Exactly as a shadow appears when light is intercepted by the body, so does the person arise when pure self- awareness is obstructed by the "I-am-the-body" idea.

And as the shadow changes shape and position according to the lay of the land, so does the person appear to rejoice and suffer, rest and toil, find and lose according to the pattern of destiny.

When the body is no more, the person disappears completely without return, only the witness remains and the Great Unknown.

Nisargadatta Maharaj

"I-am" Parabrahman.
"I-am" the absolute reality.
Never was I born.
Never can I die.
I am not the body nor the mind nor the doer.
"I-am" pure consciousness, all-pervading.
Fire cannot burn me.
Water cannot drown me.
No harm can ever come to me.
For I am not what I appear to be.
How wonderful this is.
You should spend all of your spare time thinking of these things.

~ Robert Adams

Consciousness and unconsciousness are two aspects of one life. They co-exist. To know the world you forget the self - to know the self you forget the world. What is world after all? A collection of memories. Cling to one thing that matters, hold on to 'I am' and let go all else. This is sadhana. In realization there is nothing to hold on to and nothing to forget. Everything is known, nothing is remembered.

~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

Stay without ambition, without the least desire, exposed, vulnerable, unprotected, uncertain and alone, completely open to and welcoming life as it happens, without the selfish conviction that all must yield you pleasure or profit, material or so-called spiritual.

~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

When you reach the deep layers of your true being, you will find that the mind's surface-play affects you very little.

~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Nothing is wrong with you

Nothing is wrong with you, but the ideas you have of yourself are altogether wrong. It is not you who desires, fears and suffers, it is the person built on the foundation of your body by circumstances and influences. You are not that person. This must be clearly established in your mind and never lost sight of.

~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

...

Questioner: How to deal with people?

Nisargadatta Maharaj: Why make plans and what for? Such questions show anxiety. Relationship is a living thing. Be at peace with your inner self and you will be at peace with everybody.
Realise that you are not the master of what happens, you cannot control the future except in purely technical matters. Human relationship cannot be planned, it is too rich and varied. Just be understanding and compassionate, free of all self seeking.

Nisargadatta Maharaj

Once you realise that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.

~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

All experience is illusory, limited and temporal. Expect nothing from experience. Realisation by itself is not an experience, though it may lead to a new dimension of experiences. Yet the new experiences, however interesting, are not more real than the old. Definitely realisation is not a new experience. It is the discovery of the timeless factor in every experience. It is awareness, which makes experience possible. Just like in all the colours light is the colourless factor, so in every experience awareness is present, yet it is not an experience.

~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

To see reality is as simple as to see one's face in a mirror. Only the mirror must be clear and true. A quiet mind, undistorted by desires and fears, free from ideas and opinions, clear on all the levels, is needed to reflect the reality. Be clear and quiet -- alert and detached, all else will happen by itself.

~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Reality