborados por el propio Ramesh, que incluyen un resumen que sintetiza magníficamente las enseñanzas generales de Nisargadatta Maharaj, una nota que esclarece la diferencia entre Conciencia Absoluta no dual, Consciencia Impersonal y Consciencia Individual, y unos lúcidos comentarios que comparan la vía devocional (bhakti) y la vía de la comprensión (jñana). "La liberación, iluminación o despertar no es otra cosa que comprender profundamente que uno no es el cuerpo, ni siquiera la consciencia, sino el innombrable estado de potencialidad total previo a la llegada de la consciencia. Y así se cierra el cí el buscador es lo buscado". Nisargadatta Maharaj RAMESH S. BALSEKAR es uno de los principales maestros contemporáneos de Vedanta Advaita. Tras retirarse del cargo que ostentaba como presidente del Banco de la India, Ramesh tradujo muchas de las charlas diarias impartidas en lengua marathi por su gurú, Nisargadatta Maharaj. Ramesh empezó a enseñar en 1982, después de que Maharaj le insistiera en dos ocasiones que debía dedicarse a ello. Desde entonces ha escrito más de veinte libros sobre Advaita.

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Canon, Nonfiction

271 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Ramesh S. Balsekar was a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita master. From early childhood, Balsekar was drawn to Advaita, a nondual teaching, particularly the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei. He wrote more than 20 books, was president of the Bank of India, and received guests daily in his home in Mumbai until shortly before his death.

Balsekar taught from the tradition of Advaita Vedanta nondualism. His teaching begins with the idea of an ultimate Source, Brahman, from which creation arises. Once creation has arisen, the world and life operate mechanistically according to both Divine and natural laws. While people believe that they are actually doing things and making choices, free will is in fact an illusion. All that happens is caused by this one source, and the actual identity of this source is pure Consciousness, which is incapable of choosing or doing.

Reviews

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read and contains some hard hitting pointers from an absolute Nondual perspective. The only proviso is that it is much more Balsekar than Nisargdatta (who explained things in much more every day terms and language, and certainly spoke to people as individuals rather than non-entities), and the contents are mostly framed within Balsekar's context and philosophy- ie nondoership, no entity to do anything etc. Still, I would rank it in the top "Nonduality" / "Advaita" books for its clarity on summarizing the whole situation.

This book helped with the clearing away (in this reader) of obstacles to seeing the root and 'solution' to the whole issue of apparent 'problems'.

[Daniel Prasetyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is reliable for people who interested to the teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, not only Balsekar an ardent devotee of Him, he is a jnani himself, I found a wide range topics of Non-duality in this book, Balsekar really make the teachings of Maharaj become easy, direct, and clear. The most intriguing chapter of this book is chapter 41 (There can't be Re-birth). In this chapter, Balsekar was tell the story of young sanyasin who visits Maharaj with the fires of fanaticism burning in his eyes expressed his shock that Maharaj would not accept the theory of re-birth.

If you want to see the book that could agree with sacred text, this is not the book, Balsekar said that Maharaj always want to talk from his own experience.

[Davor Katusic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best spiritual book I have ever read. Unlike I am that, it is well structured and condensed upon a different topics. It will shatter your beliefs you thought you have been shure of. It takes a courage to face the facts, but if you are earnest in your spiritual pursuit, that's it. Look no further. However, start with Eckhart Tolle's, Chopra's, Singer's works before reading Nisargadatta because they tell you the same, but wrap it up with celophane, unlike Nisargadatta who tells you the raw truth.

[Renu · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful, easy reading. very direct, no conceptual knowledge.

[Mark Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after attending Ramesh's spiritual talks for six years, and long after reading Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's classic "I Am That." Amazingly, I realized that all I'd been hearing from Ramesh had already been written by him in this, his first book, decades before. His teachings were exactly those that he had learned at the feet of his teacher.
Many people believe Ramesh's and Nisargadatta's teachings to be different, that Ramesh is more intellectual as compared to his guru. This book showed me that in fact the teachings are identical (as they would have to be given their are "not two" Truths)--it is only the apparent personalities and modes of expression that are different.
All fans of Nisargadatta and students of Ramesh should read--or re-read--this book.

[Brono · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have come to this book by "accident" and that accident certainly was a "blessing".
For a long time I've asked questions like "what am I?" and never that question was clearly answered like the pointers from Nisargadatta.
It's so black and white that initially seems hard to grasp but the more you read and digest his teachings the clearer it gets.
There is a degree of intellect to process and understand but once you "apperceive" (a new word to my vocabulary) what he is trying to convey there's no need for intellect at all. You just feel it.
Perhaps you have the same questions, if so I humbly invite you to give yourself a chance to understand the whole nature of what is you & me for we are all "That" which was never born and it'll never die.

[Swarup Mondal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the ultimate book. Hands down. My deepest reverence for Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ramesh S. Balsekar (even though the word "my" is really inappropriate, and it has been used only for the sake of grammatical accuracy).

[Hussein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know how i found this book and accomplished reading it now after reading all sri maharaj works, when it feels the perfect ending read to his heritage. This is the deepest which will need another read soon ❤️

[Phil Calandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Advaita Vedenta Non Dual Philosophy is a very difficult concept to comprehend in solely intellectual terms. Although the author, Ramesh S Balsekar, makes some very interesting points, I don't believe he succeeds in providing a clear understanding of this philosophy. The author provides a translation of questions and answer exchanges between visitors and Nisargadatta. Many of the exchanges seem unduly harsh and not reflective of the tone and direction of other books written about and by Nisargadatta. Furthermore there seems to be several contradictions that the author makes in terms of the Absolute (Unmanifest) and Relative (Manifest). The author indicates that the state of Unmanifestation or noumenon is one where we do not even know our state of beingness. The author characterizes this as the true self of reality where conversely our individual self really does not exist. The author maintains that there is no individual entity, that our individual manifestation is the functioning of consciousness that forms these concepts.
In a seeming contradiction, the author states "It is through the stirring of consciousness that the unmanifest Absolute becomes aware of its awareness......."Does this mean that through manifestation (of which individual consciousness is apart), the Absolute gains self consciousness and, thereby, needs the manifest to become aware of its awareness? While it can be said that man is part of the Absolute or is an outgrowth of the Absolute, can it really be said that he is the Absolute or is man better described as the reflection of the Absolute allowing It to know Itself.
As aforementioned this is a difficult and rather muddled book to comprehend. Perhaps better choices would be "The Nisagardatta Gita" by Pradeep Apte, "The Nature of Consciousness...." by Rupert Spira and " I am That: talks with Sri Nisargadatta" by Maurice Frydman and revised and edited by Sudhaker S. Dikshit

[Sahajavidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book initially by picking it up briefly and reading one chapter at a time. In this way I managed to pick up insights or understandings.
But somewhere into the second half I found myself making an effort to get through it. I am unsure if it was when Nisargadatta’s health started to deteriorate or if it was just painted too heavily by Balsekar’s experience?

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing with the advita method is this, either you get it or you don't. He is often repetitive, but in a way he has to be.

[Matilde Meli · Rating 5 out of 5]

volver a leer para más entendimiento

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is here and now. Where is the question of any one reaching for it?”

[Reflections Of · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read in my entire life.
It goes way beyond reading , remember the words are not words they are a pointer.

Cease all intellectual search and just be.

[Joe Hay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reverent and clearly-written take on the last period of Maharaj's learning sessions. It follows the same episodic rhythm of I Am That and depicts the same sort of interactions, but written in a more narrative form. The back-and-forth is a little shorter, but you get more of an analysis of what was discussed, and some poignant descriptions of the interlocutors' reactions.

There is some deep wisdom here, though it is a bit repetitive and perhaps less emotionally impactful than I Am That or the similar volumes of dialogues. In fact, the part that struck me the most was apparently a quote from I Am That. Perhaps it's unfair to judge this book, because apparently these were Ramesh's personal notes that he was reluctant to publish and only did so upon request.

I think this would be good volume either for readers of I Am That who want a slightly different take on the dialogues, or perhaps for someone interested in Maharaj's teachings, but who didn't like the format of I Am That and needs a different introcution. It's truly a supplemental volume, something good to work through slowly, not dive into.

[Inara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pointers from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

[David Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book for people interested in advaita...

[Lididilidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cant never digest this book in one slurp. You gotta read, stop, think, and come back.

[Siddharth Tripathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balsekar captures the essence of Maharaj's teachings. If you had to read one book about his teachings, this should be it.

[Manu Thrissur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent