Tuesday, August 9, 2011

A Gnani does not accumulate knowledge; he simply has the capacity to know.



There are books and scriptures filled with different ideas to get wisdom.  The bookish knowledge is not wisdom. It is simply accumulated garbage.  By accumulating knowledge one will not get wisdom. Truth has to be ascertained by seeker himself through sharp inquiry and reasoning. 

Only through the flame of wisdom burns the ignorance.  Intellectual knowledge is egocentric whereas the self-knowledge is soul centric.   All sorts of theories and ideas go on accumulating, and then it becomes scripture. Gnani burns accumulated knowledge through soul-centric reasoning. 

The spiritual books and the scriptures are filled just with information the information is not truth. No matter how much ever one accumulates knowledge, wisdom cannot be attained. One can go on gathering more and more knowledge, learn the scriptures by heart, become parrots, memorize each and every sutra, let the complete scriptures  be imprinted in one’s  memory -- but still there will be no wisdom. 

The wisdom is not accumulated knowledge .Accumulated knowledge binds one instead it cannot give freedom or Moksha. Wisdom is that which frees the  SELF from ignorance.  Knowing the truth of one’s true existence is wisdom. Realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman brings freedom from experiencing the illusion as reality.

Wisdom is that which liberates the self from illusion.   Pundits and yogis don't appear to be liberated, they look enslaved. They talk about liberation but they don't look free. They seem to be bound with a many fetters because they have accepted something else as truth.    

Orthodox people seem to be more enslaved because they have stuck to their own beliefs.  The saints and swamis are more stuck to the belief than the truth. They are just blind followers of tradition. They cannot move freely, they cannot sit freely, they cannot live freely. They are prisoners of their code of conduct and restrictions. Thus they believe only in what they preach. There is no scope for verification. One has to blindly accept what they say as truth. Such authoritism will not yield truth.    

Freedom is unknown inner longing. One may achieve everything in the practical life within the practical world, but he is still feels he is bound. Even after attaining everything in practical life, but longing for freedom is not attained, the inner urge to know and realize the truth will remain as a distant dream.  Man wants to be unbounded.  It is man's innermost longing, most secret longing where there are no limits, no barriers. It is longing for moksha or liberation. 

Sanskrit word Moksha is right word for freedom or liberation. The word Moksha has its own uniqueness. Moksha simply means a freedom so ultimate that it has no barrier; a freedom so pure it is unlimited. 

The first thing a Gnani does when someone inquires. He observes attentively: from what base is this inquiry arising? Whether   the seeker is egocentric or he is soul centric.   The Gnani’s is always on ultimate standpoint and always contradictable.   The seekers who are able to grasp it are inwardly ready and they are at the right path. The people who are unable to grasp still they are in elementary stage and they have to do still lot of home-work.  

 Gnani is more does not show much interest answering the seekers question, but he makes him think in a differently and deeper way.  He makes him think on his own and without much intellectual spoon feeding.   He doesn't bother much about what seeker asks, he is more concerned guiding seeker to the mental journey.

Gnani knows -- nothing is left to be known. He has reached; the mind has become clear, become calm. He has mentally reached to the core of his existence; there is no ignorance, there is no duality even in the midst of duality.  The self is in awareness of itself. 

A Gnani does not accumulate knowledge; he simply has the capacity to know. Gnani has no pre-planned structure for knowing.  Many people who think by observing silence or by using the language words they reach the state of non-duality. Such physical based practice is of no use because by observing silence or by using the language without the words the ignorance will not vanish. They are trying to pretend they are formless and practicing on the base of form. And they try to snub others as if they have reached the highest state without inquiring the world that confronts them.   There is no cure for such mind-set. They are suffering from egoic syndrome.   

One has to learn to think on the base the formless knower [soul] of the three states, not as waking entity, then all his doubts and confusion will get cleared.



The Gnani views and judges the worldview from of both side, that is as an individual on the standpoint of ‘ego[waking entity] ’, for worldly activities, and he views and judges the worldview on the base of the soul, which is the true self, for his spiritual endeavor. Thus, he is fully aware of the fact that, his physical side of existence [duality/waking/dream] is falsehood, and his spiritual side of existence [non duality] is reality.

He does not stop seeing others with physical body with name. But with all that he knows the Atman,which is in the form of consciousness,   from which physical body with the name is inseparable. This is difficult to grasp, it is done by constant reflecting  on the true self  for long time.   Wisdom will not dawn with intellectual  spoon feeding or by reading books or  by arguing or trying to provoke others  with perverse arguments.   It becomes difficult because one has to discard all his inherited conditioning which is the cause of viewing and judging the worldview on the base of ‘I’.  the 'I' is inborn conditioning or Samskara.  One has to get rid of the 'I'  by realizing  what is this 'I'.  without realizing this 'I' is cause of the ignorance, it becomes very difficult to understand and assimilate and realize the non dual truth or ultimate truth or Brahman or Christ.     If one  is trained in a young age it becomes easier to assimilate. 


Every seeker finds the   THE KINGDOM OF NON DUAL HEAVEN when he  crosses the 'I' .  by realizing the self is not form but formless  Spirit , one enters the stillness,which the true nature of the spirit, and realizes the spirit ,which is the innermost self  is God. 

 Since everyone has been inherited a belief system and they are sentimentally and emotionally involved with their belief it becomes very difficult for them to accept anything other than there accepted truth.  

For one second or one minute one may attain glimpse of formless witness mentally, but only he who has the firm conviction of the truth can make it a permanent part of his nature. 


One may know knowledge of the Atman intellectually but they may still have their weaknesses, they still need to become fully convinced to the utmost to get firm conviction: therefore realization of its truth comes gradually.

It is not enough to grasp the intellectual truth of non-dual Atman; one must next fix his focus of attention mentally and constantly in it. He will get in glimpses at first, but he must not rest there; he should stabilize them through constant reminder that the three states are not separate from the Formless Witness [consciousness or  true self,] in order to become a Gnani. Knowing the Atman to be non-dual is first stage, realizing it as such is second stage.

The higher tranquility comes at the stage after deeper reflecting on the nature of the soul has been practiced and mastered. Then this is given up for self-recollectedness to be done for long time, then only the non-dual wisdom dawns. 


Gnani does not set up any position of his own because he knows non-duality to be truth and hence cannot differ from others whom he regards as part of the soul which is the source of all the three states, but shows the inconsistencies of all other positions. He sees the three states in the soul which is the formless source.

When one dissolves all the three states into experience, and then the experience into the consciousness, knowing they are ultimately in the soul /self, that is Atman.

 When one actually see the universe before him he unaware of the fact that he and his universe exist within the waking experience.  And the three states are witnessed by the formless witness [consciousness].

The source of the three is the soul / self that is Atman. Atman is the formless substance and witness of the three states.  Therefore the three states [object] and the soul/self [subject] are one in essence.

After the dream disappears one becomes aware of the fact that the dream entity and the dream world were within the dream itself. Similarly the waking entity and waking world are within the waking world. The question is who or what witnessed the dream or waking, when the dream and waking entity were within the dream or waking.

There has to be a witness, which is aware of the appearance and disappearance of the dream, waking and deep sleep apart from the dream and waking entity. Therefore, one has to become aware of the formless witness of the three states which is aware of its appearance and disappearance.  This has to be grasped mentally since it is not an object or entity within the waking and dream. 


All the contents of the dream and waking such as cities, friends, cars, families’ animals and whatever they contain is created out of the soul/spirit which is the true self. 

Seeker has to first to pass through the stage of discovering Atman and then only he can attain the stage of discovering Atman.  The Atman and Brahman is one and the same thing.

The nature of the non-dual truth is to be free from contradictions. As one approaches nearer and nearer to understanding of the non-dual truth he finds less and less contradictions. The only thing which is so free is non-duality. 

But he who is truly wise always sees the absolute Self. Celebrated, he is not delighted. Spurned, he is not angry. Pure of heart, He watches his own actions As if they were another's. How can praise or blame disturb him?
- Ashtavakra Gita 3:9-10

Non-duality means literally not two. They could have said one, but the scripters never use the word ‘one.’ They say non-duality not two. And this is very significant, because if one says one, the two is implied, it becomes a positive statement. If one says there is only one, he is asserting something positive.

The moment one says one, the two is implied; because one can exist only by the side of two. The truth is one. Secondly, about the total one cannot assert anything positive, he cannot say what it is. At the most he can say what it is not, he can negate. One cannot say directly, because once he say something directly, it becomes defining, it becomes a limitation. When one simply says it is not two there is no boundary – the implication is infinite.

Just as salt is generated in seawater is fully pervades by the seawater, so the universe produced in consciousness is permeated by consciousness through and through. 

One cannot point to the Brahman with a finger, because his finger will become a limitation. Then Brahman will be where his finger is pointing and nowhere else. 

Gnani is free from all attachment of the duality even though he is in the midst of duality because he is fully aware of the fact that the experience of duality is created out of non-dual material. He directs the serious seekers towards the ultimate end.    The ultimate truth which cannot be expressed by words but one has to grasp it mentally.

In the transcendental truth there is no origination, and in fact, there is no destruction.  The inner most self is in the form of consciousness. Consciousness   is like the sky, which has neither origination nor cessation, and mind, which is in the form of universe, is like it, and therefore they are of the same nature. 

The one who knows the one which has name & form is not the self, for him there’s no sense of me and mine, and he is fully aware of the fact that birth, life and death are attached to the name and the form, thus the pleasure and misery is reality  is for the name and form.  Thus one who is fully aware of the fact that, the self has no form and name and all the name and form are mere mirage created out of it,    is deservedly called a Gnani.

How does one attain wisdom? and how does liberation happen? What is truth and what is untruth? How the universe is illusion?  Seekers of truth   are trying to find answers   these basic questions the seeker of truth. 

What is the use of knowing about everything else when one do not yet know the true fact that the self is not ‘I’  or ‘I AM’.   The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the main hindrance in pursuit of truth. 

If one wants liberation then he has to renounces the experience of duality, which he is experiencing it as reality, by realizing the true “Self” is not physical but the true self is soul, which is in the form of consciousness.  One has to realize that fact that, the three states are mere mirage created out of consciousness.  Thus one has to accept the untruth as poison, and take truth as nectar. Self is neither the person nor universe. To attain liberation, one has to know the “self” as the witness, conscious of all three states. 

"If one can separate the “self’ mentally from the three states, and rest in consciousness, then that very moment he will be free from experiencing the duality as reality.   

Self is does not belong to any religion because it is formless, holding the self as physical, is cause of the ignorance.  Self is not perceived by the eyes or other senses. Self is unattached and without form, it is the witness of the whole universe, which is in the form of mind. 

Religion and atheism, happiness and misery -- all are of the mind, which is in the form universe. Universe or mind is mere an object to the formless Self. Self is not the doer nor the enjoyer it is have always been liberated because it is formless.

Seeker of truth is embarking on a rare journey. It is inner journey or mental journey. It is a journey from form to formless or objects to the subject or from ignorance to wisdom or from illusion to reality, a journey without the body and the world. Purely mental journey with deeper thinking and reasoning to teach the core of the true existence to realize the true ‘SELF’ is not from [body or ego] but the true ‘SELF’ is formless Atman or consciousness. The consciousness is our innermost self, and it is not an individual because it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states.  When ‘SELF’ is not an individual it is erroneous to inquire “Who am ‘I’? “, because the question is limited individuality.  

There is no need for guru. There is no need for god because the truth has to be ascertained by seeker himself. 

The most important thing is that neither society nor politics nor any religion has anything to do with the truth. Self –Knowledge helps the seeker transcending emotion, transcending form, time and space. Perhaps this is why pursuit of truth, has not had much impact.
Religion has been very influential. Mythology is a synthesis. They are more concerned with synthesis than with truth. The attraction for synthesis is so strong that people accept it blindly without verifying their validity. 

Mythology is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits everyone, because there is something in it for everyone. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the mythology. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the mythology. But for such people Self-Realization   will prove very difficult. 

Non-dual truth is not for synthesis – it is an un-contradictable truth and it is ultimate truth. Non-dual truth just as it is, without any artifice or coloring.

The knower of non-dual truth is not concerned about the listener, he does not care whether his listener will understand or not. The pure expression of truth comes from the source of his existence. 

People love scriptures because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Reading mythological stories a devotee extracts something of which he can make a belief, because he has accepted bhakti or devotion to individual God.

 The karma yogi extracts his belief because sages in the past have spoken on karma yoga, the Yoga of action. The believer in knowledge finds what he wants because sages of the past have spoken on wisdom as well. Some sage calls bhakti the ultimate, some sages say wisdom as ultimate, again they say Gnana yoga and karma yoga the both are necessary. 

Religionists are not concerned with truth because they accepted the belief as truth. To accept the ultimate truth or Brahman they have to drop their belief -- unconditionally. One cannot bring false knowledge along in pursuit of truth because it obstructs the realization of truth. 

Religion makes one accept what it preaches. In religion there is no need to know the truth.  There is no need for religion in pursuit of truth because it is not the means to true or self-realization.  With religion there is no need to verify ‘What truth’ is and ‘What is not truth’ because one can fit just as he is. 

It is difficult extract certainty in any scriptures. Only if one drop all accumulated knowledge as he moves into it, will the truth become clear to him. 

One thing one need to remember for a Gnani ... there is no clouds of doubts in his sight; he cannot see any forms even though he is in the midst of duality. He drops all forms mentally, becomes disidentified with all things, forms and names and gets connected with the formless consciousness, which is the innermost self.  By identifying the consciousness as the true self   he realizes the three states as illusion created out of consciousness.  Thus for a Gnani the whole waking experience or universe is mere mirage created out of consciousness.  

If one really wants to understand assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman   he will have to indulge in deeper self-search. No physical based practice such as yoga, religious rituals will help or no commentary, no interpretation will be of any help. 

There is no need for chant "I AM THAT or I AM BRAHMAN." Anything you do will not get self-awareness. How can there be self-awareness when there is a doer? As long as there is doing, there is illusion. As long as the doer is present, the ego is present. As long as the ego is present the duality will prevail as reality. Until duality prevails as reality there is no wisdom.  

Yantra, mantra and tantra are for the ignorant mass.  In this modern age people are capable of thinking deeply and assimilating and realizing ultimate truth or Brahman.  Thus we have to focus our attention on acquiring self-knowledge. By dropping all this accumulated dross, which is hindrance in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Consciousness is the innermost self. The inner most self is god, which is everyone’s true identity.  By identifying with the inner most self-everything  becomes consciousness or Brahman. 

In Vedas the God has been described as:- 

         Sakshi (Witness)
         Chetan (conscious)
         Nirguna (Without form and properties).
         Nitya (eternal)
         Shuddha (pure)
         Buddha (omniscient)
         Mukta (unattached).

It indicates clearly all the gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self. 

And also  in Yajurved says: 

Translation 1.
They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc).

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol etc.)
[Yajurved 40:9]

Translation 2.
"Deep into shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent."
[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538]

Translation 3.
"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."
[Yajur Veda 40:9.]

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:-
They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol etc [Yajurved 40:9]

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." [Yajur Veda 40:9.]

 When the religion of the Veda knows no idols then why so many gods and goddesses with different form and name are being propagated as Vedic gods. Why these conceptual gods are introduced when Vedic concept of god is free from form and attributes. 

Who introduced concept of god with attributes and attributeless gods, when Yajur Veda says: -   those who worship visible things, born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like), in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness. Therefore, all these add-ons proves that the form and attribute based concepts are introduced by some sages of the past with new belief system and code of conducts in the name of Vedas.  

Sruti is made the final or exclusive authority in apara Vidya and that for supporting the tenet of the CAUSAL relation or creatorship of Brahman, Nirguna Brahman = the "Absolute beyond qualities," which can be defined only in a negative way. For the Shankarian school = the Ultimate Reality, higher than the Lord. i.e. of Saguna or apara Brahman ... The support of Scriptural Revelation is, therefore, absolutely necessary for this hypothesis of cosmology, this Saguna or apara (= inferior) Brahman, but not for the absolute truth of Nirguna Brahman.  The Sruti itself says: "This Atma is NOT to be attained by a study of the Vedas[Katha Upanishad I, 2, 23.]           

Therefore, all the add-ons and attribute based knowledge, which are inferior, have to be bifurcated and excluded to know the ultimate truth.  The seeker of truth has to drop all the inferior knowledge based on the attributes and go beyond Vedas to understand assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.  The ultimate truth or Brahman itself is god.   

One has to go beyond Vedas means go beyond religion. Go beyond religion means, go beyond concept of god.  Thus, going beyond Veda, religion and conceptual god means going beyond illusion.   That is end of Vedas [ Veda –antha] 

When one goes into the annals of the history it looks like the true Advith expounded by Sri Sankara and his param guru, Goudpada was lost or mutilated by the orthodox, because the preaching and practice does not match. 

 It is necessary for the seeker to do his homework, and verify the validity of all the claims, rather than blindly believe, what others expound as knowledge, till; the un-contradicted truth is obtained.

The seeker must have the courage of Buddha to accept the truth and reject the untruth. Since Buddha rejected religion, idea of god and scriptures, therefore, it is evident that, he has gone through every aspect and verified and found them to be inadequate and useless for the pursuit of truth.

Tracing the existence of the formless substance and witness of the three states leads to self-awareness. Becoming a witness of three states is becoming one with the consciousness, which is the true self. . Then the doer disappears; one remains only as witness, nothing but the observer. When one is nothing but the observer then only is there darshan or  seeing; then only is there meditation, then only is there wisdom. 

Gaudapada’s rational exposition of Advaita: - that whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis, is unreal.

The essence of Mandukya's is: Do not be satisfied with rituals, yoga etc. which are good in their own way, but inquiry. Inquire in to the nature of the mind. ? Brahman and Atman are things one can never see. So seeker should not inquire into them.  He has to inquire into the world around him, which he can see. Analysis   tells him it is passing away every second. Everything is dying repeatedly. Where is it going? Thus he follows up his investigation into what he can lay hands on. How can he inquire into Atman which he cannot see? So first he must deal with the known and seen, this inquiry leads up to the unknown in the end.

Mediocre minds waste their time on arguing about unimportant matters. Accumulation of scriptural knowledge is dangerous in pursuit of truth. Seeker has to establish in the truth of Non-duality by sheer reasoning alone. Seeker has to begin by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss, understand and assimilate self-knowledge.
Thus seeker has to remove all the hindrance in order to acquire Self-knowledge.  

In deeper self-search one becomes aware of the fact that, many things what we consider as truth and hold on to it, becomes meaningless. We have to hold on to the formless witness of the three states, not the three states which are mere illusion. Mentally holding on the formless witness and by negating the three states as illusion, then the witness alone will prevail.   
  
Truth which has no basis is usually religion or a mere catalogue of ignorant opinions; people prefer it because it can be got more easily. A religious philosophy based on the physical self/ego is worthless from the standpoint of truth. 

Truth is incomplete and inaccurate without reasoning. Truth means certain and exact knowledge. The science which limits it to its practical applications such modern machines, are wrong because science is only physical based wisdom. There is no need to learn any practical science in order to get the ultimate truth. Science is very helpful to give more comforts for mankind. But the ultimate truth is beyond physical based science.   But one has to have certain knowledge of   the fact that, the self is not physical before indulging in pursuit of truth.

Only through reason based on the formless consciousness as self, one gets the exactness and certitude of knowledge therefore he acquires the Self-Knowledge/Non-dual wisdom. When one has an exact and certain knowledge of un-contradictable truth he can utilize it for the guiding the fellow seekers.  The people who assume without any proof, have untrained reason

What is it that makes the body and the world exists for you? It is awareness. Mind is this whole universe in which you, me and others and everything that you, me and others know they exists. The whole universe which contains you, me and others is mental; therefore it is mind.  

The universe [mind] is mere mirage or illusion created out of the self, which is the soul. One has to analyze the mind through deeper thinking. Then only he becomes aware of the fact that, the mind is not confined to the body; because the mind is the whole universe.  The universe appears as mind and the mind appears as waking or dream.  And waking or dream disappears as deep sleep. This fact has to be investigated and assimilated first.     

If the mind is whole universe and the universe is in the soul, which is the true self; what is there to claim as mine when there is nothing beside the soul, which is in the form of consciousness; when whatever is, is the true self or the consciousness. Consciousness converted in to waking or dream.  And waking or dream is converted into deep sleep.  Thus the substance of the three states is one and the same. Thus the substance itself is witness of the three states. Therefore, the substance and witness are one in essence.    The essence is consciousness. The consciousness is the ultimate truth.    

Thus, whatever is claimed as me and mine is meaningless from the ultimate point of view because there is no second thing exist other than consciousness.  

Consciousness is everything, then there is nothing exist other than consciousness. Lectures limit consciousness.  If one wants to overcome the physical conditioning of consciousness, then he has to realize the fact that, self is not physical but it is formless soul, which is in the form of consciousness. So there is room for duality in reality, therefore the birth, life, death and world are mere illusion created out of consciousness.   

Having renounced the three states [illusion] mentally, one perceives the ultimate truth, through non-dual wisdom.  Whatever prevails without the three states is the ultimate truth. 

Man thinks he is apart from the universe. It is not so.  He and his experience of the universe appear together and disappear together. Man exists within the universe.   For the universe to exist man   have to exist first. For god to exist man has to exist first.  Therefore, it is necessary to verify the facts about your own existence first, to unfold the mystery. 

Name is given to the body. The name is not the self.  One did not have this name before christening.  Only when one started identifying with his name and form, all these burden and bondage of the duality arises.  Man and his experience of the universe exist only in waking experience. Same way as the dream entity and the dream universe exists in dream. The dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal, when you realize the self is not the body with name, but the self is the formless knower of the body with the name.  Thinking the universe as something separate from the body is cause of the individuality. 

   Seeker has to become aware of the fact that, his individuality and his individual experience of the universe are reality within the waking experience. Thus all his fear desire and ups and downs of life are reality within the waking experience. Waking experience appears and disappears same way as the dream appears as disappears.  One doesn’t consider the dream as reality when it disappears, because he is in waking experience.  one has  to realize the fact that, waking experience is also as unreal as the dream, because the witness of the three states is formless and apart. 

This is possible only when one mentally trace the knower [formless witness] of his body and his experience of the universe together.  Therefore, the one which knows one’s body with the name, and his experience of the universe is apart from the knower, which is formless. The knower has to exist prior to knowing.   Therefore, your body with name and its experience of the universe is something known. Therefore, the knower is not the name, but the formless knower of the name and his experience of the universe.  Therefore, it is erroneous to view and judge and conclude the truth on the base of the name, because the one which knows and his experience of universe is formless and apart.  If one thinks as a person    then it leads to intellectuality and imagination.  

If one try to verify the facts of his true existence through deeper enquiry by peeling the known [mind] from the knower [soul] then he will realize self is not body with the name but self is formless consciousness.  

One has to renounce the ignorance of accepting the body with the name as self.  By accepting himself as person is the cause of experiencing the birth, life, death and the world as reality. 

Now what is body with the name and the experience of the universe? Body with the name and her experience of the universe is too consciousness [soul]. Therefore, the whole experience of diversity is created out of single clay and that clay is consciousness, which is formless.  When everything is consciousness, then there is no second thing exists, other than consciousness [soul].  Hence it is non-dual. 

Thinking the self as body with the name is the cause of the ignorance. By realizing self is not body with the name  but self is formless consciousness the physical structure built on the false base of body with the name  will become a mere mirage created out of consciousness.   

Therefore it is necessary to learn to view and judge the worldview not on the base of body with the name as self but on the base of consciousness [soul] as self to realize our physical existence which is full of pleasure or pain is mere illusion.  

It takes a long time because you have conditioned to view and judge the worldview as a person within the world.  To overcome physical conditioning you have to renounce the ignorance and realize the self is not body with the name but it is formless soul, which is in the form of consciousness.  Only by perfect understanding one will become aware of the ultimate reality.  Thus all your fear and anxiety are reality within the illusion, because man and his experience of the universe are reality within the illusion.   

One has to learn to think on the base the formless knower [soul] of the three states, not as waking entity, then all his doubts and confusion will get cleared.  

Those who have faith in personal God will not be able to grasp the nondual or Advaitic truth



In Panchadashi:-  Atman The is the witness-consciousness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theater, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence.


The consciousness is the one Truth, and a Gnani is person who had realized the soul,which is in the form of consciousness  as self, but outwardly he views worldview on dualistic standpoint.

 As a seeker one is aware of only the physical [false] aspect of the consciousness and then by a gradual process of reasoning to strengthen the foundations of spiritual [real] aspect of consciousness.

The highest principle, the self of all, cannot be a Person. The waking or dream is an individual and the sum total of all waking or dreams is the consciousness. In the waking or dream, ignorance is predominant, but consciousness controls illusion composed of ignorance and knowledge and independently projects this mind, which contains the world of moving and immovable things out of itself. 

But consciousness transcends the individual and collective aspects, the waking or dream and soul. In soul, which is in the form of consciousness there is no part. It is for the sake of easy comprehension that parts have been imagined in It.

 The waking or dream and the universe are merely mirage created out of consciousness. That the mind consists only of name and form. It endures only so long as there are name and form. When through inquiry, analysis and reasoning name and form are dissolved, and then only the transcendent consciousness prevails.

 Then the separate reality of waking or dream and the universe [mind] is felt no longer remains as reality. Then it is realized that one is the ultimate truth. The real nature of the mind   is consciousness. When the veil of name and form vanishes through wisdom, then that idea is simply realized

By limiting the consciousness to the physical body one remains ignorant of the fact that, the consciousness is, which is true self pervades in everything and everywhere in the physical existence.  By limiting the consciousness to the physical he remains in doubts and confusion about his own formless true existence.  

 Only Through inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the formless base he has to understand, assimilate and grasp the non-dual truth. Whatever he thinks on the base of physical self /waking or dream must be limited to the physical existence or mind. 

It is the natural tendency of man to argue, from the base of the physical self /waking or dream because man is product of ignorance. The truth is beyond the physicality, therefore on has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the base of the formless  true  self, in order to overcome the ignorance. It is necessary analyze the truth on the base of the soul, in order to assimilate the Self-knowledge.

Man can only think of his ideal as a human being. When buffeted by sorrow in this world of disease and death he is driven to desperation and helplessness, then he seeks refuge with someone, relying on whom he may feel safe. But where is that refuge to be found? The omnipresent soul, which depends on nothing else to support it, is the only Refuge. 

At first man does not find that. When discrimination and dispassion arise in the course of his quest for truth, he comes to know it. But in whatever way he may progress on the path of truth, he is unconsciously awakening consciousness within him. But there is no other means other then the path of inquiry, analysis and reasoning. 

Those who have faith in the Personal God will not be able to grasp the non-dual truth because they are holding on to that idea of god imagined on the base of physical self/waking or dream. Sincere and serious seekers will come the awakening of consciousness within. The knowledge of self is the one goal of the truth seeker.  Various ideas are the various paths will not lead to non-dual destination. Although the real nature of the mind is consciousness, still as he has identification consciousness with physical body, is cause of the suffering from all sorts of doubts and difficulties and experiences the pleasure and pain as reality.

Everything within the waking or dream is creation of consciousness. No one can escape the illusory experience of birth, life, death and the world until they realize their  identity with consciousness.

When the desire for freedom becomes very strong, and along with it comes the grace of a person of realization, then man's desire for Self -Knowledge becomes intensified. Otherwise the mind of men given to lust and greed never inclines that way. How should the desire to know ultimate truth arise in one who has the hankering in his mind for the pleasures of family life, for wealth and for fame? 

He who is prepared to renounce the ignorance will be able to grasp the non-dual truth. Who is immersed in strong current of the duality believing it as reality without verify the facts will never be receptive to assimilate the Self - knowledge. He alone by the might of sword of Self-knowledge   will be able to break the barriers of illusion.

Without wisdom, there can be no Self- Knowledge.  The wisdom can be got by getting rid of ignorance. Only through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the base of the soul as self the ignorance vanishes.  

Neither by spiritual practice nor by yoga nor by hearing sermons ultimate truth is difficult to realize. Without realizing the fact that, the world is illusion, without renunciation of ignorance , without giving up the illusion which one believes it to be real , absolutely nothing can be accomplished in the path of truth. Truth is not a thing anyone can snatch by a trick."

Adyatmic discussion-58




Self - Knowledge is the most complicated path and even to achieve the correct knowledge is hectic affair. Correct judgment is the first step and even in this first step, lot of complications exist and people are mislead even in this first step.

The whole complication lies only in one point i.e., one must rectify his seeking base from form [physical/’I’] to formless [spiritual/soul] to understand and assimilate self-knowledge.

One has to recognize the fact that the soul is the true self ,which is beyond illusion of diversity. Soul/true self is possessor of the world in which both good and bad exist. Soul/true self is not touched by the world of duality and therefore ,experience of diversity does not touch it. Soul/spirit can expose the unreal nature of the experience of diversity but it is not touched by it.

The waking/dream is like a shirt, wore by the formless soul. The waking/dream are like the different colours of shirts and without the colour there is noting but formless soul/spirit. The shirt and it colour is mere mirage created out the soul itself. Therefore, with all its diversity, there is no second thing exists other then the soul/spirit.

The soul/self is within the experience of diversity, but it is beyond the experience of diversity. It is within the experience of diversity as its formless substance and it is beyond the experience of diversity as its formless witness.

As an individual, one feels he is separate from the world. But this separation is within the illusion.
The individuality is mere illusion. The individual exits within the mirage. Therefore, the individuality is reality within the illusion. Therefore, analyzing through deeper inquiry and reasoning on the base of the soul as self is necessary to understand and assimilate the self-knowledge
Praveen Varma Comment by Praveen Varma on January 25, 2010 at 9:04am
Delete Comment Hi, Santosh, can you please explain how do we 'arrive' at the conclusion (maybe Truth, I am not denying it) that the individuality is mere illusion. ?
santthosh Comment by santthosh on January 25, 2010 at 11:28pm
Delete Comment The individuality is reality within the illusion. The illusion appears as waking or dream or mind. The individuality exists only in waking and dream. In deep sleep there is neither individuality nor duality. The dream becomes falsehood when waking takes place. Same way, the waking also becomes falsehood when one realizes the Ataman/spirit, is the true self. Therefore, one has to wake up in reality/truth to know the individuality is mere illusion.
The illusion is an object to the Self/Atman. The illusion is mere appearance and has no permanence, whereas the witness, which is the Atman, is formless eternal. Only when one drops all his preconceived ideas, and learns to view and judge the truth on the base of the Soul/Self. The truth starts revealing itself.


J. Krishnamurti said it best "Where there is division there must be conflict, which is disorder. This is not my law but universe law".


The division is within the waking or dream, thus the conflict is within the waking/duality. In deep sleep there is no division, therefore, there is no conflict. The one which is aware of the three states is formless soul. The nature of the Soul/Self is like deep sleep.
Thus, there is a need to know the formless witness of the three states in order to realize the individuality is falsehood. It takes a long time to grasp the witness since it is mental journey and takes time to change the base of reasoning from form to formless.
Praveen Varma Comment by Praveen Varma on January 26, 2010 at 9:26am
Delete Comment It takes a long time to grasp the witness since it is mental journey and takes time .....
Santosh, yes, but are you (or is one) not affected by worldly happenings, particularly if you are in such a situation, that is bringing suffering to oneself eg. if one's close one dies, or similar situation. Can we then take this view easily, I do not think so (?)
santthosh Comment by santthosh on January 27, 2010 at 3:02am
Delete Comment Dear Praveen,


Why limit the worldly happenings to suffering alone even pleasure and happiness is part of the happenings. All situations good or bad, suffering and happiness, negative or positive, good or evil are the happenings within the illusion/duality.


The suffering experienced in the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Same way the suffering experienced in waking becomes unreal when the wisdom dawns. Since the intoxication of illusion /duality is stronger then any drug and liquor it takes time dilute the intoxication with the power of wisdom. The one who thinks the life with in the waking is reality is in the grip of the illusion, and experiences the duality as reality, and lives moment to moment , and disappears along with moment with all his illusory baggage.


Since everyone bases their understanding on the waking entity they will permanently think on the base of the ego and they will never be able to cross the threshold of the duality/mind.


All the birth, life and death are happening within the waking experience. The birth, life and death within the dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place similarly when one becomes aware of the fact that the true self is the soul, whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as a person of the world is mere mirage. The waking also is created out of the same clay from which the dream is created. The substance and witness of the three states is the self/soul, which is in the form of consciousness or spirit. The self/spirit can stay with or without the waking or dream.


When one mentally focuses his attention on the formless witness of the three states then conviction becomes firmer grows the burden and bondage of the duality will start fading and one becomes free from experiencing duality as reality. It is called awaken sleep. That is awareness of seeing all the objects as spirit in the midst of duality. Because everything [mirage] is created out of spirit, sustained by spirit finally dissolves as spirit.


The purpose of the self- knowledge is to overcome the ignorance, because the ignorance is the cause of experiencing duality as reality. By experiencing the duality as reality the birth, life and death and pain and pleasure experienced as reality.


On the stand point of the soul/self there is no me or you, or others and the world. No seeker, no seeking and no guru. There is no pain or pleasure, no path or purpose, and nothing that has to be achieved.


All appearance is soul/spirit. All that has appeared as the birth, life and death and the world is mere mirage created out of the soul/spirit/consciousness. There is no separate intelligence weaving a destiny and no choice functioning at any level. Nothing is happening, nothing has ever happened and nothing is going to happen. The seeker of truth has to discover that which is the abiding, uncaused, unchanging, impersonal source from which the mirage /duality arises and subsides. The true self is ever unaffected and ever apart.
Santthosh
Praveen Varma Comment by Praveen Varma on January 27, 2010 at 6:18am
Delete Comment The true self is ever unaffected ....
Dear Santosh, I agree with your views ; however I require to know from your personal viewpoint; are you convinced factually (not what the scriptures say) that everything is illusion ?
If yes, why are you trying to put this forth ; as every person you are communicating with is only an illusion. What is the point ? :)
santthosh Comment by santthosh on January 27, 2010 at 3:55pm
Delete Comment Dear Praveen,


The point is:-
It is difficult accept the birth, life and death as illusion, just because I am saying or by reading some books, because the subconscious is not receptive. By repeatedly highlighting on the subject, that is everything is an illusion and the soul is the true self, then the subconscious gradually starts accepting it. Once it accepts it then stops reasoning on the base of ego, and starts reasoning on the base of the spirit/true self/soul.


Once the reasoning base is changed then it has a yardstick to judge what is truth and what is not truth and it will be able to reject the untruth. It is the subconscious/soul, which has to accept and reject what is truth and what is not truth, not the body.


On the physical base the subconscious ,which decides what is good and what is bad. If the reasoning base of subconscious rectified from form [ego/physical] to formless [spirit/soul] then it will be able to reject all the accumulated knowledge based on the form, and finally nothing prevails other then the true self /spirit, which is ultimate truth.


Once this self-knowledge is gained then one becomes aware in the midst of duality no second thing exists other then the spirit/self, all diversity is created out of spirit. The illusion/diversity [matter/mind] and the true self/spirit are one in essence. There is no diversity in the realm of truth.


Since, everyone bases themselves on their individual experience and trying to find solution for their individual problem through spirituality, and searching the truth for their individual peace. But the individual experiences are happening within the waking/dream. Man is not the doer. Until man thinks himself as a doer, he will not be able to understand and assimilate the self-knowledge. The truth is hidden within the three states, because the self/soul pervades all the three states. Deeper analysis is required to dismantle physical structure. Therefore, constant reflecting on the subject is very much necessary in pursuit of truth.


We are communicating and understanding and trying to assimilate within the illusion to overcome the illusory reality , but still we have not able to come out the grip of the illusory reality. The purpose of spiritual path is to realize the fact that, misery and suffering experienced in the life is mere illusion. Since everyone thinks illusion as reality the suffering and pleasure become reality. Only when one becomes aware of our true identity is not physical but the formless spirit, then the illusion becomes an object and he will be able to witness on the base of the subject, which is the spirit/soul.


A well directed inquiry, analysis and reasoning will lead any serious seekers to realize the fact that, the subject is formless [soul/self/spirit] and object is form [body and the world].
Santthosh
Praveen Varma Comment by Praveen Varma on January 27, 2010 at 10:39pm
Delete Comment Thank-you, Santosh.
By repeatedly highlighting on the subject, that is everything is an illusion and the soul is the true self, then the subconscious gradually starts accepting it.
I do not think we should be repeating something which we are not very sure of ....
Even if something false is repeated over and over, we will feel it is the truth eventually.
How do you see that? :)
santthosh Comment by santthosh on January 28, 2010 at 8:58pm
Delete Comment Dear Praveen,
The falsehood is based on imagination. We are discussing about the ultimate truth within the falsehood to know how to overcome the falsehood. Until and unless we overcome the physicality, we will not be able assimilate the nondual truth. Thus being judgmental on the base of physicality will keeps us in the grip of duality. Until we think duality as reality the ultimate truth becomes distant dream.


If one thinks on the base of physicality it will lead him towards physicality/intellectuality. If one thinks on the base of the spirit/self it will lead him towards the spirit. Thus physical based understanding has no scope in the realm of the spirit, which is the true self.
The nondual truth is based on the formless source, from where the whole falsehood rises and subsides. Thus, one has to view and judge on the base of the source, not on the physical self, which is limited to the waking experience alone. The formless source [soul/spirit] is aware of the three states, which comes and goes in succession.


The absolute truth cannot be contained in words and concepts. Thus, merely believing in words and concepts is not the truth.


Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verifying through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning, since your present views and judgment is based on the physical self/ego. Thus the reasoning based on the ego will yield only physical truth. Only reasoning based on the formless base/spirit base will reveal the universal truth.


One has to indulge in deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the base of the soul, which is the true self, in order to realize the fact that, the “Self “is not subject to birth, life and death. If self is not the birth entity then whatever is based on the birth entity has no value. Thus, it is erroneous to view and judge on the birth entity. Thus, it is necessary to investigate:-
With what this birth entity [body] with name functions itself as a person and perceives the world?


With what one knows himself and the world?


If body is not the self, then what is self without the body?


The body cannot function itself as a person and perceive the world without the self, the body and the world are insentient without the self/spirit, which is gives sentient to the body and the world. Without the self/spirit the body and the world are non-existent. Thus, the sprit is the subject and the body and the world are mere object. When the subject is formless then it is erroneous to judge on the base of object as subject. What is the benefit of exerting mental effort the wrong way?


Since, we are conditioned to view and judge on the base of object [body] as subject, this conditioning has to be dismantled. Therefore, repeatedly highlighting on the subject, that is everything is an illusion and the soul is the true self, the subconscious gradually becomes receptive and starts dismantling the physical base and the spirit/self/soul alone will prevail as ultimate truth.
Santthosh
M.Sriram Comment by M.Sriram on Thursday
Delete Comment This is very interesting topic where everything is an illusion and self is formless actuality , within the subconscious area where we understand and put this in words. because there can be no consciousness without something existing to perceive. Existence is independent and individual , makes possible, for the consciousness to understand this - Consciousness is not responsible for creating reality - it is completely dependent upon reality which we do on a daily basis.it only function when it gets the data. But has the object presist or not is not known to the consciousness - surely it is delusion. Therefore, it is logically absurd to assume persons are always does correct about their own mental states and judgements about the nature of the mind itself. There is no other go than to be self awareness to understand .
santthosh Comment by santthosh 5 minutes ago
Delete Comment The  Atman ,which is in the form of Consciousness [nonduality] becomes the mind, which is in the form of universe and appears as waking or dream [duality]  and disappears as deep sleep [nonduality].  Thus the appearance as waking or dream and disappearance as deep sleep is consciousness. The one that becomes duality and nonduality is single formless stuff that is consciousness.  By knowing that stuff in the midst of duality [waking] by tracing its source, the waking entity, which is seeking the truth of its true existence, will realize the fact that, it is not the true self but the formless substance and witness of the three states is the true self.  The formless substance and witness of the three states are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness.  Thus consciousness is the true self and ultimate truth or Brahman. When the self, which is in the form of consciousness becomes aware of its formless nondual true nature in the midst of duality it is self-awareness. In self-awareness the self is fully aware of the fact that, the body, ego and the world [waking] are mere mirage created out of itself. Thus in self-awareness the waking experience [our practical life within the practical world] becomes unreal. Same way as the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Until one is stuck with the reality of the waking experience the self-awareness is impossibility.   Thus until one realizes the three states are mere mirage by tracing the formless substance and witness of the three states, and the formless substance and witness are one in essence, and that essence is consciousness, and consciousness is the true self ,  the wisdom will not dawn. Without wisdom self-awareness is impossibility.

If our judgement is based on waking entity than it leads us to intellectuality and intellectuality is individuality.  The self, which is formless consciousness, is not an individual because it pervades all the three states as its formless substance and witness. Thus there is necessary to realize the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity not the dream entity but the formless substance and witness of all the three states.

Thus our understanding and realization has to be based on deeper self-search without any yardstick of any teaching or teachers or path. When one learns to view the worldview on the based on the source from where the mind rises and subsides the truth will start revealing itself, which leads to self-awareness.
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M.Sriram commented on santthosh's blog post 'The individuality is mere illusion'
Dear Santthosh , Today morning u made further happy - Great there is nothing more than Self awareness that to without any yardstick , we understand this with our body and mind process very clearly . There is a formless consiciouness which cannot be…
Jul 26