Nisargadatta: There is no such thing as spirituality

[Guest guest]

January 17, 1981

 

 

 

Q: In consciousness is there doership and also witnessing?

 

 

 

M: Everything is in the realm of consciousness.

 

 

 

Q: Are all the actions in the world being done through consciousness? The

movement of the five elements also?

 

 

 

M: The sum total of the five elements is consciousness.

 

 

 

Q: Its beautiful to praise this consciousness by consciousness, no?

 

 

 

M: Oh, yes. Whatever you are, only you know. In the body is only the

knowledge, no person. For practical purposes you use various names.

 

Q: In the body, why is this consciousness saying. "Iyou," etc?

 

 

 

M: Consciousness is one, but it manifests into many, so for practical purposes

you say "Iyou.", etc.

 

 

 

Q: My consciousness is due to this body, sustained by this body, not other

bodies.

 

 

 

M: In your consciousness all the bodies are there.

 

 

 

Q: Maharaj said that I am not in the body, that the body is in me.

 

 

 

M: If you are an author, a number of books are potentially in your pen. Since

when did you realize that you are?

 

 

 

Q: When the body and consciousness appeared.

 

 

 

M:

 

The sun total of my spirituality now is nothing, even that word "nothing" is not

there, so there is no spirituality left.

 

 

 

Suppose I do not like my body, or even the vital breath, what can I do -the body

is there, vital breath is there, and therefore this " I Amness" is there. They

are functioning by themselves, why should I worry about it? It is having its

play, let it have it. So long as that knowingness, "I Amness", is there that

attraction will be there for others. The knowingness is the outcome of the food

body; when this body is consumed, where is that " I Amness"?

 

 

 

There is no such thing as spirituality; what ever is, is only this worldly life,

in the five-elemental play. You are nothing better than vegetation. Just as

grass is growing, human beings are growing. Will anybody accept this? Birth is

a material aspect. If you are yourself alone, that state will not be felt; but

if there is a foreign element, only then the suffering starts. On you, the

original, this foreign element is imposed, that is why it is suffering.

 

 

 

You will not enquire into what you are. Because you are intellectuals, you will

prepare delicacies out of you intellect and you will go on eating that. Even in

spirituality you employ your intellect, you prepare so many delicacies out of

you concepts and you relish them.

 

Take a hint from what I have said. That you experience the world at all is the

result of somebody's fun; now it has become the source of misery.

 

 

 

Q: Is it possible to be in a wordless state?

 

 

 

M: Can you live without words? Words are very necessary.

 

 

 

Q: We are prisoners of our own concepts.

 

 

 

M: Just enquire into that birth principle. You are; because you are, the

father and mother are. It's a simultaneous happening. Because of their action

you are, and {at the same time} you have parents. Without their bodies. Ignore

that action because of which you are; and then try to recognize what the parents

are. As a result of these two presences, there is a third presence, "I Am".

Now will you clear out those concepts of yours and parents?

 

 

 

>From Consciousness and the Absolute...Editor Jean Dunn