‘I Am’ Is a Portal

This meditation explores how the infinite is experienced within the finite human mind as ‘I am’. Two analogies are presented to elucidate this idea. The first likens the finite mind to King Lear and the infinite to John Smith. ‘I am’ is the portal through which the finite mind transcends its limitations and reveals its essence as the infinite. The second analogy involves a painting by William Turner, where the full moon represents the infinite, and the landscape is the finite. The moon, seemingly a painted object, is actually the paper. We examine the contrasting perspectives of Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ramana Maharshi regarding ‘I am’. Nisargadatta views it as bondage and ignorance, while Ramana sees it as the path to freedom and truth. This divergence arises from their different orientations toward the ‘I am’. The knowledge ‘I am’ is a gateway to the infinite and a source of profound understanding and freedom.

This meditation explores how the infinite is experienced within the finite human mind as ‘I am’. Two analogies are presented to elucidate this idea. The first likens the finite mind to King Lear and the infinite to John Smith. ‘I am’ is the portal through which the finite mind transcends its limitations and reveals its essence as the infinite. The second analogy involves a painting by William Turner, where the full moon represents the infinite, and the landscape is the finite. The moon, seemingly a painted object, is actually the paper. We examine the contrasting perspectives of Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ramana Maharshi regarding ‘I am’. Nisargadatta views it as bondage and ignorance, while Ramana sees it as the path to freedom and truth. This divergence arises from their different orientations toward the ‘I am’. The knowledge ‘I am’ is a gateway to the infinite and a source of profound understanding and freedom.