I am That

The 'I am That' is the transcendental aspect of pure consciousness. We should realize the difference. 
'I am that' is the identification with 'that' only and at least for me it was the result of meditation, because it is beyond the form, beyond the mind, it is called only 'that'. 
Swami said in the interview when he talked about the mantra Soham, it means 'I am That', I am God' and 'I am Shiva. I am that means not the body and not the mind. It transcends the body and the mind. 

If we talk about the 'I am that' it means everybody is 'that', it is the ability to get aware of the transcendental being, what is not a form, also not a light body talking to us like it would be a body, but it is just 'that', it cannot be named differently, otherwise, it is again attributed to a name or a form. 

In the 'I am that' we are all the same, universal being, non-manifest and eternal and it cannot be experienced on the divine level, it is too big, therefore, we can experience it in our own inner view as 'that' only, pure love is that, and as the divine is as well pure love, we have the same quality of love in the pure love and in the divine love and in that we are one with the divine. 

It is said, that it is bigger than the biggest and smaller than the smallest. 
The oneness of everybody is in the sameness, we are all pure consciousness and one, the direct experience is needed to get aware of it. Direct perception or experience is meditation or devotional singing as well as Darshan, it is about sight of truth, as soon as we think it over or we are talking about truth, it is conceptual and therefore, not direct experience. To think it over we have to listen, we have to see it in our own life to be able to understand. When we have those three things on all three levels, contemplation is listening to his words, thinking it over to be able to absorb and if we don't see it in our own life, we will not be able to understand it. 

When singing we get aware that we are all the same, the pure love together we experience of the Lord, if we are in a spirit of service to the divine, we can make our life sacred and realize our own self in our life, without that we have to live in an ashram. 
We just offer everything we do to the Lord. 
Constant contemplation about his words keeps the mind filled with good thoughts, otherwise, the mind is committing activity at his own. 
We should always use his words to find the right conclusion, he knows and if we try to find our own mind answer, we will not get to the right conclusion, as the word already tells the mind answer is always mind and therefore, it is deprived of truth. 

Devote your time to the service of the world with faith in the Lord, regardless of its fruits. Then you become blessed. Otherwise though the body may be inactive, the mind will be very busy, committing acts on its own. People with such minds fall prey to karma (consequences) in spite of their not doing anything! When a person has the mind fixed on contemplation of God and the pursuit of truth, though the body and senses do acts that are of service to the world, they won't be affected by them; though they do actions they are still non-doers of action. This is the lesson from Bhagavad Gita. The heart of the person who doesn't strive to cultivate the mind with holy thoughts is certain to be the paradise of evil and wickedness. Everyone who hopes to rise to greatness, who seeks one-pointedness and aspires for salvation must bear this in mind.