Consciousness is the shoreless Non-dual Ocean. Consciousness is beyond form, time and space. Consciousness is beyond instinct, intellect, imagination and inspiration

 

Consciousness is the shoreless Non-dual Ocean. Consciousness is beyond form, time and space. Consciousness is beyond instinct, intellect, imagination and inspiration. It is unconscious of its true nature when it is in illusion. Only beyond illusion it is in its true nature.--FORMLESS PATH

Till one has the firm  conviction that he is born in this world and the world existed prior to him, he will not be able to assimilate Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

When he realizes the fact that, he and his experience of the world co-exist together and disappears together then he becomes aware of the fact that the physical entity is not the self.  Therefore, it is impossible to judge the truth on the physical entity, and come to some conclusion and conviction and then accepting the imaginary truth based on the false self as ultimate truth is mere theory based on the false self.  

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana comes through one's own direct realization of truth, not through beliefs and dogmas or by following religious code of conduct. The religion and its concepts have value within the illusion, and have nothing to do with the ultimate truth, which is based on the consciousness, which is the innermost self.

The three states come into being because of ignorance of the permanent self. Thus, they have no existence of their own without a permanent self, which is the formless soul  consciousness. There is neither the three states nor the witness; only non-dual reality.

Only when the wisdom dawns the waking become unreal. The man who believes himself as a person born in this world and world existed prior to him will not be able to assimilate Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

What's most important to understand about the three states is that they are unreal in their nature. They are mere appearances, because there are impermanent.  Thus the physical self (waking entity or ego) is not the self because it is limited to the waking or dream. The true self is the formless substance and the witness of the three states, which is the consciousness. The consciousness is apart and permanent.  The consciousness is the true self because the three states are dependent on the consciousness for their existence, whereas the consciousness exists with or without the three states, which appear and disappear in succession.

The physical is not an integral, autonomous entity. The individual self, or what we might call the ego, is part of the waking or dream. The ego ceases to exist without the waking or dream.

If one can view the three states on the standpoint of the consciousness as self, he becomes aware of the fact that, the true self, which is the consciousness, is not subject to the birth, life and death. The true self is only formless substance and witness of the three states.

To understand and assimilate  non-dualistic or Advaitic truth there is no need for the seeker to lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise and subside.

 Everything here refers to consciousness, which is the innermost self, because everything (three states) is created out of consciousness.   On the standpoint of consciousness there is nothing exists other than the consciousness.  Thus everything, which is consciousness, is perfectly perfect.  People who view and judge on the standpoint of the physical self (waking entity ego) will not understand this because they see diversity as a reality. They think ‘I’ is self, and the body is an illusion, whereas, the body and the ‘I’, both are part of the illusion.   They think whatever exists within the waking experience that is, man and his experience of the world as reality. 

There are so many obstacles if one tries to reach non-dual destination through physical/ego based paths and practices. Therefore, physical/ego based paths and practices are roundabout way to reach the non-dual destination. 

The scholars are sentimentally and emotionally involved with their inherited philosophy which is based on the scriptures they will not be able to grasp the non-dual truth. The non-dual truth has to be grasped without the religion, scriptures and god glorification.

Gnani is the one who has that wisdom - hence  he realized the non-dualistic or Advaitic  truth – Atman (soul or consciousness) alone is real and all else is mere illusion. 

 The one who acquired physical based wisdom is called genius, on the base of in physical dimension. The one who acquired self- knowledge or non-dual wisdom is called Gnani, in Spiritual dimension. 

It is quite evident that no seeker of truth would conceive of a freedom from experiencing duality as reality without the transcendence of individuality, i.e. giving up the holding the ‘I’ as self. Since everyone is trying to view and judge the truth on the standpoint of the false self, it becomes difficult to understand and assimilate the non-dualistic or Advaitic  truth. Non-dualistic or Advaitic  wisdom is not based on the physical experience, because the true self is beyond form,time and space.  On the standpoint of the soul, the innermost  self (Atman) the three states are  are  mere mirage, thus the non-dualistic or Advaitic   truth has to be mentally grasped and realized.  

How can the ‘I’ know the truth, when ‘I’ itself is false? Since, many teachings hold ‘I’ as self and physical body as false and world as reality, it becomes very difficult to understand and assimilate non-dual truth. That is why step by step one has to remove all his accumulated ideas and obstacle and move towards his non-dual destination.  It is easy to assimilate the ultimate  truth or Brahman for one who is free from religious or philosophical or yogic or theoretical knowledge.

There is need to study the scriptures. One has to self-search the truth and realize it without the scriptures. And then when he reads the scriptures he becomes aware the scriptures are also saying the same thing but everything is misinterpreted.   

Mundaka Upanishad:- This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. ( 3 page70 upanhsds by Nikilananda)

 

It means the truth is beyond scriptures and egocentric intelligence.  Thus in order to grasp, assimilate and realize the non-dualistic truth the seeker to employ soulcentric reasoning faculty.  

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 non-duality without verifying all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and over again without getting tired of the process. 

That is why sage Sri, Sankara says :- VC- 58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar, but are no good for Liberation.

59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

There is nothing more rational, more intelligible and more un-dogmatic insights of Sri, Sankara, is to drop all the theistic non-duality or Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.