The complete 'I am' quotes of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Pradeep Apte

378
The concept ‘I am’ is the primordial ‘maya’. And that ‘maya’, that
primordial concept ‘I am’ requires support and therefore God and
‘Ishwara’ have been born. Along with that the whole
manifestation, the entire Universe, has come upon it. Otherwise,
there is absolutely nothing. And out of many ‘jnanis’, there will
only be a rare one who knows the real nature of this primary
concept.
379
First, the knowingness knows itself, knowing that ‘I am’. And in
the illumination by that ‘I amness’, or that consciousness,
everything else is observed. I have had to repeat the same thing
again and again, and I do not want to run kindergarten classes of
spirituality.
380
All this is the play of concepts. The primary concept ‘I am’
appears spontaneously. It likes ‘I am’; it loves that ‘I am’ state.
Devouring ever more concepts, it gets totally enmeshed in them.
And what is the source of all concepts? This primary feeling ‘I
am’. But never forget the fact that it itself is a concept, time-bound.
And so it is all mental entertainment.
381
What equipment you are having is that ‘prana’. ‘Upasana’ means
worship, worship of ‘prana’ itself. For doing that what equipment
do you possess? It is ‘prana’ itself. Along with ‘prana’ there is that
knowledge ‘I am’, or consciousness. These two things are
available to you to do anything, nothing more than that.