The wisdom contained in this collection of talks emerged from dialogues with those who came from all over the world to learn the mysteries of life at the feet of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, one of the most revered holy men of India.

These talks occurred between July 7, 1979, and April 2, 1980, in the same setting as the other books. Daily, visitors would enter the ground floor residence in Khetwadi, Bombay, and either remain silent in Maharaj's presence or pose questions to him to bring forth his wisdom. He would say he is not a learned man and therefore can only speak from his own experience, and that whatever he has been able to know about his true being applies to everyone else.

Maharaj's admonition to "be" and to know what one "is" - in the sense of timeless being - emerges from these dialogues and will touch the lives of many for a long time to come.

This series of questions and answers bears the same stamp of authenticity that all these books share, and continue to provide insights for modern man in his spiritual journeys, leading him out of suffering and sorrow. The editor, Jean Dunn, has done the world a great service by bringing these talks to light, in translation from the original Marathi language.