I Am Not the Body: Discovering the Truth Beyond Bondage

by Nisargadatta Maharaj, Nic Higham (Editor), Pradeep Apte (Foreword)

Key Spiritual Teachings From Unpublished Discourses “This well-structured book outlines the fundamental teachings of Sri Nisargadatta and will undoubtedly be a significant addition to the Nisargadatta canon. This work is based on tape recordings of discourses captured and translated by Sri Mohan Gaitonde, one of Sri Nisargadatta’s translators. Once the idea ‘I am not the body’ settles in, which is in fact the reality, the ‘Unborn’ is all that remains. Sri Nisargadatta has said, ‘You are Unborn, you were Unborn, and you shall remain Unborn’.” - Pradeep Apte, author of ‘The Nisargadatta Gita’ and ‘The Unborn Nisargadatta’ “Thank you for the great book. You have justified my giving you permission. All lovers of Maharaj will enjoy reading it.” - Mohan Gaitonde, Nisargadatta Maharaj's translator In this book of key spiritual teachings from unpublished discourses, the great Advaita Master, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, teaches us that we are not limited to the body. Because of our mistaken body identity, we feel separate from what we truly are. Our self-identification with the body and mind subjects us to endless cycles of pleasure and pain, desire and fear, which cause us to search beyond ourselves for that which we believe we lack. According to Sri Nisargadatta, all conditions, all names and appearances, emerge from ignorance and imagination, from the mind’s assumptions—assumptions due to not enquiring and therefore not appreciating the nature of reality. When we realise that we are not limited to the body, we find that we are already free, needing no liberation. We discover that we are not only free, but infinite and boundless. This ‘I am-ness’ is the substance of our entire world. All that we know owes its birth to consciousness and it is the portal to the Absolute. When we are no longer a slave of body-consciousness, we realise ourselves as Universal Consciousness, Pure Awareness. Our preoccupation with the known ceases, and we find the natural state, Nisarga, was present all along. We are this stateless state, and the universe is our ecstatic outpouring. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj met his guru, Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, at the age of 34 in 1933. Three years later, Sri Nisargadatta realised himself as the Supreme Reality, the transcendental Self. Through earnestly heeding the words of his Guru, he discovered he was That which is unmanifest and eternal—beyond the bondage of name, form, shape, and size. For many years, thousands of people came from all over India and the world to listen to Sri Nisargadatta’s teachings. His influence is still as powerful today as it was when he gave regular talks four decades ago. Undoubtedly one of the greatest spiritual teachers of all time, one can sense his depth of dedication to truth, rather than affluence, recognition, and agenda. His legendary plain-speaking way and heartfelt commitment to assisting those on the direct path will affect anyone serious about self-realisation and the transfiguration of consciousness.

Genres: Spirituality, Audiobook

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2020

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

[pushkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concepts are great but complex

There is too much use of commonly used words with very intricate meaning, like 'i-am-ness' 'consciousness' 'being' 'self'....which to a common person would mean one and same thing, but according to Nisargdatta Maharaj, they are different. Very well. I will suggest that read the appendix instead of the whole book, which captures all the concepts in the book quite clearly.

[Gananath Sahu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for sincere spiritual seekers

Unequivocally I would say that this book will be of greatest help to transcend body and mind if read at slow pace in meditative state. It speaks in a few words what Sri Krishna spoke in 18 Volumes of Bhagawat Gita. It's a simple, straight and useful book for sincere seekers of Self, Brahma, Parambrahma and all other names that we attribute to God.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I don't doubt that Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj is a great sage, I struggled with this book. I found it disjointed and hard to follow. If you are already familiar with his philosophy then maybe it is a great resource but as somebody new to Nisargadatta I found it hard to penetrate. I probably shouldn't have bought the audio edition since this made it even harder to follow along.

[Juan Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general, most religions that have an important mystical aspect (the direct relationship with God) have very similar interpretations and concepts.

This is the case with Hinduism, from which Buddhism was born.

This book is a very complete review of what Hindu philosophy is.

I have a Guru and I have practiced with him for many years. I love this philosophy.

[The Bird's Way · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet profoundly liberating, I Am Not the Body presents the direct and uncompromising wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Through sharp dialogues and pointed teachings, he dismantles the illusion of identification with the body and mind, guiding seekers toward their true nature—pure awareness beyond all limitations.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Limiting my review to how it connected with me, not it’s content. Did not connect, but many of the teachings rang true. The very first quote was everything. If I’m not lazy, I’ll transcribe it later!

[Leeza Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

beyond bondage

A wonderful full on book of Nisargadatta’s teachings.
A must read to know the Self.
Great Masters are a gift ..they are truly the raft that take us across the ocean to Enlightenment.
Nisargadatta is one of these Masters…namaste

[Jesse R. Ramos Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

A great read highly recommend for anyone wanting to truly understand who and what they really are. Full of great advice

[Shellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read with a lot of depth. I'm glad I picked up some things in it because it's been very helpful.

[Navneet Bhushan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read! For everyone.

[JeremyDanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it 5x in the last months and will continue to repeat as I increase my understanding