Resting as the ‘I Am’ – by Nisargadatta

Resting as the ‘I Am’ –
by Nisargadatta

— A Direct Pointer to the Source

What is the ‘I Am’?
The ‘I Am’ is not a thought or a belief. It is the raw, silent sense that you are, prior to identity, prior to story. It appears before the mind arises and remains when thought subsides. It is not personal, yet it is the doorway to the impersonal. It is the first ripple that appears in the still surface of the Absolute. It is both the veil and the key.

“The ‘I Am’ is the first ignorance, and also the last to go.” — I Am That, p. 305

What exactly am I to recognize?
Not a mood. Not a vibration. Not a mental state. But the fact of Being—self-evident and self-shining. You don’t create it; you notice it. It is the background clarity that is always here. At first, it may feel like peace or lightness—but these are only fragrances, not the flame. Stay with the flame.

“You are not what you perceive. You are the light that makes perception possible.” — I Am That, p. 205

Is the ‘I Am’ a feeling? A peace? A vibration?
These arise within the sense of I Am, but they are not the I Am itself. The I Am is not an object to be felt or found—it is the ground of all knowing. Like the screen on which a film plays, it allows all experiences but remains untouched.

“The sense of being, of ‘I am’, is your own. You cannot part with it, but you can lose sight of it.” — I Am That, p. 15

Why must I stay with the I Am?
Because everything else is mind-play. Every distraction—past, future, body, identity—is a detour from Reality. But resting in the I Am returns the mind to silence. From here, it becomes clear: you are not the body, not the thoughts. You are that which knows them.

“To know that you are is natural, to know what you are is realization.” — I Am That, p. 215

How do I stay with the I Am in daily life?
Stay gently, not with force, but with sincerity. Thoughts may come and go, but you are not the thoughts—you are the unchanging presence aware of them. Whenever the mind wanders, return—not as an effort, but as a return to your native state. Rest. Abide.

“Keep the ‘I Am’ in the focus of awareness, remember that you are, watch yourself ceaselessly.” — I Am That, p. 86

What if I forget?
Then remember. There is no failure in forgetting—only in refusing to return. Just as a child stumbles, rises, and learns to walk, you too must return to balance. Gradually, it becomes effortless. Natural.

“Forgetfulness of your real nature is the source of bondage. Remembrance is the path to freedom.” — I Am That, p. 108

Why does the mind pull me away?
It’s conditioned to roam. Habit pulls it outward to name, label, and react. But each return to the I Am weakens this pull. The mind begins to lose interest in its own noise and starts to settle. What remains is stillness.

“The mind creates the abyss. The heart crosses it.” — I Am That, p. 129

What is aware of the I Am?
This is the heart of inquiry. Once the I Am is stable, the final veil can be seen: even the I Am appears to something deeper—that which cannot be named or grasped. That is the Absolute. The unchanging Witness of even presence itself.

“Before the ‘I am’ appeared on you, you were in the highest state—the unborn state.” — I Am That, p. 407

Does abiding in the I Am lead to the Absolute?
Yes. Resting in the I Am dissolves the illusion of personal identity. Then, even the sense of being begins to fade, like dawn giving way to daylight. What remains is the formless, the unchanging, the unborn. Your true nature.

“When you dwell on the ‘I am’, you become conscious of consciousness as the eternal witness.” — I Am That, p. 34

Summary
The sense “I Am” is your most intimate doorway. It is not your final home, but the threshold to Truth. Stay with it—not intellectually, not emotionally—but with unshakable simplicity. In time, the seeker fades, the seeking ends, and what remains is That which was never born and never left.

Transcript from Nisargadatta Maharaj talk.

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