Nisargadatta’s Ultimate Sutra

His Complete Teaching in 442 Words:

You see, this "I-am-ness" is normally this five-elemental interaction and play. Out of the earth, with the help of water, sprouting of vegetation takes place. Out of vegetation, the essences are drawn and out of the essences, which are the food for all beings, come the grains for human beings. Now from the quintessence of this food, the "I-am-ness" is sustained. The food is stored in the form of a body. The food is continuously consumed by the vital breath. And in the process of consuming this food, the vital breath sustains that flame of "I-am-ness." To have "I-am-ness," the food body and vital breath are very necessary; in short, one may say it is a product of food body essence and vital breath. Then only this "I-am-ness" or consciousness is available.

Now the consciousness, when it gets involved with the body-mind, is the individual. It is conditioned by body and mind. Mind is concepts. Whatever it receives through the five senses, and is stored, that is the mind. And whatever the words that flow out, that is also mind. So when that consciousness is conditioned by the body and the mind, it is individualistic, a personality. And I always tell people, you depersonify yourself by not identifying with the body-mind. When you do that, you are that manifest principle; you are no more a personality, you are only consciousness.

When you are in that consciousness state, you are in a position to observe the mind flow, any thoughts occurring to you-you are apart from thought. You don't identify with that thought. Since you observe the body and its actions, you are not one with those; you are apart from that body. Thus, you are now in consciousness; that is the first stage. So when you are only consciousness, you are all manifest; this is to be realized. Then, provided you are, everything is, your world is, and your god is. You are the primary cause, the prerequisite for anything else to exist, whether it be your god or your world. You abide only in consciousness. In your attention, only consciousness should be there. That is the meditation.

Now the next step is-the question raised in the morning-are you in a position to observe consciousness? This is also the final step. When you are in a position to observe or witness consciousness-and, of course, the vital breath, body and its actions-then by virtue of that very observation, you are apart from the consciousness.

So when you are in a position to observe consciousness, you are out of consciousness. Then you are what we call "the awareness state," the vijnana or jnana state.

(from ‘The Ultimate Medicine’)