Self is not ‘you’ but the self is that witnesses ‘you and the world’
together without the physical apparatus.
You are the false self(ego or waking entity) within the false experience(waking)
bound by birth, life and death and form, time and space whereas the ‘Self ‘ is
birthless and deathless because it is formless. Thus self is not limited to waking state alone
because it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. Thus
limiting the ‘self’ to waking entity alone is cause of the ignorance.
The dream entity (you) and the dream world becomes falsehood when waking
takes place. Similarly the waking entity (you) and the waking world become
falsehood when wisdom dawns. Wisdom
dawns when waking entity (you) realizes it itself is not the self but the self
is that which witnesses the coming and going of the three states. The witness and the three states are one in
essence. That essence is consciousness (Atman). Thus consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman. Atman is second to
none.
Thus one has to know ‘What is mind? ‘What is the substance of the mind?’ and ‘What is the source of the mind?’ in order to realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.
The ultimate
truth is one without the second, the one is not in the sense half or two, but
the one that remain forever One, without the second. The consciousness is all pervading. There is
no place where consciousness is not.
Consciousness is
in everyone, consciousness is in everything .consciousness is one behind many.
Consciousness alone is. It means the universe and its contents are the visible
form of consciousness. And consciousness in turn is invisible form of the
universe, which appears as mind.
That is why Sage Sri, Sankara says in commentary in Vedanta sutra
that what is accepted without proper enquiry will not lead a person to the
final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in
something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress. Seeker of truth should not believe blindly
in traditional orthodox nonduality without verifying all the facts from every
angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and over again without getting
tired of the process.
Everything is made of the same
substance, whether it be inside--as in dreams--or outside as in waking.
Whatever is seen as object, heard as sound or name is of the same substance.
Many have begun to suspect this truth.
This is the great lesson to be learnt. Consciousness is all this."
Reason should not be interpreted to mean
intellect. Reason is that which finally distinguishes between real and unreal,
false and true, and therefore it takes all the three states into account.
