• Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Compass) | | | |
• Who Am I?: The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi | | | |
• The Ultimate Medicine: Dialogues with a Realized Master | | | |
• Consciousness and the Absolute: The Final Talks of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj | | | |
• The Collected Works Of Sri Ramana Maharshi | | | |

What can I say? This book is a jewel.
Review written by: BL From Thailand
I have been reading in the area of Indian/Hindu/Buddhist literature for years and in my searches at Amazon for books like the Bhagavad Gita, Vasistha's Yoga, Shankara and other works mainly in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, I kept seeing a bright yellow book, I Am That, by an author I had never heard of. I paid no attention but I kept thinking about how many reviews it had and how positive they were, so I did an Internet search and found a website that had it for a free Word download. I had just gotten an iPod, which I now love more than my wife, and downloaded I Am That onto it. A few pages into it I was hooked. The only works that I can compare this to is Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts, Emerson, and maybe by beloved Plotinus, although Plotinus' style necessarily lacks the personal punch of Sri Nisargadatta. When I go to lunch I pull out my iPod (I eat lunch alone since I am living in Thailand and I guess no one wants to try to speak English with me)and read a few pages of I AM That propped up against the salt shaker. This book is SO REFRESHING. When you read Seth Speaks, whatever you think of the characterization of the source of the material, it just seems to ring true; the same for Emerson. And the same for Sri Nisargadatta. Like Jane and Emerson, Sri Nisargadatta always comes back to the personal/experiential, and therein lies the book's entertainment if I may use this word in the broadest sense and value. I have a smile on my face as I write this remembering his forthright responses to his sometimes inane interlocutors ("Of course, what do you expect?"). You won't find the systematic presentation of a world view that you find in Jane Roberts or Plotinus. What I feel you will find is the sharp, honest, deeply profound views of a man that truly knows, in Jane Robert's/Seth's words, that we create our reality, that everything we perceive stems from an "unknown" (again Jane's term) and spiritual reality, and that that reality can perhaps best be characterized by "understanding love." No axe to grind, nothing to sell; just an eloquent presentation of insights from what has to be one of the great seers of the modern era (discounting the humble, unassuming people, as Sri Nisargadatta would say, that we might see but don't recognize as such in our daily lives). This book is a gem. I have to laugh at myself: what seemed to me at first to be the hyperbole of the other reviews now just seems right. This is the book that I would take to a desert island, etc. It is true that the questions in the book (it is in dialog format)are at times asked by people whose necks you want to wring (see how much I have learned from the book!; I wonder if people actually asked these questions or if they were edited by a well-intended pupil) and the printing is atrocious (commas in weird places), but I find myself scanning the questions to get to what Sri Nisargadatta has to say, which is often not what you would think. That is one of the joys of the book; they are the words of a man who makes deep connections and flashes them before our eyes for our entertainment and of course, his main point, our better understanding of ourselves and hence our world. This is a great great book written by a man that apparently had the simplicity of a saint, living in a crowded, modest environment and having people throng to his small apartment to hear him talk. I wish he were still with us--I would be on the next plane. I can't say more than or even compete with the information provided by the other reviews. But like one reviewer, I just wanted to throw in my own two cents in case I could bring another reader to this book. I have since bought several copies of the real book for myself and my friends, and will eventually read it and highlight the parts I like especially. In the meantime, my iPod seems to be a magical box with the words of Sri Nisargadatta on the little screen. One final note. I see that there is a paperback edition for almost twice the money that was published several years after this paperback edition. I wonder if it is any better in terms of punctuation.

AMAZING!
Review written by: LoveToReadBooks7 From
Nisargadatta Maharaj was a giant of wisdom and enlightenment. Simply ready a few phrases before going to bed and you will have sweet uplifting dreams. Just beautiful.

A great book
Review written by: Brian D. Babiak From
This book does a great job of exposing the mystical core of many paths, yoga, christianity, buddhism, kabbalah, shaivism, etc. It is the same as most ancient teachings in this respect, except in that it uses modern, accessible language. A joy to read and very clear.

Currently on backorder. :)
Review written by: Corinne M. Kramer From
I read this book years ago and it is fabulous to say the least. It explains, indirectly, filling that empty space within with your own Truth, not someone else's.... It also explains Genuine Self Love, something most of us were not taught while growing up. I've purchased the book for my brother. Every individual will receive their own personal weight in 'Gold' after reading this book. It speaks to all. It's worth the wait. :)

I am that
Review written by: Martin Sambusini From US
I spent most of my teenager years visiting Indian Ashrams and learning meditation technics. Also read probably hundreds of books on eastern philosophy, etc. On one of my trips to India a friend recommended me this book. Even though I love a lot of what the book said, I felt I was not ready and put the book aside after only reading 1/20 of it.

It is only 15 years later that I managed to find this book again on Amazon. This time I was more prepare and things resonated in a way never imagened. I can truly say my search is over. Never again had I look or read another spiritual book.

Interestingly, it is during certain times that I can really read and comprenhend what this book is telling me. For me without this "special state of mind", words are empty and get bored after a short time of reading. So many times I tried to open this treasure without success. Yet, there are a few special times when words in this book serve me as a tunnel to see and understand THAT. It simply cracked me open.

This book is not for everybody, but if you are in serious search for who you really are, I recommend reading it. If after reasing you can not get it, do not worry, leave it on the side for a few years or decades; but go back to it. Eventually the treassure will be reveled and you will never again have to look for another book.