Foreign seekers find it an exotic and new cultural experience to visit Indian ashrams. The ashrams supposedly offer the chance of seeing and being helped or healed a living God man, a self-proclaimed avatar or God Incarnate.
Most of the seekers usually arrive with their minds filled with what most often turn out to be false ideas about 'spirituality'. Many are very enthusiastic at seeing some of the diverse religious beliefs which infest India - seers, fakirs, soothsayers, astrologers, yogis, sadhus, temple priests and swamis. The great majority of them are either naive believer who is practicing a traditional trade-craft under whatever 'spiritual' pretense or else direct but clever frauds.
Many teachers are limited by their own life’s experiences and what they have and what they have not worked out within their own given egos.
Many People just expect mental spoon feeding to know the truth of their true existence. And they never bothered to take trouble and verify on their own. It is very difficult to acquire Self-Knowledge if they do not do their own homework.
It is impossible to acquire non dual truth without indulging in deeper inquiry analysis and reasoning.
The true self has existing unobserved, unrecognized except by those who are able to discover the fact that, the self is not physical but the self is soul, which is in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the substance and witness of the three states.
Consciousness is not limited to the form, but it pervades all the three states as its formless substance and witness. As a person perceiving the world within the waking/dream he is not aware of the fact that ‘I’ is not the self, but the formless substance and witness of the ‘I’ is the true self. Thus it is necessary to realize the fact that ‘I’ is not the self in order to overcome the illusory duality.
The true self is the soul. The nature of the soul, which is the true self, formless is non- dual. The soul or self is in the form of consciousness. The self itself is the guru, which can be known only from the wisdom, and which is beyond the reach of speech and mind.
Self-Knowledge is difficult to obtain, without discrimination between the truth and untruth; therefore, it is necessary to know the truth in order to know what is untruth. Realisation and continuing in a state of identity with consciousness comes next in order. Liberation from experiencing illusion as reality is attained through nondual wisdom.
Ignorance is necessary in pursuit of truth and man and the universe is the product of ignorance. The longing for Liberation, and intense urge to know the truth and courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth, when the truth is revealed through inquiry, analysis and reasoning in necessary in pursuit of truth.
The man who, having, mastery of the scriptures to boot, is foolish enough not to exert himself for self-liberation, dies as ignorant himself by clinging to the illusion, which he believes as reality. If one believes the illusion as reality it means he has accepted the birth, life, death and the world as reality, which are mere happenings within the illusion. Whatever, happenings within the illusion is bound to be illusion, the formless substance and witness of the illusion [mind] is real and eternal.
What is the use of mastering the Scriptures? What is the use of quoting the Scriptures? What is the use of worship, rituals and sacrifice to the gods? By mastering scriptures knowledge and quoting scriptures and performing rituals and worship the gods, there is no Liberation without the realization of one’s identity with the soul, which is in the form of consciousness.
There is no hope of immortality by means of riches or accumulation of wealth or distribution of it to others. The good deeds are cannot be the cause of Liberation from experiencing the illusion as reality.
The seeker of truth should strive, his best for liberation from illusion, by realizing the fact that, the ego is not self, and accepting the soul as true self and constantly fixing his attention on the consciousness [soul], which is ultimate truth.
Having attained the non-dual tranquility, one should recover one’s-self, immersed in the sea of illusory birth, life, death and world by means of right discrimination.
A Gnani having commenced the practice of the realization of the consciousness becomes aware of the fact that, all the bonds of birth, life death and the world are illusory, because all of it is created out of consciousness. Thus there is no second thing exist other then consciousness.
Action leads to believe the duality as reality, not to perception of the Reality. The realization of Truth is brought about by discrimination and not in the least by means of acts. Therefore, there is a need to realize the fact that the self is not physical but it is consciousness in order to discriminate the truth which is hidden in the illusion.
By adequate reasoning the conviction of the reality about the consciousness is gained, which puts an end to the great fear and misery caused by the illusion worked up in the deluded mind.
The conviction of the Truth is seen to proceed from deeper reasoning and gaining the wisdom. The conviction of truth does not arise, neither by bathing in the sacred rivers, nor by donating wealth to the god men, nor by control of the vital force by regulating breath.
Success depends essentially on a qualified aspirant; time, place, circumstances and other such means are but auxiliaries in this regard.
The seeker after truth should take to reasoning, after duly realizing the fact that, the self is not physical but self is consciousness.
An intelligent and learned man skilled in arguing in favour of the Scriptures and in refuting counter-arguments against them – one who has got the above characteristics is not fit recipient of the knowledge of the self, which is in the form of consciousness.
The man who discriminates between the Real and the unreal, whose mind is turned away from the unreal, who possesses calmness, and who is longing for freedom , is alone considered qualified to inquire after ultimate truth.
The focus of attention to ultimate truth succeeds, and in the absence of which, it fails. Seeker must have enumerated discrimination between the Real and the unreal; and aversion to the illusion, and intense yearning for freedom from illusion.
Seeker must have a firm conviction to the effect that [soul] consciousness is real and the mind [universe] unreal is designated as discrimination between the Real and the unreal.
The mind rests itself in consciousness after becoming aware of the fact that it is mere mirage created out of consciousness.
Acceptance by firm judgment as true of what the inquiry, analysis and reasoning revels, and by that means the Reality is perceived.
Not the mere indulgence in curiosity but the constant concentration of the intellect on the consciousness is self-settledness.
Yearning for Freedom is the desire to free one’s -self, by realising the true nature of the true self, from all bondages of duality caused by Ignorance by realizing the fact that the self is not physical but self is formless consciousness.
Even though mediocre, this yearning for Freedom, through the grace of the self, may being developed by means of renouncing ignorance and developing humility and patience.
In his case, verily, whose are ready to overcome the ignorance through inquiry, analysis and reasoning and yearning for freedom are intense, calmness and humility will bear fruit.
The inquiry into the truth of one’s own self is devotion. The inquirer about the truth of the soul who is possesses means of attainment should continue reasoning, until he emancipation from bondage from illusion.
A knower of ultimate reality, who has withdrawn himself into ultimate reality; for him there is no bondage, there is no cause and effect for him, because he is aware of the fact that, the self is not physical but it is formless consciousness.
By worshiping that Guru with devotion, and approaching him, when he is pleased with prostration, humility and service, is not the means to self-realization. This guru-dom is mere religious fable.
The seeker of truth has to realize the fact that, the birth, life and death are reality within the illusion. The consciousness has neither birth nor death because it is formless and eternal. Whatever is born lives and dies is not the consciousness because it was present prior to birth, and it was present after birth, and it is ever present after the death. But it is only the formless substance and witness of the birth, life and death. The birth, life and death has nothing to do with it, because it is always apart and unaffected because it is not a physical entity or identity which has birth, life and death.
A Gnani is always calm and magnanimous, who inspire others as does the spring, and who, having himself crossed this illusory ocean of birth, life, death and world, guides others also to cross the same, without any motive whatsoever.
It is the very nature of the Gnani to move of their own accord towards removing seekers’ obstacles in their pursuit of truth and guiding them towards non-dual destination.
How to cross this ocean of illusory existence?
Which means should one adopt?
How to put an end to the misery of this relative existence?
The one who has intense urge to know the truth and has courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth, thirsting for freedom, who is ready to drop all the accumulated knowledge of Scriptures and other sources, who has humility to accept the truth, endowed with calmness and receptive to receive knowledge of self, and never argues with others to prove that his accumulated knowledge is truth without verifying the facts, such person is qualified for pursuit of truth.
It is illogical to ask,
1. How the free became bound?
2. How did the illusion come?
By analyzing the subject and object analysis helps us to understand and assimilate “What is truth?” and “What is untruth?” and to accept the truth and reject the truth mentally.
People have hereditary superstition that, religion is holy, sacred and ancient. In the nature o the soul/self, which is in the form of consciousness there is no such division as internal and external.
There is a means of crossing this sea of the illusory existence; by realizing the fact that, the beyond is within and beyond is without.
There is a sovereign means which puts an end to the fear of illusory existence; through that thou wilt cross the sea of duality and attain the nondual existence.
Reasoning on the base of the soul, which is the true self, leads to Self- Knowledge, which is followed by the total annihilation of the misery born of illusory existence.
Seeker, who is aware of the fact that self is not physical but the self is formless consciousness, gets freedom from the bondage of duality/illusion, which is the conjuring of Ignorance.
It is verily through the touch of ignorance that the soul, which is in the form of consciousness, finds itself under the bondage of illusion, and it believes the births, life, death and world as reality. The fire of Self- knowledge, kindled by the discrimination between dual [mind] and non- dual [soul] experiences, burns up the effects of ignorance together with their root.
What is bondage?
Considering the self as physical is bondage.
How has it come upon the Self?
Due to ignorance, considering the self as physical the body and world becomes reality.
How does it continue to exist?
It continues to exist until one becomes aware of the fact that the self is not physical but the self is formless soul, which is in the form of consciousness.
How is one freed from it?
By getting rid of the ignorance through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning
What is this false -Self?
Ego or waking entity is the false self
Which is the true Self?
The soul is the true self, and it is in the form of consciousness.
How can one discriminate between them?
The ego is based on the form and true self is based on the soul/spirit. One has to discriminate between the experiences based on the form and formless. Whatever is based on the form is impermanent and whatever is based on the formless is permanent.
