The dialogue between a questioner and the enlightened teacher Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj centers around the concept of consciousness and reality. The questioner is perplexed by the statement that the world does not exist, as far as the teacher is concerned, even though he seems extremely alert and active. Maharaj explains that it is a matter of focus; his mind is focused on reality, whereas the average person’s mind is focused on the world. The world exists, but it is not reality.

The teacher uses the example of taking food to explain detachment. While the food is in the mouth, one is conscious of it, but once swallowed, it does not concern them anymore. The mind should be in abeyance, and incessant activity is a morbid state. The universe works by itself; the supreme state is in the center of consciousness but beyond consciousness. It is an opening in the mind through which the mind is flooded with light, and it is just an opening, void, and absence.

The teacher explains that the supreme state is beyond all attributes, beyond time and space, and beyond being and not being. The universe is all names and forms, based on qualities and their differences, while he is beyond. The world is there because he is, but he is not the world. He is neither the potentiality nor the actualization, nor the actuality of things. In his light, they come and go as the specks of dust dancing in the sunbeam. The light illuminates the specks, but it does not depend on them. Nor can it be said to create them.

The questioner wonders if the teacher is conscious of the question and the answer. The teacher explains that in reality, he is neither hearing nor answering. In the world of events, the question happens, and the answer happens. Nothing happens to him. Everything just happens. The fully realized man, spontaneously abiding in the supreme state, appears to eat, drink, and so on. The supreme state is beyond both, supporting both, and is a state of utter stillness and silence. Whoever goes there disappears.

In conclusion, the dialogue revolves around the idea that reality and consciousness are not the same as the world we perceive. While the world exists, it is not the ultimate reality. The supreme state is beyond being and not being, beyond time and space, and beyond attributes. It is a state of utter stillness and silence, which is beyond description and can only be experienced by going there.