All the things in the universe are within the mind.

Sage Sri Sankara –VC--"All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought

"It is this Supreme Oneness which alone is real, since there is nothing else but the Self. Verily, there remains no other independent entity in the state of realization of the highest Truth." 

People believe that teacher or mystic or priest has got so many followers and therefore there must be some truth in their teaching, is a common fallacy accepted by the mass due to their inherited conditioning. It proves only an ignorant can find a number of greater ignorant to follow him. 

All the things in the universe are within the mind.  The mind is in the form of universe.  The universe is within the soul, which is in the form of consciousness.  Thus everything is consciousness because mind and soul are one in essence. 

If one is able to grasp the existence of the  formless witness of the three states then, he becomes aware of the fact that, the soul,which is present in the form of  consciousness is the true self.  Being freed from ignorance he becomes fully aware of the truth that the experience of diversity(waking or dream)  is mere mental phenomena.

The so-called enlightenment is mere idea based on the false self-(waking entity or ego). On the base of true self [consciousness] there is no such thing as enlightenment without knowing the true self and trying to denying the duality as illusion is foolish venture.  

Ornamental words used in books are not the means to acquire non-dualistic or Advaitic  truth.   They are mere pointers towards truth but not truth in itself.  The seeker and his seeking is due to ignorance is due to limiting the consciousness to the physical entity. When one limits the consciousness to physical entity the ego is formed.   When ego is forms then the illusion becomes reality.  When illusion becomes reality, it prolongs the very search, and thrives on egocentric understanding and assimilation and leads one towards hallucination. Therefore perfect understanding is necessary in order to grasp, assimilate and realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic  truth. 

The truth realization  is not from his own effort but it is mere happening within the illusion, which is present in the form of waking experience.

 If  the self is not physical then:-
 

There is no need for teacher or teaching. Teaching is not the means to non-dualistic wisdom. Gnani can guide   towards non-duality which can bring a discovery of the stuff the mind is made of.

One becomes aware through direct realization there is nothing exists other than consciousness and all else is illusion.  Seekers fickleness is the greatest obstacle in pursuit of truth.  Trying one teacher to another, one teaching to another without doing much homework and remain comparing one teaching with another will make them more confused. One pointed focus of attention is necessary in pursuit of truth. The non-dualistic or Advaitic wisdom is not accumulation of knowledge from different people’s words but it is self-discovery of the truth, which leads to self-realization.

 Ornamental words which pleases only the ego but it will not yield the ultimate truth or Brahman, because the ultimate  truth  or Brahman lies beyond thoughts and words. One has to find the stuff from which the thoughts ,words, thinker and the world are made of.      
    

The  self is not physical but self is formless soul,which is present in the form of  consciousness. Thus the ego or physical self is false self within the false experience(waking).  

The formless  soul  or consciousness, the innermost self, is different from the physical body and the universe because it is the formless substance of the physical body and the whole universe. 

Consciousness is apart from the three states  because it is not a thing, or entity or identity within the waking or dream (mind). The physical body and the universe are within the mind, which comes and goes as waking or dream.  The consciousness has not laboured carrying the Mind, for consciousness is detached from the Mind.  The consciousness is within the mind but it is without the mind. 

One who does not know the distinction between the mind and consciousness cannot be aware of “what truth is” and “what is untruth”.  The physical appearance and the universe is nothing to do with the self, which is in form of consciousness.    The experience diversity (waking)  is mere mirage created, sustained and finally dissolves itself as consciousness. 

Till  one understands the fact that the self is not physical but the self is consciousness he is bound to believe in all theoretical   non-dualistic  teachings which are nearer to truth but not truth in itself. 

Main object of this mental journey leads one towards non-dualistic or Advaitic  reality.  Where there is duality, there would be many fetters and obstacles, because they relate not to the consciousness but to the physicality. In non-dualistic  reality; there is no confusion, obstacles at all.

Physical  and mental distress, thirst, hunger, fear, disagreement, desires for material happiness, old age, sleep, attachment for material possessions, anger, lamentation, illusion and identification of the body with the self are all transformations of the illusory  covering of the consciousness . Only one who has identified himself with his physical body and the universe is affected by these things. Consequently consciousness is neither the person nor anything else within the universe; it is the formless substance and witness which is the cause of the mind, which is in the form of universe. Consciousness itself is uncaused.  

Everything material has its beginning and end. All the positions within the waking are temporary. Today one may be a billionaire and his friend may be poor person, but tomorrow the position may be changed, and billionaire may be poor and his friend may be a billionaire. These are temporary circumstances within the illusion; they are unreal on the stand point of soul or  consciousness, the innermost  self. 

Material pain  and pleasures are reality within the illusion. People interested in them are far from spiritual advancement. It is the egocentricity, which makes one reason on false base and creates many theories of nonduality. If the three states can become mentally unattached to the three states, it becomes the cause of freedom from experiencing the duality as reality. 

Everyone thinks all things on earth, moving or unmoving are nothing but different combinations of substances coming from the earth. We are all but dust and dust shall we end in but they are unaware of the fact that, this universe itself has no ultimate existence because it is mirage created out of consciousness.  Thus whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as reality is mere mirage created out of consciousness. Thus, everything is consciousness all else is mere mirage. 

Non-duality is the ultimate truth or Brahman. This material existence is unreal. The ego through various methods it tries to get rid of the duality but does not know how to get out of this. The only way to get out of this is through Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

 Ultimate Truth cannot be learnt. Non-dualistic or Advaitic  truth cannot be grasped and realized -- Neither by god or guru glorification nor by rituals, neither by penance, nor by yajna, nor by renouncing the household, nor by Vedas, nor by torturing the physical body through hata yoga, nor by intellectual  discussions.

Gnanis  are   absorbed in consciousness, their self being consciousness, established in consciousness, with consciousness  for their supreme goal, they go whence there is no return, their ignorance  dispelled by knowledge of consciousness, the innermost  self.