No Seen or Seer in the Impersonal Presence

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Before the sickness or my present condition, I was there. This sickness has come as a temporary phase, but I am prior to that. People normally feel, when sickness comes, that they are going to die. But  I am not going to die; there is no death to me, but it is the sickness that will accept it.

If a sick person will remember this principle only - that prior to the sickness he was and his true nature is ever prior to the sickness - if he truly realizes this, then the impact of the sickness will be less. On the other hand, when so-called "knowledgeable" people are sick, they accelerate their death by imagining that they are going to die.

What do you understand by the word "dream"? How do you understand a dream? Is not a dream something like a drama, a play? In the light of the consciousness all kinds of play takes place; the dream is one of these, and in the end it again merges into the consciousness.

To one who realizes that this consciousness is an indication of his presence, that it is in fact conscious presence - when I am conscious, it means that I am present - all bewilderment ceases. Thus, within that presence as such, there is no individual present who sees something; that is, there is neither the seer nor the seen in the impersonal presence. Again, I repeat, that impersonal presence is merely an indication of presence as such, not of any individual. It is an assurance, a guarantee of one's presence. If I have consciousness, it means I am certain that I am present.

To one who really understands what has been said here, a dream is no different from what is seen in the waking state: both are plays in the consciousness. Because of the light of consciousness. we call one thing the waking state, another thing the dream, but in essence both are events happening in the consciousness and essentially they are not different.

In this impersonal presence as such, the only light present is the light of consciousness, without any form or shape. Whatever is seen is seen in that light. Many people are under the impression that they are acting in the play; but this is a mistaken notion. All that happens is that the light of consciousness shows various things happening.