Spiritual Questions: What is the Radiant Core of I AM?

The Radiant Core of I AM – Not a Concept, but Your Undying Origin

In a world flooded with ideas, philosophies, belief systems, and spiritual practices, it’s easy to lose sight of the most essential truth — the radiant core of I AM. Often mistaken for a metaphysical concept or mystical abstraction, this inner essence is neither idea nor imagination. It is not a borrowed belief or a mental construct. It is your living truth. The I AM is not something you become; it is what you have always been — the undying origin of all that you are.

What Is the I AM?

The I AM is the eternal presence of being — pure awareness untainted by thought, identity, time, or change. It is not bound by the roles you play, the names you answer to, or the ideas you hold about yourself. Before you are a mother, a father, a seeker, a teacher, or a student, you simply are. That beingness — untouched, clear, radiant — is the I AM.

When you say “I am” without adding anything to it, you are touching the edge of infinity. You are pointing to the presence that precedes every experience, every thought, and every story. It is not a role you play; it is the truth that watches the roles come and go.

I AM – Not a Concept, But the Ground of Reality

Many seekers make the mistake of turning the I AM into an idea. They read about it, talk about it, even try to meditate on it — but miss the deeper truth that it is not something to be grasped. It cannot be thought about because it is the very ground from which all thought arises.

It’s like trying to see your own eyes without a mirror — you are the one who sees, not the thing being seen.

The radiant core of I AM is not a philosophical puzzle. It is not something to agree or disagree with. It is not a thing at all — it is the eternal presence behind all things. Even now, as you read these words, something inside you is aware of reading. That awareness is the doorway. That silent witness is the presence we call the I AM.

The Undying Origin of All Identity

You may identify as a name, a body, a gender, a nationality, or even as a spiritual being — but none of these are your ultimate origin. They are layers built on top of the core. They come and go. Even your beliefs about who or what you are will shift over time. But what never changes is the undeniable fact that you are. That beingness is untouched by the ever-shifting waves of personality or perspective.

Think of it this way: the sky is always present, whether it’s sunny, cloudy, or stormy. The I AM is like the sky. Thoughts, emotions, sensations, and identities are like weather — always changing, never constant. But the sky remains.

This undying origin cannot be destroyed, diminished, or lost. It has no beginning and no end. You were never born into it; you simply forgot it in the noise of identity. To return to the radiant core of I AM is not to become something new — it is to shed everything you are not.

The Misconception of “Becoming” Enlightened

In spiritual circles, much is said about “becoming enlightened” or “awakening” as if it’s a future achievement. But the very language reveals the illusion — because the I AM is not something that can be reached. It is not a distant goal or a mystical reward. It is already here. Already now. Already fully alive within you.

The process of spiritual awakening is not about adding anything to yourself. It is about subtracting everything that isn’t you. In this way, it’s more of an unlearning than a learning. When all false identities fall away, what remains is the radiant core — the undying origin — the I AM.

As the spiritual teacher Ramana Maharshi once said: “The ‘I’ casts off the illusion of ‘I’ and yet remains the ‘I’. Such is the paradox of Self-realization.”

Practical Ways to Experience the I AM

While the I AM cannot be captured in thought, there are simple ways to rest in its presence:

1. Silent Self-Inquiry

Ask yourself, “Who am I, really?” Not the name, not the role, not the body. Who is aware of these things? Sit with the question — not to find an answer, but to rest in the presence that notices all phenomena.

2. Be Still

Stillness is the natural state of the I AM. You don’t need to sit in perfect meditation posture for hours. Simply become quiet. Stop chasing thoughts, and you’ll find that what is begins to reveal itself.

3. Drop All Labels

Even for just a moment, let go of all definitions. Stop identifying as anything. Don’t be a man or woman, student or teacher, even a human being. Just be. In that space, you’ll begin to sense the timeless presence of the I AM.

4. Use the Gateway of the Present Moment

The I AM is not in the past or future. It is now. The mind exists in time, but presence does not. Every time you become fully present — even for a breath — you are returning to your undying origin.

Why the Radiant Core Is So Often Overlooked

If the I AM is always here, always present, why is it so easily missed?

Because it is too simple. The mind craves complexity. It wants teachings, practices, techniques, and philosophies. But the I AM does not need effort to be discovered. It needs silence. The mind overlooks the obvious in its search for the dramatic.

It’s like a fish looking for water. The presence is so constant, so intimate, that you have learned to ignore it. You are looking away from what is always here.

But once it is seen — or more accurately, once everything else falls away — it becomes undeniable. The radiant core of your being outshines every thought, every belief, every identity. It is peace without cause. Joy without reason. Love without condition.

Living from the I AM

To realize the I AM is one thing. To live from it is another.

When you live from the radiant core of your being, your life is no longer ruled by fear or desire. You no longer seek external validation. You no longer fear death, because you know you were never just the body. You no longer chase love, because you are love.

Life becomes simple, graceful, and deeply present. You respond instead of react. You feel the interconnectedness of all life. Compassion arises naturally. Silence becomes nourishing. Time slows down. There is no need to strive or prove — only to be.

And in that beingness, everything is fulfilled.

Beyond Religion, Beyond Philosophy

The realization of the I AM is not limited to any religion or tradition. While you may find echoes of it in Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Christian mysticism, Zen Buddhism, and countless others — the truth itself belongs to no path. It is the silent thread running through all true teachings.

It is not reserved for monks, saints, or sages. It is your birthright. Your beginning and your end. Your real self.

You don’t need to climb a mountain, chant in Sanskrit, or study ancient texts to find it. You only need to stop. Look inward. And be.

The radiant core of I AM is not a state you enter. It is the recognition of what never left. What never began. And what can never die.

Return to the Radiant Core

In a noisy world of spiritual noise, it’s easy to overlook the silence within you. But beneath the surface of identity, beyond the masks and the noise, is the truth that has never changed — the radiant core of I AM.

Not a concept. Not a belief. But the undying origin of everything you have ever called “me.”

It is time to return. Not to an idea, but to the source. Not to a future, but to the now. Not to a teaching, but to the timeless presence watching all teachings come and go.