Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atama Gnana cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore,there is no use of studying the scriptures and other scriptures in order to acquire the non-dual wisdom.
That is why Bhagavan Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sri, Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, concept of god and scriptures.
Scriptures are being added to from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.
I quote Scriptural citation only after verification reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.
That is why Bhagavan Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sri, Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, concept of god and scriptures.
Scriptures are being added to from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.
I quote Scriptural citation only after verification reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.
There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion. Self-discovery is the only way, towards non-dual Absolute without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching the truth of our true existence.
Bhagavan Buddha said: - Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.
Many people quote Advaita without understanding it really in its highest aspect. One who follows the path of Advaitic orthodoxy is taken the path of ignorance. "How does he know that what Sage Sri, Sankara says is true? There are conflicting teachings. People get confused as to which are true?" People will be unable to prove because they do not know the proper test of truth.The Veda serves only as the starting point. What one has to learn from Veda must be understood through the exercise of reason, as far as reason might go. And what one has understood must be realized in one’s life.
Only pretenders show such external works or claims. People who do not understand the scriptures generally misinterpret all scriptures references to the ‘indifference’ of the sage as meaning sitting idle, remote from worldly concerns. "Though the scripters speak of a direct knowledge of ultimate truth by a study of the holy texts it does not become established..." It is therefore not enough to say one understand the theories of Advaita; he may grasp idealism and Manduka, but it is not enough.
The citations from scriptures are not proofs. The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures. The ultimate truth is the universal truth, and it does not belong to any religion. The religion causes diversity in unity, whereas, the ultimate truth brings unity in diversity.
It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures. There is no need to study first then realize. One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. One has to make his discoveries through the process of rational thinking.
That is why Sage Sri, Sankara says: -V-C :-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.
It means- search the truth independently on your own, therefore, there is no need of any teacher or teaching the truth has to be ascertained by the seeker himself. Until the seeker realizes the truth, how can he know what is the untruth? How can one know the teacher knows the truth or teaching speaking of the truth? The seeker should not accept anything as truth without deeper introspection. Only uncontradictable truth has to be accepted as the ultimate truth of Brahman. The path of truth is the path of verification. Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification.
Bhagavan Buddha said: - Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.
Many people quote Advaita without understanding it really in its highest aspect. One who follows the path of Advaitic orthodoxy is taken the path of ignorance. "How does he know that what Sage Sri, Sankara says is true? There are conflicting teachings. People get confused as to which are true?" People will be unable to prove because they do not know the proper test of truth.The Veda serves only as the starting point. What one has to learn from Veda must be understood through the exercise of reason, as far as reason might go. And what one has understood must be realized in one’s life.
Only pretenders show such external works or claims. People who do not understand the scriptures generally misinterpret all scriptures references to the ‘indifference’ of the sage as meaning sitting idle, remote from worldly concerns. "Though the scripters speak of a direct knowledge of ultimate truth by a study of the holy texts it does not become established..." It is therefore not enough to say one understand the theories of Advaita; he may grasp idealism and Manduka, but it is not enough.
The citations from scriptures are not proofs. The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures. The ultimate truth is the universal truth, and it does not belong to any religion. The religion causes diversity in unity, whereas, the ultimate truth brings unity in diversity.
It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures. There is no need to study first then realize. One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. One has to make his discoveries through the process of rational thinking.
That is why Sage Sri, Sankara says: -V-C :-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.
It means- search the truth independently on your own, therefore, there is no need of any teacher or teaching the truth has to be ascertained by the seeker himself. Until the seeker realizes the truth, how can he know what is the untruth? How can one know the teacher knows the truth or teaching speaking of the truth? The seeker should not accept anything as truth without deeper introspection. Only uncontradictable truth has to be accepted as the ultimate truth of Brahman. The path of truth is the path of verification. Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification.
The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known. Guru is needed in the religious and yogic path. There is no need of the guru in to acquire self-knowledge.
That is why Sage Sri Sankara himself says:- VC 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 realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.
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.
Self-Knowledge is achievable without the grace of any guru or conceptual god or the mercy of some god men. Seeker has to simply wake up to the Reality (consciousness), which is the formless substance and witness of the unreality (universe of mind). At the end of the quest, the seeker becomes aware of the fact that, the true self is consciousness. There is nothing exists other than consciousness. Thus consciousness is Ultimate Reality.
The consciousness is being identified by another name "Nothingness", because truly if there was Nothingness, in the end, there must be one "final witness" to that Nothingness.
