The idea of God propagated by belief system hold water only in duality but the duality is mere illusion from the ultimate standpoint

The rituals and japa and worship hold good only when one thinks himself as a person and perceives the world as reality. When one becomes aware of the fact that, the self is not the physical body, then whatever is practiced on the false physical entity is part of the falsehood.

Sage, Sri, Sankara' gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd. 

When Sage Sri, Sankara says, the world is a myth, and Brahman is real. Therefore it is better to find and realize; how the world is a myth? and on what base it is a myth? and what is Brahman, which is real? Mere imagining this truth or that is truth on the false physical entity will not yield any fruits.

Sage, Sri, Sankara clearly says: the truth lies beyond religion and the scriptures and the concept of god. If so, it is better to look beyond, rater to find scientific explanation, since science can unfold only the mystery of an object, within the mind, not the mind as a whole.

Sage Sri Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: - [Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena] - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Thus it proves that religion is not the means to self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  

Sage  Sri,Sankara said:- Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

All rituals and worship are good for the mass, but they are not the means to know the truth.Buddha, Sri, Sankara and Sri, Goudpada have declared non-dual truth centuries back but one has to reach the destination with scientific [rational] investigation not through punditry and intellectuality. One has to mentally reach the final conclusion, than only the conviction becomes firm. Without the firm conviction the wisdom will not dawn. Therefore, there is a need to know consciousness is real all else is myth, which Sri, Sankara declared as the world is myth Brahman alone is real.

Sri, Sankara says Atman is Brahman and everything is Brahman is scientific declaration not religious or yogic. Sri, Sankara and Goudpada are more scientific than anyone else in the world. Since, the real Advaitic essence is hidden it cannot be got without the inner [mental] journey.


Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares that:-Brahman is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself. 

Sage Goudpada says that:- The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect. 

Sage, Sri, Sankara' gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd. 

Mundaka Upanishad:-  Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.-- First Mundaka -10-   Chapter I [Source: "the upanishads - a new translation" by swami nikhilananda in four volumes

Mundaka Upanishad :- The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy and all the arts Can be called lower knowledge. The higher Is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; mind cannot grasp it. The deathless Self has neither caste nor race, Neither eyes not ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great And in the small, everlasting and changeless, The source of life.

 When the world is unreal and consciousness alone is real than what is the use of praying and worshiping the God of belief within the unreal world.  form ultimate standpoint nothing exists other than consciousness. Thus consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God. The idea of God propagated by belief system hold water only in duality but  the duality is mere illusion from the ultimate standpoint. From ultimate standpoint there no second thing exists other than consciousness. hence it is non-duality 

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Non-duality.  There is no doubt Buddha pointed out unreality of world. He told people they were foolish to cling to it. But he stopped there. He came nearest to Advaita in speech but not to Advaita fully. 

Advaitin disagree with Buddhists who say, there is nothing - nonentity. Advaitin believe there is some reality, even though things are not what they appear to be. If one knows the truth, he will know what to do to find inspiration for action. Seeker of truth‘s subject is to know what is it that is Real.

    

Sage Sri, Sankara says :-  VC-63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

Gnana here is knowledge un-contradictable truth or scientific truth. Thus their scientific truth of the whole not part is declared by Sri,Sankara 1400 years back and thought only to those of higher intellect. Thus karma and upasana, yoga and orthodoxy has to be bifurcated in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.  

Wisdom is for those are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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

A permanent view of world as unreal can come only after soul centric reasoning; such knowledge cannot change. Were the seeker who is sufficiently sharpness he could grasp the unreal nature of the world by soul-centric reasoning alone.  To know whole truth, one must know the whole universe, otherwise he gets only half-truth. 

Renouncing the worldly life and accepting sanyasa or monk-hood means incapacity to think deeper, an impotency to inquire and reason. 

People speak of getting rid of conditioning or samskara but they themselves are unaware of the fact that, the universe in which they exist is product of the inborn samskara or conditioning.  The ignorance is cause of the inborn samskara or conditioning which present as ‘I’ or ‘I AM’. 

 The real Moksha or freedom is   to realize the fact that ‘I’ consciousness is mere physical awareness. Physical awareness is not self-awareness. The self –awareness is  when the formless soul or consciousness remains aware of its own non-dual   true nature.