Nisargadatta’s Mature Teaching

Start with bondage and “go back”:

L1: Individuality = Personality = Bodymind = Body-identity or Body-consciousness

L2: Beingness

L3: Absolute state. “Nothing is.”

Maharaj’s Chief Question for Sadhakas

Where are you? That is, where are you located?

The Practice: Masculine & Feminine Approaches

The masculine approach (cf. Chan on the huatou):

• Probe at “the borderline” between Being and “Non-being” (the Absolute state).

The feminine approach (cf. Chan on “silent illumination”):

• Just be. Do nothing.

Who Can Ask Questions?

For the mature Nisargadatta whom we meet in Jean Dunn’s and in Robert Powell’s edited works (i.e., around 1979-81):

1. If you’re taking your stand at the bodymind level, then don’t ask questions because all questions will be coming from the bodymind level. Just listen (sravana).
2. If you’re coming to experience the “touch of I Amness,” then you can (and should) ask questions but only about two things: (a) the qualities of I Amness and (b) the way (or ways) to go beyond I Amness.
3. And if you’re really stabilized in I Amness, then you can’t ask questions. By “can’t” is meant, “It’s not possible for one ‘here’ to ask questions since no question can arise save, perhaps, for the perfume of the question: ‘How come’?”

Coda

Strictly speaking, of course, there aren’t any “levels.” These are just metaphors or teaching devices to be used as expedient means. There’s only really the Absolute. In Maharaj’s words, “Nothing is.”