The soul is the innermost self. the soul is present in the form of consciousness. There is only consciousness. The mind,which is present in the form universe is within the soul or consciousness. The universe is nothing but consciousness because it is made out of consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is real and eternal. No second thing exists other than consciousness. Hence it is non-dual.
Mind is the whole universe,which includes every person, animal, plant and tree, everything animate and inanimate . The consciousness manifests in and through myriads of forms, all forms being inseparable part of it.
The three states are are only illusion. Ignorance is cause of experiencing the duality as reality. in duality ,which is mere illusion . Within the illusion one thinks he is an individual separate from the world.
Because of ignorance, one has the firm conviction that, he is an individuate born in this world and world existed prior to him . this conviction makes him believe his experience of birth,life,death and the world as reality. thus his judgment is based on the birth- entity ,which is not the self, because the self is birthless because it is formless. That is why, there is so much misunderstanding, disagreement and clashes of egos on the subject of truth. Everyone considers himself as individual separate from the world. And the world existed prior to him and he is born in it. till this conviction is there he will not be able to grasp the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.
Everyone is deeply engrossed in the worldly life believing the birth, life and death as reality. This attitude leads to being trapped in the prison of illusory physicality. Where there is duality there is always misunderstandings, disagreements, burden and bondage. Only by realizing the non-dual truth sets one free from experiencing the duality as reality.
Whether one agrees or disagrees, the truth remains truth eternally. The consciousness pervades in all the three states as their formless substance and witness. Soul is in the form of consciousness, but in illusion it becomes mind, which contains man and his experience of the world. Within the mind the man and his experience becomes reality because mind is considered as physical entity and one thinks mind is within the physical body, whereas the the physical body and the world are within the the mind. This aspect has to be rectified before indulging in pursuit of truth.
The division in consciousness creates illusory separation, but when the formless substance of the illusion is traced then one becomes aware the diversity is mere mirage created out of the consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing exists other then the consciousness.
The body and the world are not apart from the consciousness , because they both are one in essence. Thus ,body and the world are mere illusion created out of consciousness . Till one thinks the waking entity or ego is the self , he remains experiencing the illusion or duality as reality. Till one thinks duality as reality it is impossible to realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.
