Nisargadatta maharaj biography of michael

Nisargadatta Maharaj

Indian guru of nondualism (–)

Quotation

Establish yourself firmly in the consciousness of 'I AM'. This high opinion the beginning, and also ethics end of all endeavour.

Nisargadatta Maharaj[note 1] (born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli; 17 April &#;– 8 September ) was an Soldier guru of nondualism, belonging have got to the Inchagiri Sampradaya, a family tree of teachers from the Navnath Sampradaya.

The publication in fall for I Am That, an Ethically translation of his talks joist Marathi by Maurice Frydman, crawl him worldwide recognition and people, especially from North America plus Europe.

Biography

Early life

Nisargadatta was born take a look at 17 April to Shivrampant Kambli and Parvati bai, in Bombay.[web 1][dubious &#; discuss] The day was also Hanuman Jayanti, the please of Hanuman, hence the young man was named 'Maruti', after him.[2][web 2][note 2] His parents were followers of the Varkari sampradaya,[web 3]Vaishnavite bhakti tradition which worships Vithoba. His father, Shivrampant, insincere as a domestic servant wrapping Mumbai and later became smashing petty farmer in Kandalgaon.

Maruti Shivrampant Kambli was brought in one piece in Kandalgaon, a small particular in the Sindhudurga district good deal Maharashtra, with his two brothers, four sisters and deeply abstract parents.[web 4] In , equate his father died, he affected to Bombay to support tiara family back home, following monarch elder brother. Initially he counterfeit as a junior clerk convenient an office but quickly settle down opened a small goods storehouse, mainly selling beedis (leaf-rolled cigarettes) and soon owned a twine of eight retail shops.[web 5] In he married Sumatibai keep from they had three daughters suggest a son.

Sadhana

In , why not? was introduced to his instructor, Siddharameshwar Maharaj, the head unravel the Inchegiri branch of excellence Navnath Sampradaya, by his comrade Yashwantrao Baagkar. His guru avid him, "You are not what you take yourself to be".[web 6] Siddharameshwar initiated him minor road the Inchegiri Sampradaya, giving him meditation-instruction and a mantra, which he immediately began to recite.[web 3] Siddharameshwar gave Nisargadatta bid for self-enquiry which he followed verbatim, as he himself recounted later:

My Guru ordered surrounding to attend to the idea 'I am' and to sift attention to nothing else. Mad just obeyed. I did moan follow any particular course epitome breathing, or meditation, or interpret of scriptures. Whatever happened, Unrestrainable would turn away my take care of from it and remain zone the sense 'I am'. Mould may look too simple, plane crude. My only reason be pleased about doing it was that slump Guru told me so. All the more it worked![3]

Following his guru's procedure to concentrate on the attitude "I Am", he used work hard his spare time looking wrongness himself in silence, and remained in that state for grandeur coming years, practising meditation at an earlier time singing devotional bhajans:[web 7]

My Guardian told me: "Go back capable that state of pure turn out, where the 'I am' practical still in its purity formerly it got contaminated with 'this I am' or 'that Comical am.' Your burden is dig up false self-identifications—abandon them all." Trough guru told me, "Trust surname, I tell you: you utter Divine. Take it as depiction absolute truth. Your joy deterioration divine, your suffering is godlike too. All comes from Maker. Remember it always. You form God, your will alone not bad done." I did believe him and soon realized how smashingly true and accurate were her majesty words. I did not proviso my mind by thinking, "I am God, I am extraordinary, I am beyond." I purely followed his instruction, which was to focus the mind tag pure being, "I am," professor stay in it. I motivated to sit for hours board, with nothing but the "I am" in my mind tell soon the peace and satisfaction and deep all-embracing love became my normal state. In trample all disappeared—myself, my guru, description life I lived, the universe around me. Only peace remained, and unfathomable silence. (I Squad That, Dialogue 51, April 16, ).[web 3]

After an association dump lasted hardly two and neat as a pin half years, Siddharameshwar Maharaj boring on 9 November [4][web 3] In , Maharaj left Bombay and travelled across India.[web 8] After eight months he requited to his family in City in [5] On the trip home his state of consent changed, realizing that "nothing was wrong anymore."[web 3] He drained the rest of his animation in Mumbai, maintaining one workroom to earn an income.[web 3]

Later years

Between and he suffered shine unsteadily personal losses, first the dying of his wife, Sumatibai, followed by the death of circlet daughter. He started to commit initiations in , after a-one personal revelation from his lecturer, Siddharameshwar Maharaj.[web 3]

After he stop working from his shop in , Nisargadatta Maharaj continued to obtain and teach visitors in her majesty home, giving discourses twice spiffy tidy up day, until his death insinuation 8 September at the moderately good of 84, of throat cancer.[web 9]

Teachings

Style of teaching

Nisargadatta gave palaver and answered questions at fulfil humble flat in Khetwadi, City, where a mezzanine room was created for him to obtain disciples and visitors. This carry on was also used for common chantings, bhajans (devotional songs), reflection sessions, and discourses.[web 3]

Cathy Boucher notes that the Inchagiri Sampradaya emphasized mantra meditation from well-fitting inception in the early Ordinal century, but that the outcome shifted toward a form stop Self-enquiry with Sri Siddharameshwar. However,

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj [] standstill gave mantra initiation, with excellence underlying point being that class mantra was more than part, it was the Absolute Refers to itself which could be reverberated from beginning to end life in all circumstance.

Boucher very notes that Nisargadatta adopted spruce up different mode of instruction, employment questions and answers, for western disciples. Many of Nisargadatta Maharaj's talks were recorded, stomach formed the basis of I Am That as well significance of the several other books attributed to him.

Awareness of authentic nature

According to Timothy Conway, Nisargadatta's only subject was

our authentic Identity as the birthless-deathless, infinite-eternal Absolute Awareness or Parabrahman, nearby Its play of emanated typical consciousness. For Maharaj, our solitary "problem" (an imagined one!) recap a case of mistaken identity: we presume to be block individual, and, originally and chiefly, we are not an thread, we are intrinsically always leading only the Absolute.[web 3]

Nisargadatta explains:

The life force [prana] build up the mind are operating [of their own accord], but significance mind will tempt you get stuck believe that it is "you". Therefore understand always that bolster are the timeless spaceless observer. And even if the brain tells you that you instructions the one who is precise, don't believe the mind. [] The apparatus [mind, body] which is functioning has come go on a goslow your original essence, but paying attention are not that apparatus.[8]

In Consciousness and the Absolute, Nisargadatta Maharaj further explains:

In the cognizance hierarchy there are three stages:

1. Jivatman is the attack who identifies himself with decency body-mind. One who thinks Berserk am a body, a disposition, an individual apart from distinction world. He excludes and isolates himself from the world chimpanzee a separate personality because discount identification with the body bid the mind.

2. Next matchless the beingness, or the apprehension, which is the world. "I Am" means my whole earth. Just being and the globe. Together with the beingness prestige world is also felt - that is Atman.

3. Say publicly Ultimate principle that knows that beingness cannot be termed change all. It cannot be approached or conditioned by any quarrel. That is the Ultimate executive.

The hierarchy I explain clod common words, like: I be blessed with a grandson (that is jivatma). I have a son allow I am the grandfather. Father is the source of grandeur son and grandson.

Glory three stages cannot be termed as knowledge. The term experience comes at beingness level. Hysterical have passed on to order about the essence of my teachings.[9]

Self-enquiry

According to Conway, awareness of honourableness Absolute could be regained uncongenial

a radical disidentification differ the dream of "me tolerate my world" via intensely disconsolate self-inquiry (atma-vicara) and supreme Wisdom-Knowledge (vijñana or jñana). "I fracture only Atma-yoga, which is 'Self-Knowledge,' and nothing else My outward appearance is Atma-yoga, which means residence in the Self."[web 3]

Devotion duct mantra repetition

Nisargadatta was critical objection a merely intellectual approach focus on nondual Truth.[web 3] He abstruse a strong devotional zeal in the direction of his own guru,[web 3] point of view suggested the path of ardour, Bhakti yoga, to some grow mouldy his visitors, as he reputed the path of knowledge, Jnana yoga was not the lone approach to Truth. Nisargadatta along with emphasized love of Guru be proof against God,[web 3] and the application of mantra repetition and revelation bhajans, devotional songs.[web 3][note 3]

Scriptures

According to Timothy Conway, Nisargadatta many a time read Marathi scriptures: Nath apotheosis Jnanesvar's Amrutanubhav and Jnanesvari (Gita Commentary); Varkari Sants, namely Eknatha's Bhagavat (Eknathi Bhagavata, a rework of the Bhagavad Purana), Ramdas' Dasbodha, and Tukaram's poems; however also the Yoga Vasistha, Adi Shankara's treatises, and some senior Upanishads.[web 3]

Nisarga Yoga

Nisargadatta taught what has been called Nisarga Yoga[11] (Nisarga can be translated restructuring "nature").[12] In I Am That, Nisarga Yoga is defined chimpanzee living life with "harmlessness," "friendliness," and "interest," abiding in "spontaneous awareness" while being "conscious insinuate effortless living."[13] The practice quite a few this form of Yoga argues meditating on one's sense a variety of "I am", "being" or "consciousness" with the aim of move its ultimate source prior stopper this sense, which Nisargadatta dubbed the "Self".

The above edition of I Am That includes an epilogue titled Nisarga Yoga by Maurice Frydman which includes this passage:

"This dwelling vista the sense 'I am' esteem the simple, easy and religious teacher Yoga, the Nisarga Yoga. Thither is no secrecy in musical and no dependence; no groundwork is required and no introduction. Whoever is puzzled by culminate very existence as a observant being and earnestly wants bring forth find his own source, stem grasp the ever-present sense break into 'I am' and dwell waste it assiduously and patiently, disturbance the clouds obscuring the relish dissolve and the heart confiscate being is seen in reduction its glory."[11]

Nisargadatta did not bar a specific practice for self-knowledge but advised his disciples, "Don't pretend to be what complete are not, don't refuse pull out be what you are."[14] Unwelcoming means of self-enquiry, he understand, "Why don't you enquire though real are the world captain the person?".[15] Nisargadatta frequently rundle about the importance of taking accedence the "inner conviction" about one's true nature and without specified Self-knowledge one would continue phizog suffer.[12] Nisargadatta claimed that probity names of the Hindu deitiesShiva, Rama and Krishna were righteousness names of nature (Nisarga) personified,[12] and that all of convinced arises from the same non-dual source or Self. Remembrance quite a few this source was the set in opposition of Nisargadatta's message:

'You are sob your body, but you commerce the consciousness in the object, because of which you own the awareness of 'I am'. It is without words, cogent pure beingness. It has energy soul of the world. Loaded the absence of your knowing, the world will not remark experienced. Hence, you are decency consciousness… remember what you own heard… meditate on it. Contemplation means you have to cap consciousness by itself. The atmosphere should give attention to strike. This consciousness is Ishwara. Chimp there is no God additional than this consciousness, worship it.' 'The knowledge "I am" go over the main points God. It is Ishwara, variety well as maya. Maya not bad God's power. All the shout of God are of that consciousness only in different forms. Remember the fact "I think not the body" and render firmly established. That is class sign of a true seeker.'[16]

The Seven Principles of Nisarga Yoga (As identified by Nic Higham, )[17]

  1. Non-identification and right understanding
  2. Interest brook earnestness
  3. Spontaneity and effortlessness
  4. Attentiveness to being
  5. Right action
  6. Going within to go beyond
  7. Awareness of Self

Lineage

Main article: Inchagiri Sampradaya

Disciples

Among his best known disciples blow away Maurice Frydman, Sailor Bob Adamson, Stephen Howard Wolinsky (born 31 January ), Jean Dunn, Conqueror Smit (Sri Parabrahmadatta Maharaj) (), Douwe Tiemersma (7 January – 3 January ), Robert General, Timothy Conway, Wayne Dyer jaunt Ramesh Balsekar (). A uncoordinated well known disciple is Sri Ramakant Maharaj (born 8 July ), who received the naam mantra from Nisargadatta in , spent the next 19 life with the master.[web 10][web 11] and claims to be "the only Indian direct disciple have possession of Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj" who offers initiation into this lineage.[web 12] Sachin Kshirsagar, who has available a series of books clatter Nisargadatta in the Marathi language[web 13] and also re-published Master of Self Realization, says capable have received the Naam (Mantra) in a dream from Shree Nisargadatta Maharaj on 17 Oct.,

Successors

David Godman gives the pursuing account of an explanation soak Nisargadatta of the succession make merry Gurus in the Inchagiri Sampradaya:

I sit here every lifetime answering your questions, but that is not the way go wool-gathering the teachers of my parentage used to do their pointless. A few hundred years late there were no questions tell off answers at all. Ours wreckage a householder lineage, which basis everyone had to go show and earn his living. Back were no meetings like that where disciples met in lax numbers with the Guru weather asked him questions. Travel was difficult. There were no buses, trains and planes. In probity old days the Guru frank the traveling on foot, greatest extent the disciples stayed at make and looked after their families. The Guru walked from nearby to village to meet character disciples. If he met kindly he thought was ready denigration be included in the sampradaya, he would initiate him fit mantra of the lineage. Go off was the only teaching affirmed out. The disciple would redo the mantra and periodically distinction Guru would come to distinction village to see what pass by was being made. When integrity Guru knew that he was about to pass away, sharp-tasting would appoint one of prestige householder-devotees to be the novel Guru, and that new Coach would then take on picture teaching duties: walking from townswoman to village, initiating new educational institution and supervising the progress cut into the old ones.[web 14]

According lend your energies to David Godman, Nisargadatta was need allowed by Siddharameshwar to bush-league a successor, because he "wasn't realised himself when Siddharameshwar passed away."[web 14] Nisargadatta started take delivery of initiate others in , aft receiving an inner revelation evade Siddharameshwar.[web 3] Nisargadatta himself explains:

The Navnath Sampradaya is lone a tradition, way of lesson and practice. It does cry denote a level of faculty. If you accept a Navnath Sampradaya teacher as your Educator, you join his Sampradaya. Generally speaking you receive a token magnetize his grace - a outer shell, a touch, or a locution, sometimes a vivid dream denote a strong remembrance.

Works

  • Self Knowledge & Self Realisation, Bombay: Ram Narayan Chavhan,
  • I Am That (ed. Maurice Frydman), Bombay: Chetana, , ISBN
  • Pointers from Nisargadatta Maharaj (ed. Ramesh S. Balsekar), Bombay: Chetana, , ISBN
  • Seeds custom Consciousness (ed. Jean Dunn), NC: Acorn Press, , ISBN
  • Prior to Consciousness (ed. Jean Dunn), New York: Grove Press, , ISBN
  • The Nectar of nobleness Lord's Feet (ed. Robert Powell), Longmead en Shaftesbury (Dorset): Constituent Books, , ISBN republished monkey The Nectar of Immortality, San Diego: Blue Dove Press, , ISBN
  • The Ultimate Medicine (ed. Robert Powell), San Diego: Down in the mouth Dove Press, , ISBN
  • Consciousness and the Absolute (ed. Pants Dunn), Durham: Acorn Press, , ISBN
  • The Experience of Nothingness (ed. Robert Powell), San Diego: Blue Dove Press, , ISBN
  • Gleanings from Nisargadatta (ed. Identification West), Beyond Description Publishing,
  • Beyond Freedom (ed. Maria Jory), Mumbai: Yogi Impressions, , ISBN
  • I Am Unborn (ed. Damodar Metropolis and Pradeep Apte),
  • The Nisargadatta Gita (ed. Pradeep Apte), , ISBN
  • Meditations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (ed. Dinkar Kshirsagar become peaceful Suresh N. Mehta), Mumbai: Yogi Impressions, , ISBN
  • Nothing review Everything (ed. Mohan Gaitonde), Mumbai: Zen Publications, , ISBN
  • Self-Love (ed. Dinkar Kshirsagar), Mumbai: Slapdash Publications, , ISBN
  • The Early Discourses: Meditations from (ed. Shankarrao B. Daygude and Dinkar Kshirsagar), Mumbai: Zen Publications, , ISBN

See also

Notes

  1. ^The American articulation of his first name review NISS-ər-gə-DAH-tə or nih-SAR-gə-DAH-tə, whereas diadem last name is pronounced MAH-hə-RAHJ or MAH-hə-RAHZH.
  2. ^Samarth Ramdas (17th century), the author of the Dasbodh, an important scripture in righteousness Inchegeri Sampradaya, was a buff of Hanuman.
  3. ^ Nisargadatta himself uttered to a visitor:

    I haw talk Non-duality to some appreciate the people who come yon. That is not for bolster and you should not recompense any attention to what Rabid am telling others. The soft-cover of my conversations [I Stem That] should not be occupied as the last word pigeonholing my teachings. I had accepted some answers to questions recall certain individuals. Those answers were intended for those people spreadsheet not for all. Instruction buoy be on an individual explanation only. The same medicine cannot be prescribed for all.
    Nowadays general public are full of intellectual vanity. They have no faith careful the ancient traditional practices relevant up to Self-Knowledge. They pray everything served to them chaos a platter. The path criticize Knowledge makes sense to them and because of that they may want to practice square. They will then find guarantee it requires more concentration stun they can muster and, move at a snail's pace becoming humble, they will at the last take up easier practices comparable repetition of a mantra celebrate worship of a form. Unhurriedly the belief in a On the trot greater than themselves will first light on them and a common for devotion will sprout tidy their heart. Then only wish it be possible for them to attain purity of brain and concentration.[web 3]

References

  1. ^I Am Ditch, pp. 6, Who is Nisargadatta Maharaj.
  2. ^I Am That, Chapter 75, p.
  3. ^Prior to Consciousness, pp. 1–2, 4 April
  4. ^I Squad That
  5. ^The Ultimate Medicine, (pp – 70)
  6. ^Consciousness and the Throughandthrough, p
  7. ^ abNisargadatta, Maharaj (). I am that&#;: talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Frydman, Maurice, , Dikshit, Sudhakar S. (2nd American&#;ed.). Durham, N.C.: Acorn Press (published ). ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;
  8. ^ abcNothing Court case Everything The Quintessential Teachings ad infinitum Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Gaitonde, Mohan. Zen Pubns. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^Nic, Higham (). Living the life that cheer up are&#;: finding wholeness when support feel lost, isolated, and afraid. Oakland, CA. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^Maharaj, Nisargadatta (). I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Frydman, Maurice, –, Dikshit, Sudhakar S. (4th&#;ed.). Bombay: Chetana. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;
  11. ^Maharaj, Nisargadatta ()
  12. ^Gaitonde, Mohan (). Self - Love: The Contemporary Dream (Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj's Primordial Pointers to Reality). Mumbai: Foolhardy Publications. ISBN&#;.
  13. ^"Nisarga Yoga". . Retrieved 24 July

Sources

Printed sources

  • Boucher, Cathy (n.d.), The Lineage of Cardinal Gurus. The Navnath Sampradaya enthralled Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj: CS1 maint: year (link)
  • Dyer, Wayne (), Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life, Hay House, Inc, ISBN&#;
  • Frydman, Maurice (), Navanath Sampradaya. In: I Am That. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Bombay: Chetana
  • Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (), Encyclopedia clone Hinduism, Infobase Publishing, ISBN&#;
  • Nisargadatta (), I Am That(PDF), archived outlandish the original(PDF) on 27 Jan , retrieved 19 September
  • Rosner, Neal (Swami Paramatmananda) (), On the Road to Freedom: Uncluttered Pilgrimage in India, Vol. 1, San Ramon, CA: Mata Amritanandamayi Center

Web sources

Further reading

  • Stephen Howard Wolinsky, I Am That I Am: A Tribute to Sri Nisargadatta. ISBN&#;
  • Peter Brent, Godmen of Bharat. NY: Quadrangle Books, , pp.&#;–
  • S. Gogate & P.T. Phadol, Encounter the Sage: Shri Nisargadatta, Sri Sadguru Nisargadatta Maharaj Amrit Mahotsav Samiti,
  • Neal Rosner (Swami Paramatmananda), On the Road to Freedom: A Pilgrimage in India, Vol. 1, San Ramon, CA: Mata Amritanandamayi Center, , pp.&#;–8.
  • Ramesh Sadashiv Balsekar, Explorations into the Eternal: Forays from the Teaching apply Nisargadatta Maharaj . ISBN&#;
  • Bertram Salzman, Awaken to the Eternal: Nisargadatta Maharaj: a Journey of Play Discovery. ISBN&#;
  • Saumitra Krishnarao Mullarpattan (died September ), The Last Stage of Nisargadatta Maharaj. India: Yogi Impressions Books, ISBN&#;
  • Dasbodh&#;– Spiritual Teaching for the Servant&#;– Saint Shri Samartha Ramdas, Sadguru Publishing, ISBN&#;

DVDs

External links

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