The journey of "Self Realization "begins with the first step. It is very much necessary to discuss the basics, whether "Self Realization" is related to religion, yoga and modern science or any other subject. The religion, yoga or modern science is no way related to truth seeking or "Self Realization.
In the formative years, the religious propensities of an individual are shaped and formed initially by parents, which is substantial. These inherited religious conditionings handed down as a precious legacy from one generation to the next generation.
Religion conditions the mind into man. Man into personality, to be, to behave, to believe and to live as a person in the world, which is duality. Therefore religion is only a mind game. Thus with religious worship and rituals or prayers it is impossible to unfold the truth of the existence.
Leading religious regulated life in strict accordance with moral and ethical conduct is only good and helpful lead a life within the experience of illusory duality or Waking experience. But it is not a qualification for realization of truth. But all these religious and yogic conducts like faith, belief, devotion, service, and yogic-Samadhi will make the seeker of truth lull into spiritual inactivity.
· The basic requirement is an intense urge to know and realize the truth.
· Courage to reject the untruth when it is discovered.
· Accepting the truth.
· Full-pledged inquiry and reasoning and analysis and intensity of mental effort of constant reflection on the true nature of the mind which is Atman.
Ultimate reality is not God but the Atman that is true nature of the mind. The religion is built on the imaginary divine entity called god for creating faith to inspire and promote the belief. It introduced its code of conduct and rituals to help people who are not fit enough to think beyond. Thus religion creates its own pedigree to help people to live in harmony and build a cultured society. But religion, scriptures and its beliefs are nothing to do with spirituality or truth seeking.
The Atman which exists as the substance and witness of the illusory experience of duality or Waking experience, therefore the person, world, god, and religion are part and parcel of that illusory experience. The illusory experience of duality is dependent on Atman thus Atman is ultimate truth thus god is not truth but imagination within the illusory experience of duality.
Atman dwells and pervades the whole experience of duality thus there is no second thing other then Atman when seeker realizes the true fact that Atman as "Self".
There is also impact of views and trends prevalent in contemporary society. The cumulative effect of this condition from parents, religion and society create as strong mind set to view and judge the worldview on the physical base believing the "Self" to be a person and individual apart and separate from the world. Thus the sense of duality or `I' is created and the "Self" operates itself as false identity as person with the name and gets caught up in the web of duality becomes unaware of its own true formless non-dual identity. Thus it gets a strong conviction that it is a person perceiving the world and its experience of the world as real.
Only when the seeker has the serious urge to know about the truth of his, own existence and when he adopts FORMLESS PATH he will be able discover and realize the fact that `I' is not "Self" but `I' is the whole experience of Waking experience. If `I' is not the "Self", then what is the "Self" without the "I"? Thus seed of doubt is planted the inquiry and reasoning will go on and on till it reaches its goal, which is the truth of its own existence.
Many who or contemplative have been haunted by certain profound questions in human life:
· What is this life?
· Who is the author of this life?
· What is the purpose behind this experience of the World?
· From where this experience of the world perceived only through the perceiver has appeared?
It should be borne in mind however these question pertaining to the realm of spirituality where the authenticity of the answers cannot be established under laboratory conditions unlike in the case of modern science. That is why all these questions have been begging for answers down the ages.
The fundamental question "Who am "I"", is the starting point of spiritual quest. When in finding answer to who am `I' the seeker will discover and realize the fact that `I' is not self and it is the whole experience of the Waking experience. Thus `I' is not experiencer. Thus `I' as "Self" is false identity. Searching truth as `I' as experiencer or `Self is erroneous.
The Ataman is in disguise of the whole illusory experience of duality which is Waking experience or `I'. Behind lowest worm as well as the highest human being within the experience of duality the Ataman is present as its substance and witness of this illusory experience of duality. No matter whatever sense of reality it may create within the experience of duality the substance and witness is still Ataman.
Sense of duality creates ceaseless quest of happiness, but it creates bundle of unlimited desires and everyone striving to fulfill them, but the fact of the matter is that the whole experience of duality or Waking experience itself is an illusion. Thus man has sadly mistaken to think himself as person and his experience of the world as reality. The unscrupulous hunt for material wealth and power blinds him of reality. As a consequence, he sinks deeper in illusory experience of duality and gets caught up in the web of duality thinking it as reality.
Duality means life. Life means full of misery. On an analysis of the seeker becomes aware of the fact that life is an illusion. The experience of duality is inconstant, like bubble on the water. The whole life is ups and downs of misery. No one can escape the experience of the misery without wisdom.
Seeker should therefore recognize the substance of the duality which present as sense of `I' or feeling in order to get wisdom and escape from the illusion of the cycle of birth and death.
Religious rituals, prayers, worships and yogic practices cannot invoke the wisdom rather they are big hindrance in realizing the reality. Since, they strengthen the conviction that duality as reality. F.P[FORMLESS PATH] does not criticizes religion or its scriptures, it is only pointing out that it is of no use for realizing the knowledge of Atman or wisdom. Since religion and yoga are base on the false identity that is `I' as "Self" where as `I' is not "Self" but Atman is "Self".
Religionist thinks they are realized souls because they are practicing religion. Until man thinks as a man he is still ignorant. The realization of the truth happens only when one reaches the truth that he and his experience of the world is not reality but the substance and witness of his experience which is Atman is ultimate reality.
The most important is thing is that constant reflecting on Atman through inquiry and reasoning is very much necessary in order to invoke the wisdom. It is essential to cultivate to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint of Atman as "Self".
An attitude has to be cultivated in this regard. This is possible by considering the Waking experience or `I' as illusion and try to trace the invisible seer or experiencer of the Waking experience. Thus the focus of attention will be shifted on Atman which is the witness and substance of the Waking experience or `I'.
By considering all physical actions and burden and bondage as the part of the experience of illusion and focusing the attention on the Atman as the witness of illusion will ease the burden and bondage created by the illusory duality.
There is no use of going into pursuit of desires under delusion that the fulfillment of these desires bound to give happiness. But the fact is that even if one is satisfied and happy after his certain desires are fulfilled still it is part of the illusion. The physical based desire is no way for liberation. Liberation is to overcome the illusory experience of duality.
There is no use of searching truth within the experience of the Waking experience as a person perceiving the world. Since Waking experience itself is not the experience of the person because the world and the person both are within the Waking experience. Waking experience itself is an experience.
In a determined bid to grab the illusory transitory happiness, one never cares to verify the validity of his own existence. But all the effort come to naught as happiness continue to elude us. It is a pity that man fails to discover the reality of his own existence which is the substance and witness and core of his existence and is the fountain head of everlasting peace.
The ceaseless pursuit of material happiness and pleasure culminates in abysmal sorrow and suffering. Only when the true identity is regained the illusion disappears. Only the discovery of the substance and witness of the mind or duality can mark the end of all illusory sorrow.
Man is not conscious of the fact everyone is propelled by an irrepressible urge to know the truth within and facilitate its manifestation. The influence of religion, parental grooming and society and circumstances creates a strong mindset which actually effect one to believe `I' as "Self" and view and judge the worldview on the physical base with its physical logic. Thus sense of `I' becomes mode of receptivity which is physical self or ego. Thus the physical self or ego becomes a big barricade that has to be overcome by truth seekers.
The greater important factor is that the seekers of the truth will realize the fact that `I' is not "Self" but 'I' is whole experience of duality or Waking experience.
If `I' is not "Self' whatever one believed as a person as "Self" of himself, world, god and religion is bound to be falsehood. Therefore `I' which is Waking experience is an illusion. The one that has the illusion is formless and non-dual. Thus the substance of the illusion or Waking experience is formless and non-dual. Thus the substance itself is witness of the illusion because there is no second thing other then the formless non-dual substance.
When the fact about the nature of the illusion is discovered and realized the illusion disappears and only the formless non-dual substance which is Atman will prevail as ultimate reality.
When seeker becomes aware of the fact that the formless non-dual substance of the `I' that is Waking experience which is the spirit or Atman is the true "Self" and rectifies his seeking base from physical base to Atman base and views and judges the world view on the standpoint of Atman with greater conviction of Atman as "Self" not `I' as "Self" the ignorance disappears and wisdom dawns. Thus, having conviction that Atman as "Self is not merely important factor but it is deceive one. This analogy would be helpful to an understanding of the subject.
The seeker starts receiving the insights as he penetrates through inquiry and reasoning. Thereafter once he gets the firm conviction he establishes himself on the true base that is Atman as "Self". When Atman is realizes as "Self" then the whole experience of duality is mere mirage on the standpoint of Atman as "Self".
Whatever be the situation the seeker has to display his, own mental effort and mange to discover and realize all by himself. The time, place and birth and circumstances are not under control of the person. All subsequent events of life are beyond control of a person. Thus one is not aware of the fact "What was `I' before it was "I". Thus past present and future are illusion. The illusion is not under control of anyone.
It should be remembered freedom from the experience of duality is salvation. And salvation is ultimate motive for realizing the truth of the existence. The experience of unification with Atman is inexpressible. It is transported to the state of non-dual reality which is beyond duality. Only through inquiry and reasoning it can be archived. Perfection is Atman which is formless non-dual true state of the mind.
Removal of all physical based inherited conditioning injected by parents, religion, society and circumstances through inquiry and reasoning will help the seeking mind to clear the accumulated dross which has become a hindrance and create fetter in realization of the reality of the existence.
The seeker has to realize the fact that `I' is not "Self" but the substance of the `I' which is formless and non-dual in nature, that is Atman is "Self". And experience of duality is an illusion on the standpoint of Atman as "Self".
Realization of nature of the mind is realization of Atman. Atman is present in the `I' that is Waking experience as its substance and witness. Thus the `I' that is Waking experience is seen or known from the standpoint of Atman. Whatever is seen or known or experienced is bound to be illusion. Since Atman is the seer, knower or experiencer.
The seeker has to constantly reflect on and on strive to seek and find and realize the true fact that Atman is `self not to yield to imagination till it is stratified the fact that the experience of duality or Waking experience is an illusion.
The renunciation is a mental effort. It is not renouncing the physical desires or worldly life. It is to renounce what is unreal as a whole. Physical renunciation has no meaning and it will not yield any spiritual fruits. The life of action need not be renounced since noting can be archived nor impeded by it.
Renunciation is not religious living and wearing ochre cloths or being nude or shaving head or fasting or indulging in hata- yoga, but renouncing the experience of illusory duality which present as Waking experience by discovering and realizing `I' is not "Self" but Atman is "Self".
Even a householder or anyone who has real urge in knowing the truth can get realization of Atman. Thus religion, scriptures and god glorification and yogic-practice is not necessary for realizing the Atman which is ultimate reality.
To think of renunciation religious and yogic way defeats the purpose of renouncing. The occupation and duties of life is not interference in realizing the Atman. To realize the life itself is illusion and the substance and witness of the life is Atman is the main purpose.
Remembering the fact that the Waking experience or `I' is an illusion and performance of his duties are part of the illusory experience seeker mounts to higher spirituality. F.Pcautions seekers no to permit the events of life bind and without withdrawing from them by constantly remembering they are mere illusion and the witness of the illusion is Atman thus having a mind set of this kind seeker becomes liberated from the experience of duality.
Only through inquiry, reasoning, analysis, reflecting the focus of attention from experience of duality will be shifted on the witness that is Atman and the current of Atman is induced even in the midst of experience of duality.
The seeker will find it very difficult in the beginning to grasp the knowledge of Atman. Since he finds it difficult to accept the true fact that the whole experience of duality or Waking experience, which is in the form of feeling as an illusion or unreal. It is because seeker considers `I' as "Self" and views the worldview as a person. Thus the authorship of whole experience of duality falls on the person. But when the seeker realizes the fact that `I' is not `Self" but the substance of the `I' that is Atman is "Self" he gets convinced of the fact and gets the firm conviction by repeatedly reflecting on this subject and realizes that Atman is "Self" and whatever is based on `I' as "Self" is mere illusion.
The `I' as "Self" is duality or ego. Thus practicing to know the truth on the base of `I' as "Self" is totally erroneous. Wisdom is to wake up from the ignorance to the fact that whatever is seen and known or feel and experienced is unreal or illusion. The reality is the seer or knower or experincer or feeler of the unreal or illusion.
By and by as wisdom dawns, then the seeker will be able to know and realize the experience of duality or Waking experience is mere illusion. The void or emptiness itself is Atman or "true Self" is the substance and witness and the author of the whole experience of duality.
Atman is like movie screen and Waking experience or `I' is like a movie. The movie screen is unaffected and unchanged whether the picture appears or disappears, whether it pleasant or painful because it is nothing to do with illusion because pictures are mere mirage on it. Since the seeker is caught up in the picture hence he is not aware of the screen that is Atman is spiritual reality.
Whatever seen and known and experienced are unreality when the Atman is "Self". Hence Waking experience is unreality or illusion on the standpoint of Atman. The knower seer or experincer is Atman.
Seeker gains confidence and strength as he proceeds deeper in inquiry and reasoning and becomes aware of the fact with proof mentally for himself that `I' is not "Self" and becomes fully convinced of the fact that the mystery behind the duality unfolded only when he rectifies his seeking base and views and judges the worldview on the standpoint of Atman as "Self, the ignorance disappears. When the ignorance disappears then illusion disappears. When illusion disappears then duality disappears. When the duality disappears then feeling disappears. When feeling, disappears then experience disappears. When experience disappears only the seer or knower or experincer will prevails as non-dual reality.
Till the seeker learns to view and judge the worldview on the base of Atman as "Self" he has to make mental effort and learn to view and judge the worldview on the base Atman without falls and stumble till his viewing and judging becomes natural.
Normally everyone is caught up in the web of innumerable changes, worries, troubles, confusion of life believing them to be real. But till the whole experience of life is accepted as illusion mentally the sense of reality will prevail. By constant reflecting through inquiry and reasoning and proving to himself than realizing the fact the experience of duality is an illusion the mind becomes receptive after constant mental effort and will accept the fact that duality is mere illusion.
The birth, death and life within the Waking experience are mere illusion. The one that witnesses the illusion is formless and non-dual. Hence the true self which is Atman is birth less and deathless. It is in the formless non-dual true state that is Atman the seeker has to awaken into. Since death is an illusion a dream. Death is duality is becoming non-duality. Thus seeker has to wakeup consciously to know the reality of his own existence is not experience of duality but non-dual Atman, which beyond form, time and space.
Inquiry and reasoning leads to realization of Atman. Realization of Atman is neither reverie nor vacant inaction but an intense inner struggle to master the art of witnessing the sense of `I' that is experience of duality. Witnessing happens only when the seeker gets the firm conviction that:
· Atman is "Self", not the `I' that is mind.
· Mind is only experience of duality or Waking experience.
· `I' is not "Self" or experincer but it is an experience.
· The physical body is within the experience of the Waking experience hence it is part of the experience.
· The universe and person are within the Waking experience hence the experincer of the Waking experience is not the physical self or ego.
It demands determination, steadfastness and courage particularly when it feels abandoned, desperate, left alone to struggle and trapped. That is the time mind wakes in reality and becomes free from illusory duality.
Atman is ever there. It is only clouded mind which covers it. Yet with mental effort the cloud melts and Atman prevails as ultimate reality. Atman is the truth where the god and universe disappears as unreal.
The dream and vision is always an object. That implies to existence of the seer. The Waking experience also is a dream or a vision. The seer is within the Waking experience as its substance. Without the Waking experience it prevails as the formless non-dual seer.
The seen can never be eternal but the seer is eternal. Inquire and reason into nature of the `I' and sink deeper through penetration and discover and realize Atman is "Self" and abide in Atman. The Atman is both the seer and seen because both are one in essence.
Expecting to have physical proof is erroneous. Physical proof is part of illusion. By mentally proving for one's own self through inquiry and reasoning the ignorance will vanish and the truth that is Atman as "Self" will prevail as ultimate reality.
Duality or illusion cannot be without the Atman. Atman has to be realized in the experience of duality. If seeker thinks Atman is apart from him it is an error. This is main obstacle in realizing the truth. F.S helps to remove all the physical based fetters and obstacles and pave a way to discover and realize the truth in lesser effort and time.
The main obstacles for realization are that seeker is not aware of the fact that:
· `I' is not "Self" but Atman is "Self"
· Waking experience or `I' is an experience of Atman.
Viewing and judging the Waking experience on the physical point of view is erroneous. Even now in Waking experience Atman is "Self" but when it is viewed on the physical point of view the duality creates illusory reality.
· Many are not aware of the fact that Atman is formless non-dual substance of the mind.
· Waking experience itself is mind.
· Mind is sense of `I'.
Since many things Atman is something apart from them due to accepting `I' as "Self". Only by studying of F.S books seeker will not get realization of Atman. Seeker must know how to realize it and then only he must indulge in truth pursuit. Seeker has to indulge in deeper inquiry and reasoning into the nature of duality or `I' in order to realize Atman.
The seeker should be alert intellectually; he who is indolent cannot enter the portal of wisdom. There is a great difference between the "truth" that understood by religionists, atheists, scientists as it is understood by the seeker of truth. While for the religionists god is only matter of understanding for atheists it is no god and for scientists it is physical proof. Truth seekers aim to discover and realize the true facts of his own existence.
Arm chair theorizing is not enough if seeker has to come to realize the truth. Only constant reflecting on Atman is essential.
· Atman is the root of the experience of duality or Waking experience.
· From Atman alone the experience of duality comes into existence.
· In Atman duality resides.
· Into Atman the duality dissolves.
· Atman is the parent of the experience of duality or `I'.
The life within the Waking experience is nothing to do with the truth. The whole experience of life is an illusion. Thus whatever spiritual practice which is based on the `I' as "Self" is based on mere speculation or assumption.
Knowledge of Atman is gateway to freedom. Atman is latent within the experience of duality as its substance and witness. Inquiry and reasoning means together the attention at one point that is to the core which is Atman. Seeker can do it by constantly focusing his attention through inquiry and reasoning and reflect on the nature of Atman with steadfastness.
The root cause of failure to realize Atman is thinking `I' as "Self. Till seeker realizes the true fact `I' is not "Self" but the substance of the `I' is "Self".'I' is the experience of duality or Waking experience. Thus `I' is not the experiencer thus `I' is an experience. Therefore seeking base has to be rectified from physical base to Atman base, before indulging in truth seeking.
Inquiry and reasoning is like a search light; when its beam is spread over on Atman, its power of focus on experience of duality becomes weak and subsides and Atman elevates its self as "Self" replacing the false physical identity.
Seeker has to constantly focus his attention on Atman through reflecting on it through inquiry and reasoning. If the seekers attention is free from the feeling then only the wisdom dawns. Thus detach attention from duality and place it on Atman through inquiry and reasoning will help the seeker to realize the ultimate reality that is Atman.
F.P is the end of all accumulated physical based knowledge. The goal of F.P is wisdom, the limit of that entire seeker can know. F.P is not a narrow religious creed restricted some belief and faith of organized religion or particular idea of god. F.P is the universal religion without restrictions and bondage irrespective of any religion can adopt it. F.P is most suited for modern mind set and modern life.
F.P does not advertising to renounce and abandon religion or condemn it scriptures. F.S emphasis to the seeker to discover and realize the truth of one's own existence, and to realize true fact that life itself is an illusory experience. Seeker has to free himself from the burden and bondage of illusory experience of duality or life by realizing the fact that `I' is not "Self. Thus whatever experienced as reality that is the person, world and life is mere illusion because it has no physical author.
F.P is not dogma as religion and yoga. Religion and yoga are more valuable tools to condition the mind into man and as a man, to be, to behave, to believe and to live as a person perceiving the world with the experience of duality or illusion. Thus religion and yoga cannot transport the seeker of truth beyond the experience of duality or illusion.
F.P is beyond critics. Since it does not condemn religion or god and scriptures but only points out they are part of the Waking experience or illusion. Thus they are not helpful for seeking truth. Seeker has to use his faculty of inquiry and reasoning in order to understand the truth and assimilate the fact to realize what is untruth to realize what truth is.
F.P says what is accepted without proper inquiry and reasoning will not lead the seeker towards reality of his own existence. Religion and yoga keeps one to believe in the present state of duality as reality and blindly accept its doctrine and have faith. This inheritance of blind faith and devotion without proper inquiry keeps one in the web of duality as reality.
It is Atman which has the illusion of duality or `I'. Therefore it is erroneous to claim the authorship of the experience as person or physical self. Self that is Atman is the witness of the experience of duality or `I'.
Behind the screen of deep sleep lies the mystery of Atman. It is the Atman which is the knower of coming and going of experience of duality or `I'. Deep sleep is not the state but absence of experience of duality. Whatever happenings within the Waking experience is mere mirage on the standpoint of Atman as "Self".
In deep sleep the experience of duality is absent because the substance of duality is in its formless non-dual true state because, there is nothing other than non-dual Atman. Consciously becoming aware of Atman as "Self leads the seeker to establish in its formless non-dual-true nature or Atman.
Thus seeker will become aware of the fact that Atman can remain consciously experience of duality and view and judge the worldview on non-dual base and realize the fact that the whole experience of duality is illusion.
Through inquiry and reasoning seeker can prove for him-self that Atman itself of the duality or `I'. If "Self" is physical body it could not possibly it slept well because body was unconscious in deep sleep and it would not remember. In deep sleep it is in its non-dual state. Deep sleep experience helps the seeker to recollect and analyze realize the forgotten image of Atman within the experience of duality.
The Waking experience or dream both are experience of duality. Both are illusory experience .one may be wealthy or poor, powerful or weak, all the limitation of time and space, unrest, activities are present only within the experience of duality. When the mind is in its non-dual true state that is in deep sleep everything disappears and becomes non-dual. Therefore seeker has to find out what is that becomes dual and non-dual. It has to be noting but "Self" that is Atman. The whole ignorance is due to considering the sense of `I' as "Self", whereas Atman is "Self.
The duality created out of non-dual substance. Therefore there is no second thing other then the non-dual Atman. Therefore Atman itself is the witness of experience of duality thus substance and witness both is Atman.
When seeker becomes aware of the formless non-dual substance of the experience of duality he becomes aware the whole experience of duality created out of one and only material that is Atman. And that substance itself is witness of duality. Since there is no second thing other then Atman the experience of duality or `I' is bound to be illusory.
F.P promises emancipation from illusory cycle of birth, life and death which is preset as Waking experience or mind. F.P helps the seekers to invalidate the unreality of experience of duality and defends them with armory of reality which is Atman the true self.
F.P helps the seeker to inquire and reason and analyze on the base of true self and teaches them to view and judge the worldview on the base of the true self which is Atman in order to find detachment and freedom from the experience of duality and attain wisdom.
Conquest of experience of duality is the highest goal of the truth seeker. It is the end of the spiritual quest and is the highest attainment. It alone yields the non-dual peace which is Atamic bliss. The only tool to overcome the experience of duality is F.P.
