Blind Youth with True Vision

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Once, at the end of a rather long dialogue-cum-discourse session, during which Mahraj repeatedly brought his listeners to the basic point of his teaching (that the conscious presence I AM is the original concept on which everything else appears and that this concept itself is only an illusion) he asked the question: Have you understood what I am trying to say?

This questions was addressed to the listeners generally.. All were silent but one among them said: "Yes Maharaj. I have understood your words intellectually, but .." Maharaj heard the answer and smiled wearily, perhaps because he was amused by the fact that the speaker thought he said he understood, had not really understood. He then proceeded further to explain the subject lucidly in a categorical manner as follows:

1. The knowledge  IAM or consciousness is the only capital a sentient being has. Indeed, without consciousness he would not have any sentience.

2. When this I AM-ness is not present, as in deep sleep, there is no body, no outside world, and no 'God'. It is evident that a tiny speck of this consciousness contains the entire universe.

3. Neverthless,  consciousness cannot exist without a physical body and existence of the body being temporal, consciousness also must be temporal.

4. Finally, if consciousness is time-bound and is not eternal, any knowledge that is acquired through the medium of consciousness  cannot be truth and is, therefore, ultimately to be rejected, or as I saod, to be offered to Brahman as an oblation - Brahman being consciousness, beingness, I AM ness or Ishwara or God, or whatever name you give it. In other words, the inter-related opposites, both knowledge and ignorance, are in the area of the known and, therefore, not the truth - and truth is only in the unknown. Once this is clearly understood, nothing more remains to be done. Indeed there is really no entity to do anything.

After uttering these words Maharaj became silent and closed his eyes. The litter loft-room seemed to be submerged into an effulgent peace. Not a word was spoken by anybody. Why is it, I wondered, that most of us are unable to see and feel the dynamic manifestation of truth presented by Maharaj time and again. And why some of us - though very few - see it in a flash.

After sometime, when Maharaj opened his eyes and we all reverted to the normal state, someone drew his attention to the poor, blind young man who had recently attended his talks only twice, in the morning and again the same evening, and had gone back 'liberated'. At the end of the session, when this young man bade goodbye to Maharaj, he was asked whether he had understood what it was all about and he had said confidently: "Yes". When Maharaj himself asked him what he had understood, he sat quietly for a few moments, and then spoke: Maharaj, I do not have the right words to express my feelings of gratitude to you for making the whole picture so very clear to me, so simply, and so quickly. I can summarize your teaching:

1. You asked me to remember what I was before I had this knowledge I AM together with the body, i.e., before I was born;

2. You told me that this body-cum-consciousness had come upon me without my knowledge or concurrence, therefore 'I' had never been 'born'.

3. This body-cum-consciousness  that is born is time bound and, when it disappears at the end of its allotted span, I shall be back in my original state, which is always present, but not in manifestation;

4. Therefore, I am not consciousness, and certainly not the physical construct which houses this consciousness;

5. Finally, I understand that there is only 'I' - neither me nor mine nor you - only that which is. There is no bondage other than the concept of a separate me and mine in this totality of manifestation and functioning. 

After hearing these words from the blind youth, uttered with absolute conviction, Maharaj had given him a look of understanding and love, and had asked him: "Now what will you be doing?" The answer was: "Sir, I have understood you truly. I will be doing nothing. Living will go on." He then paid his respects to Maharaj with great adoration and left.

The bling young man was not really blind, said Maharaj. He had the true vision. There are few life him.