Monday, September 5, 2011

All divisions, which are named, are also consciousness.


  There is no need to name and create division and try to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth. On the ultimate standpoint everything is one. All divisions, which are named, are also consciousness. So, there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. Consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman.

Many believe spirituality and religion are considered inter connected but it is not so. Religion is based on the false self-(ego or body) and it is limited to the false experience [universe], while spirituality transcends race, religion, gender, language and nationality and universe. Spirituality is pursuit of truth. 

There are many paths have come into existence in the name of Self-Realization.  Every belief system believes that each human being embodies a spark of the divine, and that fanning into the shining fire spiritual realization is the meaning and purpose of human life. But spirituality is not based on the belief but discovering the truth of the whole universe and man’s existence. Religious and Yogic truth and scientific truth are individual truth based on the false self(ego) within the false experience. Individuality has no value in the realm of ultimate point of view. Therefore, realization of true self is necessary in order to realize the ultimate truth, which is free from all the diversity, which is present in the form of universe. The universe ceases to be real from the ultimate point of view. The ignorance is the cause of experiencing the unreality as reality. Therefore truth realization is necessary to unfold the mystery of the universe, which appears to be real from the physical point of view.

Universe is reality on the base of ego, which is the false self. It is unreal on the stand point of the consciousness, which is the true self. Universe is mere mirage from the ultimate point of view. Man perceives the world within the universe; therefore his existence is limited to the universe, which is in the form of mind.

Consciousness is real because it is permanent, but universe, which is in the form of mind, appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep is impermanent (non-duality). Thus mind is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself. People stuck with the reality of the world, so they take it as real. Once they take their physical existence to be real then they have accepted the false self as real self and false universe as reality. Thus their judgment is based in the false self, will keep them within the threshold of duality. Thus the ultimate truth lies beyond duality.

People take the universe confronting them as real, the experience of birth, life and death, which happens within the universe, which they experienced as reality. When the self is not physical but self is formless, then whatever seen, known, believed, experienced as person within the universe is falsehood, on the base of the formless self (witness).

The gross universe is merged into the mental universe in the sense that when it is analyzed, it is found to exist inseparably in and as the mind alone. All "spiritual" planes are really mental: those who regard them as different or higher will remain ignorant.

A Gnani is free from experiencing the illusion (body + universe) as reality, he is fully aware of the fact that, his body and his experience of the world as consciousness, which is ultimate truth. 

People who are incapable to inquire and reason are tending to follow some philosophy without verification. Therefore the more ignorant they are the easier to get them into a religious fold. Religion is so strong and popular because it makes no demand on the intelligence and it simply requires belief in guru and his teachings. 

It never strikes believer to doubt whether his inherited belief system is true. They never use their reason because they start and conclude that their belief system alone is true, because they never question the validity of their inherited belief. 

For religion one can interpret texts as he likes, in whatever way that pleases him, he simply imagine away. The idea of god injected in the past and inherited by people and they refuse to verify the facts, because they think it blasphemy even to question their inherited belief system.

In pursuit of truth the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Pundits who take scriptures for granted are not Gnanis.

Pundits teach that all is your-self, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is needed, so that one arrive at knowing truth i.e. wisdom; punditry is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Scriptures are not yardstick and scriptural truth is not proof. Pundits take scriptures as authority. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Pundits have to test truth in this world not in the next world. There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not truth. So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them. 

Doubts and Confusions arise when seeker finds the scriptures and yoga are inadequate or useless to quench his spiritual thirst. Disappointments in religion or yoga or even science imply error or ignorance.

When serious seeker reaches a stage with all his baggage of accumulate knowledge, then uncertainty haunts him. Whether he is right?" Where is the certainty that he is proceeding on right lines?" Thus doubts arise and the inquiring spirit comes and impels to search elsewhere for truth where it will not be possible even to have doubt. The test is therefore in experience. And only in non-duality, where there are no two to argue about views or to have difference of opinion can such doubtlessness be possible. Belief depends upon unstable bases whereas certainty depends on proof.

Seeker of truth has to get rid of his doubts through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on his own, to realize the fact that, the self is not the form but self is formless. Thus his analysis and reasoning has to be based on the formless not on the form. By simply go on believing and accepting whatever said by the punditry will not lead one towards path of wisdom. All the doubt has to be got rid of "by the sword of Self - Knowledge." The scriptures, yoga are not necessary if one follows the inner (formless) path. Religion and yoga are not the means to path of wisdom.

They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. [Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada]

This passage indicates the fact that everything is soul or consciousness  or spirit. The one who views and judges the worldview on the base of his birth  or body will not realize the fact that, the man including the world is created sustained and finally dissolves as soul or conciousness. Thus Atman alone is, and all else is mirage.

Thus Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self, their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality (waking) as reality.

Millions are in search of the ultimate truth, and only one in million will be able to grasp and realize it.


Nisagadutta said:- Millions are in search of the ultimate truth, and only one in million will be able to grasp and realize it. By focusing more attention on Atman by talking, writing, discussing only of Atman, the conviction grows and becomes firmer and the duality will fade away as reality. Atman/consciousness, which is one’s true identity, will prevail as birth-less and deathless, eternal substance and witness of the mirage called duality.
Therefore there is no need to study scriptures, or indulge in god and guru glorification or performing religious rituals. Since, they are not the means to acquire non-dual wisdom. It is only waste of time and effort to indulge in those things.

The individual self is not real, is not accepted by many. The non-dual wisdom is based not on the individual self [ego]. Until people hold the ‘I’ [ego] as witness, they will not reach the ultimate understanding.

When Upanishad itself declares:- sarvam khalvidam brahma - all this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality (Chandogya Upanishad).

Then it is no use going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind. By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.

The ultimate truth has nothing to do with Scriptures and it is independent of scriptures. The point is: though it is taught by the Vedas, it does not require any belief in the infallibility of Vedas; in other words even if an individual or some other religion were to propose the same thing, a person with an open mind would come to the same conclusion that there is a formless witness, that it is Brahman - and that it is the same as the self ,which is not an individual but it pervades in everything and everywhere in three states as their formless substance and witness.

When Sri,Sankara says: world is unreal . He never said body is unreal. He would have said only birth and death is unreal but he did not say that, he said the world is unreal. He meant the world including the body, because the body and world appear together and disappear together (waking or dream). Then we have to think, what remain without the body and the world as reality. How can the birth, life, death, rebirth, and reincarnation, which take place in unreal world (waking or dream), can be true. The one, which is aware of the birth, life death, rebirth and reincarnation (illusion or unreal), is formless reality, which is the true self/true identity. The formless self is your true identity, which is birthless and deathless but it is the witness of the birth, life and death and rebirth (illusion or unreal).

On the standpoint of identity the birth, life, death, rebirth and reincarnation theory is part of the illusion/unreal. The body cannot reincarnate, the body and the world are created out of the same formless stuff. Until one views and judges on the base of flesh, bone and blood [five elements], he will not be able to grasp the non-dual truth. Thus, one must know on what standpoint we are not born and we do not die thoroughly, just by hearsay views, it will not lead anyone to the non-dual destination.

Seeker has to learn to view and judge on the standpoint of formless witness or the soul. Then he will be never having any confusion. When one thinks deeply then only the inner revelation starts and start burning the dross (confusion or doubts). A well-directed inquiry and sound reasoning will lead one towards non-dual destination and it will start yielding fruits and start revealing, when he starts thinking very deeply. This is the inner process every serious seeker experiences. The inner dialogue will start and one will start getting answers from inner core of his existence, and he becomes aware of the fact of what is real and what is unreal and he will be able to mentally reject the unreal nature of the self in the midst of duality.

“Truth is one; the wise call it many names




The Self of all makes the senses flow outward,
Therefore one seeks outside of oneself.
Only the wise, seeking the immortal amidst mortality,
Turn their gaze away from the world
And look inward – to find the Self.
- Katha Upanishad

Rig-Veda says: - “Truth is one; the wise call it many names”. Truth is universal it not property of any religion.

Religions in the past have been scared with inter religious conflicts that, to this day cause distress and devastation around the world. Until there is self-knowledge or self-realization there will never be peace. Everyone will be thinking the false self as true self and false experience as reality and the violence will continue in the name of god and religion, which are part of the illusion. 

Unity in diversity is not possible through religion. Thus universal brotherhood is impossibility through religion. Thus there is need to bifurcate religious, yogic and all theoretical paths based on the false self [ego] to realize the ultimate truth, because the truth lies beyond the mind, which is in the form universe. Until and unless one is able to trace the source of the mind from where it erupts and subsides truth realization is impossible. Therefore, realizing the fact that, the self is not form but self is formless in order understand and assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. Without the non-dual wisdom the experience of duality will remain as reality. Without realizing the duality is unreal unity in diversity is impossible.

All the accumulated knowledge from religion and yoga and paths and theories are mere dross in pursuit of truth. Religion and yoga are helpful for the mass and the society but they are obstacles in unfolding the mystery of the mind.

On the ultimate standpoint everything is one.


There is no need to name and create division and try to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth. On the ultimate standpoint everything is one. All divisions, which are named, are also consciousness. So, there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. Consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman.

Many believe spirituality and religion are considered inter connected but it is not so. Religion is based on the false self( waking entity or ego) and it is limited to the false experience [universe], while spirituality transcends race, religion, gender, language and nationality and universe. Spirituality is pursuit of truth.

There are many paths have come into existence in the name of Self-Realization.

Every belief system believes that each human being embodies a spark of the divine, and that fanning into the shining fire spiritual realization is the meaning and purpose of human life. But spirituality is not based on the belief but discovering the truth of the whole universe and man’s existence. Religious and Yogic truth and scientific truth are individual truth based on the false self(waking entity or ego) within the false experience(waking) . Individuality has no value in the realm of ultimate point of view. Therefore, realization of true self is necessary in order to realize the ultimate truth, which is free from all the diversity, which is present in the form of universe. The universe ceases to be real from the ultimate point of view. The ignorance is the cause of experiencing the unreality as reality. Therefore truth realization is necessary to unfold the mystery of the universe, which appears to be real from the physical point of view.

Universe is reality on the base of ego, which is the false self. It is unreal on the stand point of the consciousness, which is the true self. Universe is mere mirage from the ultimate point of view. Man perceives the world within the universe; therefore his existence is limited to the universe, which is in the form of mind.

Consciousness is real because it is permanent, but universe, which is in the form of mind, appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep is impermanent (non-duality). Thus mind is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself. People stuck with the reality of the world, so they take it as real. Once they take their physical existence to be real then they have accepted the false self as real self and false universe as reality. Thus their judgment is based in the false self, will keep them within the threshold of duality. Thus the ultimate truth lies beyond duality.

People take the universe confronting them as real, the experience of birth, life and death, which happens within the universe, which they experienced as reality. When the self is not physical but self is formless, then whatever seen, known, believed, experienced as person within the universe is falsehood, on the base of the formless self (witness).

The gross universe is merged into the mental universe in the sense that when it is analyzed, it is found to exist inseparably in and as the mind alone. All "spiritual" planes are really mental: those who regard them as different or higher will remain ignorant.

A Gnani is free from experiencing the illusion (body + universe) as reality, he is fully aware of the fact that, his body and his experience of the world as consciousness, which is ultimate truth.
 

People who are incapable to inquire and reason are tending to follow some philosophy without verification. Therefore the more ignorant they are the easier to get them into a religious fold. Religion is so strong and popular because it makes no demand on the intelligence and it simply requires belief in guru and his teachings.

It never strikes believer to doubt whether his inherited belief system is true. They never use their reason because they start and conclude that their belief system alone is true, because they never question the validity of their inherited belief.

For religion one can interpret texts as he likes, in whatever way that pleases him, he simply imagine away. The idea of god injected in the past and inherited by people and they refuse to verify the facts, because they think it blasphemy even to question their inherited belief system.

In pursuit of truth the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Pundits who take scriptures for granted are not Gnanis.

Pundits teach that all is your-self, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is needed, so that one arrive at knowing truth i.e. wisdom; punditry is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Scriptures are not yardstick and scriptural truth is not proof. Pundits take scriptures as authority. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Pundits have to test truth in this world not in the next world. There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not truth. So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.

Doubts and Confusions arise when seeker finds the scriptures and yoga are inadequate or useless to quench his spiritual thirst. Disappointments in religion or yoga or even science imply error or ignorance.

When serious seeker reaches a stage with all his baggage of accumulate knowledge, then uncertainty haunts him. Whether he is right?" Where is the certainty that he is proceeding on right lines?" Thus doubts arise and the inquiring spirit comes and impels to search elsewhere for truth where it will not be possible even to have doubt. The test is therefore in experience. And only in non-duality, where there are no two to argue about views or to have difference of opinion can such doubtlessness be possible. Belief depends upon unstable bases whereas certainty depends on proof.

Seeker of truth has to get rid of his doubts through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on his own, to realize the fact that, the self is not the form but self is formless. Thus his analysis and reasoning has to be based on the formless not on the form. By simply go on believing and accepting whatever said by the punditry will not lead one towards path of wisdom. All the doubt has to be got rid of "by the sword of Self - Knowledge." The scriptures, yoga are not necessary if one follows the inner (formless) path. Religion and yoga are not the means to path of wisdom.

They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. [Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada]

This passage indicates the fact that everything is Atman/spirit. The one who views and judges the worldview on the base of his birth /body will not realize the fact that, the man including the world is created sustained and finally dissolves as Atman. Thus Atman alone is, and all else is mirage.

Thus self-knowledge is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self, their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality (waking) as reality.

Circumstance of life comes and goes on its own


Circumstance of life comes and goes on its own

Everyone has a story of their success and failure. Everyone is most interested sharing their story of success and failure with others. People think that their success story can be applied on others who are less fortunate in their life to get success. Thus they try to impose their idea of successes on others by propagating their success story. But they themselves are failures in recognizing the truth, because they are unaware of the fact that, their success story is based on the false self within the false experience.



Not everyone becomes Bill Gates if they adopt his life skills. Everyone’s life circumstances are different. The circumstances whether they are good or bad they come on their own and they disappear on their own. The positive thinking only helps one to move ahead in time thinking and hallucinating of the bright future, but the results may be favorable or unfavorable. Circumstances arise not because individual conduct or action.



Recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan affected many successful people. Many a successful people lost their dear ones and wealth. All these circumstance of life comes and goes on its own. When the circumstances are favorable life goes on smoothly. But in unfavorable circumstances life becomes very hard and miserable. And there is also mixed circumstances which make us happy and also miserable.



If successful person becomes failure in his dream and a failure person becomes successful person in his dream, their dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Same way the waking also becomes unreal when one becomes aware of the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity. Whatever one sees, knows, believes and experiences within the waking or dream experience is falsehood. Therefore, Self-Realization is necessary to realize “what is truth” and “what is untruth”.



Favorable circumstances do not arise because of one’s positivity. And because of positive thinking the circumstances will not change. Painful experiences of the past and fear of the future makes one think negatively. By thinking positively it helps to keep away the future fear in the present nothing more. Thus one has to understand and realize the fact that, these positive and negative circumstances does not depend on his doer ship because they arise on their own and they disappear on their own.



In life everything happens on its own. No one can plan it. We did not plan our birth, it just happened. Same way our life is package of unknown circumstances everything is happening on its own, whether they are good or bad. In the past some sages introduced the concept of God to cast the burden of worldly suffering, so that everyone can dive their attention on the imaginary entity by indulging in prayers, worship and orthodoxy, and cross the ocean of this worldly suffering.

Thus the mass followed it and passed it from one generation to the next. So everyone inherited blind belief and they imposed on their children and they themselves indulge in priest craft without verifying the validity of their own inherited belief system. The truth is hidden by the orthodoxy in the name of protecting their God and their religion is meant for those who are incapable of thinking deeply of their own existence and also it helps the people to adopt certain discipline, moral and ethics in the society with its code of conduct. The love was religious tool it helps the society in certain extent. Love and hate co-exist. People talk of love because they are deprived of it. It is impossible to love everyone. It is easy to say but difficult to practice in worldly life, because everyone loves their own ego. Thus this egoic love is temporary because ego is false self within the false experience.



People have the notion that more and more they gratify their senses for attaining worldly pleasures, the happier they will be is not true at all, because they think the physical self is real self, therefore they are unaware of the fact that, the self not physical but self is formless consciousness. The consciousness can stay with or without the waking or dream. Thus it is time to realize their pleasure and suffering is limited to the waking experience, which is falsehood.



It is the illusory sense-pleasure that is responsible for the forgetfulness of the Self, which is in the form of consciousness, which result in one’s sorrows and sufferings.



Suffering is the reminder to search for the remedy to overcome the suffering caused by the ignorance of the true self. Pleasure is the cause of ignorance .But if the real self is realized, and then, illusion will not prevails as reality.



Why do mortals then become attached to worldly pleasures in the first place?


It is the illusion that allures one to enjoy the mundane objects in a futile effort of satisfying the unceasing demands of his senses within the waking or dream. A person within the illusion becomes intoxicated of lust, greed, anger, attachment, false ego, enviousness, stubborn mindedness, and their numerous variations within the illusion.



Consequently, the individual self gets caught in the illusory cycle of birth, old age, disease, and death within the illusion. This is illusion, by which the consciousness is forgotten; emotional attachment and love of duality is born.

The ignorance of the true self is cause of duality. The duality is cause of illusion. The illusion is the cause of experiencing unreality as reality. Because of this pluralistic phenomena of illusory -vision, the material happiness appears to be followed by sorrow. If there is laughter, there is a cry; if there is a birth, there is a death; if there is a rich, there is a poor; so on and so forth.



Everything in the waking or dream experience is in the state of constant flux; there can be found no everlasting happiness. The ego is in the control of evil passions, evil intent, and duality.



Everyone wishes for happiness, pleasures, joy, peace, etc. and none asks for suffering, misery, etc. But in the wake of pleasure, there comes suffering. The pleasure and pain co-exists within the illusion. People do not understand this. Therefore, there is necessary to realize the fact that, mind, which appears as waking or dream is mere illusion.

It is the attachment to the form of separate objects which keeps one from apprehending their unity, not the seeing of them. One has to think of both form and essence, by practice he must get to the stage where he can think of both simultaneously. This is done by knowing that the form is made of consciousness, which the true self. This requires sharp intelligence and constant repetition of practices of seeing both form and essence at the same time.

False and true knowledge exists only when one talk on the base of ‘ego’: when one knows the truth, however, such classifications cannot arise because everything is then known to be the consciousness and no questions of where and how or why can arise.

One must make an effort to know the consciousness as self. Consciousness is there always. One has got it, there is nothing new to be acquired, only have the sharpness to grasp and understand it, when told about it. But there is a difference between understanding and realization.

Effort is required for this understanding only, whereas once understood no special effort is needed to remember one understands. Until then he only have an idea of soul, which is in the form of consciousness he only partially understand it. But once he thoroughly grasp what it is and that all these things are consciousness, he will then constantly find it present everywhere without further effort, because he will perceive consciousness by understanding, even in the midst of waking experience.

When there is only one thing (consciousness) known, there is nothing to change, nothing to appear or disappear; when one speaks of remembering or forgetting Consciousness that implies he believes in the existence of something else, i.e. a second thing, which is to be remembered. That would show you have not known that all is one. But knowing it, there is no second, consequently no intermittent perception of consciousness, but a permanent effortless understanding that it alone is.

When one gets a glimpse of truth mentally try to repeat it a number of times in order to establish it. The self must raise itself by the Self."

Beginners and intermediates must indulge listening, reading, writing and discussing and constant reflecting on the subject. Discussing other than the formless “Self” is waste of time. Discussion of accumulated knowledge and intellectual speculation satisfies only those who want to exhibit their skills of plying with the words. Thus it is better to avoid such discussion who is more interested in exhibiting their accumulated dross and less interested in moving forward in their pursuit of truth. Only through deeper self –search on his own, one becomes receptive to self-knowledge.

Seeker has to realize the fact that, the imagination is cannot transport him or her to the non-dual destination. He has to attain to a state when he can negate all ideas and imagination, which are part of the duality [waking/dream]. Therefore, he has to know and grasp mentally the Formless Witness of the three states. When this new idea of formless witness is formed in sub conscious, it will help to replace the old idea of the physical witness, same way as --One thorn pulling out the other thorn and both thrown away--that is the only way. and hence seeker of truth has to “think deeply and discriminate between the base of ego and base of the soul to get un- contradictable truth “as a tip against getting mislead by others.


One has to differentiate between understanding the spiritual truth and realizing the spiritual truth. The former makes to know with certainty; the latter is ultimate realizing and final with firm conviction.

Why go round and round, by various tortuous paths



When the Vedas and Upanishads declare that Consciousness or Atman is actually nothing but Brahman, then why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. One has to realize the fact that, the mind is in form of universe.  Trace the source of mind and realize that source is consciousness. The mind rises from consciousness as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep.   

In Mandukya Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as same:-
सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोयमात्मा चतुष्पात् / sarvam hyetad brahmaayamaatmaa brahm soyamaatmaa chatushpaat – 

Mandukya Upanishad, verse-2

All indeed is this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman; He, this Atman has four steps/quarters.


While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest idea is that Brahman is beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time, causation and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.


Imagine a person who is blind from birth and has not seen anything. Is it possible for us to explain to him the meaning of the colour red. Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him understand the sensation of the colour red? In a similar fashion the idea of Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any form of human communication. Brahman is like the colour red; those who can sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.

Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, Bhagavad Gita 14.27)

In Advaita Vedanta: - Brahman is without attributes and strictly impersonal. It can be best described as infinite Being, infinite Consciousness and infinite Bliss. It is pure knowledge itself, similar to a source of infinite radiance. Since the Advaitins regard Brahman to be the Ultimate Truth, so in comparison to Brahman, every other thing, including the material world, its distinctness, the individuality of the living creatures and even Ishvara (the Supreme Lord) itself are all untrue. Brahman is the effulgent cause of everything that exists and can possibly exist. Since it is beyond human comprehension, it is without any attributes, for assigning attributes to it would be distorting the true nature of Brahman. Advaitins believe in the existence of both Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman; however they consider Nirguna Brahman to be the absolute supreme truth.

Katha Upanishad says:

[Upanishads Nikhilananda]

Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch II-5 P-14)
It indicates that the one who is ignorant [darkness] of the true self (formless witness or soul) searches truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and practice and uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards reality. The ignorance of the true self leads one towards unreality or hallucination.
This Ataman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Ataman reveals Its own form. (Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20)

This Ataman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Ataman—by him alone is Ataman attained. It is Ataman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature.( 3 –page-70 Mundaka Upanishad  Upanishads by Nikilanada)
The above passages further proves that: self-knowledge cannot be attained by study of the Vedas and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore there is no use of studying the Vedas and other scriptures in order to acquire the non-dual wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sri, Sankara indicated that, the truth lies beyond religion, concept of god and scriptures.  

For the same reason Raman Maharshi said fortunate are the one who do not lose themselves in the labyrinths of philosophy. Bhagwan says: Take Vedanta, for instance: it speaks of 15 pranas the names and functions of it   which the student is asked to commit memory. Will it not be sufficient if he thought only one prana does the whole work of maintaining the body? Again the antakaran is said to think, to desire, to will, to reason etc. Why all these details? Has anyone seen antakarana, or all these pranas? Do they really exist? They are conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose him self in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise. (GURU RAMANA .By S.S Cohen -vii Danger of philosophy-Page -58-59)


Raman Mahrshi further explains (in page 111/112- practical guide to know your self):-

Q: D: Is it not necessary to study the Vedas or at least Prastnatraya[Bagvad gita.Dasoponishad and Brahma Sutra all with commentaries] to ensure firm reazation?


A: Bhagvan: - No. Do you need all that to see yourself? All that is intellectual wealth, useful in explain doubts and difficulties if others rise them if you yourself encounter them in course of thinking. But to attain realization, all that is not necessary. You want fresh water to drink, but you do not require all the water of the river Ganges to quench your quest.
They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Ataman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. (Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada)
This passage indicates the fact that everything is Atman (consciousness or spirit). The one who views and judges the worldview on the base of his birth /body will not realize the fact that, the man including the world is created sustained and finally dissolves as Atman. Thus Atman alone is, and all else is mirage.
Thus self-knowledge is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality [waking] as reality.
Nisagadutta said:  Millions are in search of the ultimate truth, and only one in million will be able to grasp and realize it. By focusing more attention on Ataman by talking, writing, discussing only of Ataman, the conviction grows and becomes firmer and the duality will fade away as reality. Ataman/sprit which is one’s   true identity will prevail as birth-less and deathless, eternal substance and witness of the mirage called duality.
Therefore there is no need to study scriptures, or indulge in god and guru glorification or performing religious rituals in pursuit of truth.  Since, they are not the means to acquire non-dual wisdom. It is only waste of time and effort to indulge in those things.

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 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.

Thus it is necessary for the seeker of truth to know the fact that, the body which is born, lives and dies is not the self. Since he is taking the body to be the self, he is experiencing the duality as reality. 

 As  Sage Sri, Sankara says:  When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman.

 If body is not the Atman/self, then the karma theory has no meaning on the standpoint of the truth. Thus no second thing exists other than Atman, therefore why to view the worldview on the standpoint of the body as self when the body  is the false self, and the soul/Atman is the true self.

If body is not the self, then the birth, life, death and the universe are bound to be illusion.  If birth, life and death are illusion then all conducts actions and their fruits are mere illusion. If body is not the self, then the existence of god, heaven and hell is mere illusion.  If body is not the self then all religious beliefs of god is mere illusion.  If body is not the self but the Atman [soul] which is in the form of consciousness is the true self, then there is no scope for second thing other than consciousness, therefore consciousness, which is Atman is Brahman or ultimate truth.  The Brahman alone is real and eternal.  Thus whatever is real eternal has to be identified as god. To identify the real and eternal, one has to overcome the ignorance caused by the illusion. To overcome the ignorance one has to acquire the Self-Knowledge.      
The individual life within the dream is reality with in the dream. Therefore waking reality is also is reality within the waking. This waking is parallel dream and dream is parallel waking. Only when self-wakes up in waking the dream becomes unreal. When the self-consciously wakes up in its formless nondual true nature in the midst of waking experience  then all the three states are  mere mirage created out of its formless nondual true nature.
The form time and space within the dream are falsehood when waking takes place. Similarly the form, time and space of the waking are also falsehood when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns only when one realize the self is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity. Thus it is erroneous to judge and reason and conclude the ultimate truth on the base of waking entity and waking world because waking experience itself is illusion. 
A Gnani is one who attains the nondual tranquillity in the midst of duality. A Gnani is in self –awareness and he is fully aware of the fact that the form, time and space are mere mirage created out of consciousness.  

Empty and calm and devoid of self is the nature of all things. No individual being in reality exists. There is no end or beginning, nor any middle course. All is an illusion, as in a vision or a dream. All beings in the world are beyond the realm of words. Their ultimate nature, pure and true, is like the infinity of space.- Prajnaparamita

 
This Empty and calm and devoid of ‘I’ is the nature of the Self. The individual being or non being exists in reality. There is no end or beginning, nor any middle course. The diversity is an illusion or a dream. The formless substance and witness of the diversity, which is the Consciousness /Christ /Self /Brahman/Buddha is beyond the realm of words. The ultimate nature of the experience of diversity is, pure and true, is like the infinity of space, which is God, Christ, Brahman.

The nature of true self is oneness is incomprehensible and so any communication about it can only be an interpretation of the ideas based on the false self/ego. Ignorance generates doubts and confusion. Ignorance makes one experience the duality as reality.  Ignorance makes one view and judge on the standpoint of false physical self/ego. Whatever is based on false physical self/ego is bound to be falsehood because everything is viewed and judged believing the duality as reality. Thus, one is unable to think beyond duality. 

Deeper understanding and assimilation is required for self-realization.  It becomes difficult to understand and communicate about the oneness on the base of false self.   Thus rectifying the true base is necessary from form base to formless base to understand and assimilate and realize the non-duality.

There is nothing exits other than the soul or consciousness



The three states, sleeping, dreaming and waking, manifest from the soul, which is in the form of consciousness; the unmanifested is the soul, which is formless substance and witness and also  the source of the Three states which can exist with or without the three states.
The soul/self is beyond the three states altogether lies the unmanifested, and pervading all the three states and witnesses all the three states which appear and disappear in succession.
It is the instinct of exploration, the intense urge to know the unknown, which brings one into existence. The true existence is beyond the experience of duality.
Once the seeker realizes that the non-duality is the goal and that he is on the right path to reach his goal, then he will be able to acquire non dual wisdom. In the realm of non-dual reality, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple and burden- less.
After all, what does the soul, the true self really wants? Not perfection; it is already perfect. What it seeks is to express in action what it is in the midst of the illusion. For this it has the ignorance. By overcoming the ignorance it is back to its formless non dual true nature.
Soul, the innermost  self   cannot be given name and form, for it is without quality and beyond  the duality. Like water in the snow or cloud   yet not of water, so is the soul/self is the formless substance of whatever that exits in objective experience.
Soul/self by itself the light can only be compared to a solid, dense, rock like, homogeneous and changeless mass of pure awareness, free from the mental patterns of name and shape. The supreme gives existence to the objective experience.
There can be no experience of the soul , the innermost self as it is beyond all objective experience. On the other hand, the soul/ self is the experiencing factor in every experience and thus, in a way, validates the multiplicity of experiences.
The waking may be full of things of great value, but if There is nobody to buy them, they have no price. The soul contains everything experienceable (waking or dream), but without the formless  experiencer they are as nothing. That which makes the experience possible is the soul. That which makes it actual is the soul, the innermost self.
When the non-dual wisdom dawns the one becomes aware of the formless witness of the three states, which is the soul, the innermost self. The witness also is the formless substance of the three states, therefore the witness (soul) and witnessed (three states) both are one in essence.  Thus, form is formless in essence.

Soul, the innermost self is both the source and the manifestation. When  the soul  turns upon its own awareness, it is the state of non-duality. The reality is beyond the  objective awareness, beyond the three states of becoming, being and not-being.
The body and world are within the waking or dream, which appears as mind or ’I’.  The Soul is the motionless witness of the Mind or ’I’.
Mind or ’I’ cannot be without the soul, the innermost self. Man and the world exist in waking or dream. The The whole Waking  or dream is mind. Waking or dream arises from the soul or consciousness. 
Nobody can claim as I am the self or “I am the witness". The "I am" is always witnessed. The state of detached objective awareness is the witness-consciousness, the "mirror-mind".
Universe (waking  or mind or ’I’)   rise and set thus it is not the real. The soul the witness of the waking or dream remains the same, hence it is real. Soul partakes of both the real and the unreal, because it is not only formless witness but also the formless Substance of the three states.
There is nothing exits other than the soul or consciousness. The soul or consciousness  is the illusion, and the soul  or consciousness is the reality, because the illusion is created out of the soul or consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing exists other than the soul or consciousness.

All the three states are temporal. The waking experience, which contains the man and his experience of the world, cannot exist eternally. So why concentrate so much attention on something temporal? 

Inherited Religious bigotry existing in the so-called modern age of Reason, has affected the mental growth and people are not ready to think beyond their physical existence, to discover the truth of their true existence.  Only when one is able to think beyond his physical existence then he will be able to discover and realize the fact that, the physical existence is a mere mirage created out of consciousness.  The body and the world are made out of consciousness. Therefore, the ultimate truth is consciousness and there is nothing beyond the consciousness.  The consciousness is the ultimate truth. God is not creator; man created God though his imagination.

When one inquires “Who am I?” or “What am I ?” he will never be able to reach the ultimate end.




When one inquires “Who am I?”  or “What am I ?” he will never be able to reach the ultimate  end.  Who or Am represents physicality.  To understand ‘I’ in a broader prospect, we have to verify the very existence of the ‘I’. Since people think ‘I’ as self, they will never be able to go deeper in inquiry. The “Who am ‘I’? or “What am ‘I’?  Inquiry is helpful for the beginners, but they are inadequate penetrate to Ultimate end.  Therefore, instead of who, or am, we have to investigate the very existence of the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.   When ‘I’ appears the ego, body and the world appears together, and when ‘I’, disappears then the ego, body and world disappears together.   So the ‘I’ is not limited to the physical entity alone, but ‘I’ is the mind, which contains the whole universe in you and me and other exists. So we all appear together and we disappear together. Thus we all exists within the ‘I’/mind. 

  The mind appears as waking or dream.  But the witness of the mind is within the three states but it is formless and apart from the three states. It is nothing to do with the individual experiences within the waking or dream.   It remains with or without the waking or dream.  If it remains consciously without the waking or dream then is true nature of the soul/self.  If it is unconsciously remains without the waking or dream it is deep sleep or yogic Samadhi.    

The states are identified due to ignorance cause by considering the ‘I’ as self.  When one becomes aware of the fact that the ‘I’ is not the self, then one realize all the states are illusory.

The one which understands does not exist as person perceiving the world, but it exists as the soul eternally, which is called Brahman, Buddha’s nature, Christ in the past.  

We are unconscious of the consciousness, which is aware of both conscious and unconscious experiences.  The Unconsciousness can only be a consciousness without objects; otherwise it has no meaning. Therefore it is really and somehow consciousness.  Through study of the mind one gradually becomes aware that it is what intellectuals’   calls "The Unconscious" which is at the back of it all, and what is called the soul/self, which is in the form of consciousness.

Non dual Truth is possible only in duality when there is both a knower and a known.



 
Till  one knows the truth of his true existence, whatever he knows about God is mere belief. Belief   is individual whereas the ultimate truth is universal every belief system has its own idea of God thus there is no universality in the belief system.

Non-Duality means not the non-existence of a second thing, but its nonexistence as other than consciousness. One must know it is of the same substance as the objects.
Non dual Truth is possible only in duality when there is both a knower and a known. Hence truth is one’s idea of a thing. Reality is the fact, the thing itself. Truth is used for communication about the reality. Ultimate truth is beyond all doubt and contradiction. It is not assumption or idea but the Reality itself. Hence ultimate truth and ultimate reality are one and the same. 
It is impossible to know that God is everywhere. What is God?  God cannot exist without duality. In non-dual reality there is no man, no world, and no belief of god. God has no meaning in realm of truth. It is a mere imagination or assumption. Soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the formless substance and witness of the mind, which appears as waking or dream. The dream is parallel waking experience and waking experience is parallel dream. One cannot prove the existence of any God which is everywhere apart from consciousness.  Thus for seeker of truth consciousness, which is ultimate truth itself is God.  In nondual reality neither the universe is reality nor the man nor the idea of god, because there is no second thing exist other than the consciousness because everything is consciousness.  
Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is only is true knowledge not the absence of duality.  Self -Knowledge  or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot destroy the world but it eliminates the ignorance and exposes the unreal nature of the mind or universe.
Non dual wisdom requires investigate in to the mind, analyzing the mind, which appears as universe, realizing the fact that, the mind rises and subsides from formless source, which is consciousness.  The consciousness is the true self. Therefore, one has to learn to judge the truth from the standpoint of the source from where the mind rises and subsides, not from the standpoint of the waking entity, which is the false self.  
As one gets convinced, certain, of the truth that the world is nothing but consciousness, and there is no second thing, then he get conviction that, all the three states to be consciousness in the midst of duality.  Realizing the truth in the midst of duality is wisdom.
Seeker has to practice thinking that he is neither the doer nor the enjoyer and his existence as a person is limited to the waking experience.  Thus neither the waking entity nor the dream entity is the self.  The true self is that which witnesses the three states as a whole.  When he realizes the waking entity is not the self then he will gradually realize the fact that, whatever is seen as waking  or dream is only mirage created out of consciousness. Therefore when he realizes the waking experience is   the mirage then he realizes the stuff from the mirage is made, which is consciousness to be real. 

Teaching children to view and judge everything on religious point of view by their parents, which warps the minds and destroys the capacity to think beyond the belief system of their grooming.



People are making unlimited sacrifices and enduring unlimited suffering in the name of protecting their religion and god. They are therefore ignorant about the truth and incapable of understanding the ultimate truth, which is universal god. All organized religions have unequivocally claimed man for the life in the truth; thus it is sheer folly to fight in the name of religion and god. 

It is time that humanity had a fresh vision of truth that the mind, which is in the form of universe, is myth and consciousness is the only thing that is real and that matters.  On the base of consciousness as self, the physical life is a vain and empty pursuit of illusory values. 

Parental grooming is the main cause of religious influence upon the mass mind-set and it cannot be wiped out without knowing the truth of one’s own existence. Thus,teaching children to view and judge everything on religious point of view by their parents, which warps the minds and destroys the capacity to think beyond the belief system of their grooming.

People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it what they are seeking for. Religious truth is individual truth and it is not universal truth because the religion is based on individuality.  

As one goes in deeper investigation find nothing satisfying in any religion.  The more he learns of any religious doctrine they become aware of the fact that, the religion is not the means for self-realization because the true ‘Self” is not the form but the true self is formless.  The religion is based on the false self [ego] and false experience [universe]. Religion takes the false self as real self and false experience as reality. Thus whatever is based on the false self and false experience is bound to be falsehood.      

The obsession with "our sins" having been "washed away by water of river  would be regarded as evidence of a serious mental illness in an individual within any sane society, but when this is an obsession of millions of people it becomes "religious faith", held by many others to be something that should never be criticized.

It was desperately important for the believers of their belief system for some reason that others shared their beliefs because they assume that their religious doctrine is literally true, and then justify their beliefs because "God says so in their doctrine ".

It is no use of arguing with someone who has faith in his belief system because for him there can be no possible refutation of what he believes, so rational argument is entirely useless. He clings to his belief so strongly that he makes no distinction between the truth and his belief. One has to know the fact that god cannot exist without his existence. The truth does not depend on gods’ existence but it entirely depends on man’s existence.   Thus it is foolish to venture in knowing the truth of gods existence without verifying the facts about his own existence. 

Deeper inquiry revel the fact that, the self is   neither the body, nor the ego.  If the self is not the body nor the ego  then  it proves the fact that, whatever is seen, known, believed and experienced on the base of the  self as body or ego is bound to be false hood.  Thus arguing on the standpoint of the body or ego, which is not the “self”, is erroneous.  Thus the whole argument has to be based on the true self, which is not the body or ego.   Thus it is necessary to realize the fact that, the “self” is not the form but the “self” is formless in order to realize the Advaitic truth.